I'm about to get a Mini this tuesday with the H/K but have read several comments now about the volume not being loud enough. Given the number of comments I don't doubt the legitamacy of the claim but have to wonder how loud everyone is talking about.

Is it not loud enough so an entire neighborhood can hear it or is it not loud enough where you can hear it but can't get it just a bit louder -- Most annoying when songs aren't recorded on the same sound level.

I know I used to love Mini Disc players but they were never able to get loud enough so I finally went back to CD players. Am I going to be experiancing this with the Minis sound system?

I read that one review that everyone always points to but it doesn't really answer my question so I wanted to ask. Also, I'm going to try it out for myself when I visit the dealer to pick up my car just it's a bit embarresing to be blasting music either onlot or on the test drive with the dealer.

My other concern is that rattle people say they get from the front passanger speaker and how dealers never are able to fix it. Is it something I should be concerned about? Is the rattle going to be extremely loud and overpowering to my music or just something minor that will eventually blend away?

 

the sound is pretty loud. I have a convertible and even driving town the highway going 70 with the top down I can hear it pretty good (assuming I crank up the volume).

As for the volume of the songs there is a great program and I wish I could remember the name I think its called MP3Gain and it will normalize the volume of every mp3 you have in a directory so they all are the same loudness. Its a nice free program.

Howard

 

In my MCS with the sunroof open and windows down, the system definitely is not loud enough when going above 70. The wind and road noise overpowers parts of the sound, period. With the sunroof closed windows down, it's just loud enough not to be overpowered. With the windows up, sunroof open or closed, it's loud enough to overpower any noise easily.

The Input level of the factory iPOD connector is lower than the radio, so yes mp3's played that way will be lower volume, about 5%. There is nothing you can do about it.

MP3gain only writes to the tag files of the mp3's to tell a player to boost output level, it doesn't actually change the volume of the file. If the player does not support tag functions (the iPOD does not through the dock connector, only headphone output) then it has no effect. I have not tried a burned CD of mp3's on the '05 radio to know if it supports tags or not. I use the iPOD exclusively for mp3 playback.

 

I had the stock sound system in my first MINI, got the H/K in Wanda, and I love it! I think it has been well-worth the cost. And I don't have any rattles, either. :smile:

I agree that the volume isn't very loud if you have sunroof and windows open, but when I have those open, I usually want to listen to the engine sounds, anyway! And I'm not one to try to "share" my sounds with every car within a quarter-mile, anyway!

Clover

 

Oh, yes I have the rattle - it arrived around 300 miles, and the dealer has tried fixing it once. I think they actually made it worse. It's only apperant on some tracks, and yes it's annoying but not a huge deal. I'll give them one more shot at fixing it, then I'll do it myself.

 

First reminder:

Get the iPod charger from Belkin - Has a boost on it, makes the HK louder when turned up, also the HK has a boost level as well ...

MINI left out (OMITTED) a redesign for the convertible, the HK system is the same as the hardtop, no redesign, no speaker adjustments or additions or choice for "convertible" or "top down mode"

It works and is well worth it !!!!!!!!!! AWESOME SOUND from the iPOD with the Belkin charger

 

That is no where the equal to the lineout/factory adpator. The Belkin kit only provides a head-phone out, so you have to use the AUX adaptor for the MINI, and you lose fidelity and all the control from the headunit/steering wheel.

 

Mine is very loud enough at 75 with windows down and sunroof open. Let's quantify how loud it is at freeway speeds. I can hear the hi-hat symbols crashing, I can hear and understand the vocals, and I can even hear the driving bass line. So that takes care of high freqs, med freqs and low freqs. That just about covers it for normal people's hearing ( 30Hz - over 10kHz )

If any of you want to hear my system and how loud it is (yes, it's still stock), feel free to shoot me a PM and we'll hook up and I'll take you for a test drive. Seriously, I will do that for you.

 

I adore my HK system. Easily the best stock sound-system in any car I've ever owned. I often have the volume turned all the way up, sunroof open, windows down and at 50-60 its loud. I don't often have the sunroof open on the freeway but on the few occassions I have, the system did just fine. I was not straining in the least to hear it.

 

There is a volume adjustment for whatever is plugged into the AUX port on the back of the headunit. For the basic AUX input I have, it's set to +4 (out of a max of +/- 5). Should help for the iPod adapter, too. You access it via the music-note button on the headunit, when AUX is selected. Also, make sure the volume is turned up to about 75% or higher on the iPod (helps with the Aux, not sure about iPod adapter).

If not, I've seen an auxilliary battery/booster for the iPod that amplifies the signal. Can't remember if it works only through the headphone jack, though. If so, wouldn't help with the iPod adapter.

 

I'm not saying you can't hear it! But it's certainly no where near as clear as just say, putting the windows up. I will say that it is much less an issue playing the radio or a CD - mp3's through the factory connector are lower which add to the problem.

For anyone that has experience with it, the Monsoon system in the Beetle is 50% louder. With the top down and cruising, that system still hits your chest and the vocals sound like they are in the car. In comparison the H/K at speed with everything open sounds like there are a couple speakers in your car somewhere playing some music, if you know what I mean.

 

The boosters only help with headphone output. Line level is not effected by anything.

The adaptor uses the CD changer input and no there is not any level adjustment for that on the headunit. I wish there was.

 

My experience is that the H/K system shakes the doors my MINI. That ought to be enough. And, yes, it is the finest sound I've had in a car. I use it almost exclusively with an iPod and the MINI iPod adapter.

One of the car magazines rated it in the top ten sound systems for cars in its price range.

 

This exactly describes my frustrations with the H/K system. Sometimes, I feel like if it could just be another 3db louder it would be perfect, but it just won't go there. It is especially frustrating as I have XM and they have a wide variation in their sound levels across channels.


All-in all I love the H/K though and most people cannot beleive it is a stock system.

 

I completely agree!

 

Okay here goes. My H/K system produces a very high quality sound. But! If you like to blast your music once in a while, you just find urself turning the **** over and over trying to see if it'll go louder! This is not a problem when you are driving on the street or freeway with windows up, BUT with the windows down, the sound DOES get easily drowned by road noise and you just wish it can go louder!!! I am forced to close my windows sometimes because of this. Sure I can sitll hear the music but no way is it loud enough for me in those conditions. Sure the bass is insane and everything vibrates like nuts, but like i said, it can get drowned out.

My solution: Since I use iTunes, before I burn any CD, i select all the tracks, get info on them. Set the Volume Adjustment between +75% and +90% and that bumps up the base sound level enough so that the HK can go VERY, VERY LOUD.

SO..... the system has the capability of going VERY LOUD, and it still sounds AMAZING! I am confused as to why the amplifier just doesn't provide this power naturally! Oh well my solution works well now.

 

Because the H/K amp is programed not to clip, given a standard input level. It's sacrificing volume for guaranteed clarity. Yes you can fool it by providing a boosted source level - but it will clip at some point. That being said, I would do the exact same thing if I were using CD's.

 

I don't have the iPod adapter, but my hunch is that it connects to the headunit and adjusts the same as the Aux Input. Someone with the iPod can probably correct me if I'm wrong!

Doesn't it plug into the same place (back of the headunit, top corner nearest the driver)? Try pushing the music-note button when the iPod is connected. It will cycle through Bass, Treble, Fade, Balance...and then I think the AUX POWER (or some option like that) comes up. Set it to 5.

 

Thanks for the replies!

I don't have an Ipod though.. I'm talking about just playing mixed CDs on it. Do those play well? And can it play a data disc? Instead of putting songs onto a blank disc using Audio recording that goes by minutes, using Data recording that goes by MBs... Does it play those? And if yes, is it loud enough? I never tried playing CDs like that. =\

And ugh... I rarely drive with the windows down, lol, more like never and same with the sun roof except for maybe that tilt but the whole trying to get the stereo just a tad louder, I hate that. I know with my MD players I would ALWAYS have that problem and it is so frustrating, especially when songs don't have the same volume output and you would really need to turn them up some to get the same level out of all the previous songs.

 

I had the rattle or better described as a buzz in the left front tweeter. The dealership first replaced the speaker but it was still there so they replaced the H/K amp and wala.....it was completely fixed

 

Through 04, the stereos could not play MP3 files. I don't think that has changed.

 

YEAH - like I already said...IT USES THE CD CHANGER INPUT and there is no level adjustment for that!

 

Yes, all of my music CDs play very well on the H/K head unit. Mine is a Feb 03 build and does not play MP3 discs.

The "data disc" you're referring to is MP3 discs, right? If so, the newer HUs do play them. The older HUs do not.