My car just hit me where it hurts: There's something seriously amis with my H/K stereo.

Quite honestly, I think Joana Newsome killed it. I was listening to her CD yesterday and had to stop because it was just too intense (too heavy on the bass, too high in the treble) without tweaking the equalizer settings, and I just didn't feel like doing that at the time, so I put something else in. I listened to the stereo/CD/XM all day after that and it sounded perfectly wonderful.

But then I put the CD in briefly this morning to get my boyfriends opinion of her and all of a sudden the sound changed. There's a REALLY harsh, metallic "quocking" that almost echoes some tones (vocals are the worst) in the high midrange/treble. Everything (CD/radio/XM) has the same weird distortion of a radio station that's losing it's signal. Not really static-y, but muddled and with aformentioned "quocking". It's the kind of sound that goes straight to the grey matter and makes your eye twitch. It's AWFUL.

What is this? Is it the speakers? On "MINI h/k", non-driver optimized setting, it sounded worst on the left side (drivers door speakers). With the "driver" setting it's bilateral.

I listen to my stereo at good volume, but by no stretch do I blast it.

Thoughts?

(Thanks!)

 

Use the fade and balance controls to check each speaker - you can select each speaker one at a time this way (eg: full rear fade and full left balance, for the left rear speaker).

Remember the rear speakers are "almost subs" and can't do higher frequencies so they will sound very muffled. And the fronts don't do bass very well either.

See if there is a specific speaker or speakers that distort. Try the "instrumental" mode too - maybe some others too.

If there is distortion only on the rear speakers or only on one speaker, there must be a fault in the amp.
The HK system is designed so that you can't break it - if there is a fault it should be warranteed.

 

Sounds like the sound I had to deal with all winter, my HK amp did this often in the cold. It would not stop until I turned the ignition off and back on. By using the fade it actually only came from the rear speakers but normally you would have thought they all were. There have been several revisions of the HK amp so they have certainly changed things. Watch for it again and if so take it to your dealer to be replaced under warranty.

 

I totally regret wasting my money on the HK package. It sounds horrible for me. So much speaker buzzing that the dealer just cant fix. I'm taking a crack at it this weekend.

 

Thanks guys.

Checked w/ fade/balance and it seems worst up front and on the passenger side, but noticeable bilaterally. Seems like it's ok for the first couple minutes after I turn the radio on, then it goes all to hell.

I called the dealer and the service manager told me that he'd order the amp ahead and it should be ready for me to bring my car in Wednesday. As I was describing it he seemed to know exactly what I was talking about -- and that's when he volunteered the amp -- seems like it's not unheard of.

I'm leaving for a 10 hour drive on Thursday and it was going to suck driving the whole thing in silence (punctuated only by the intermittant "meow"-ing of my cat!) as this noise renders it basically un-listenable.

I like the H/K, glad I got it -- but too much bass!!!

 

The back speakers are only subs only if you want them to. You can set them to be full range or subs only.

- John

 

Great news! Nice to have an on-the-ball dealership :smile:


Not really true.
Even when you choose a mode (eg: SPATIAL) that uses the speakers "full range" the rears have no high frequency ability - no tweeters. If you run with fade fully rear the sound is flat & muddy (not that I recommend you do that, just pointing out that the rear speakers are not full range).

 

I really can't plug New Country MINI enough -- Their service department has been fabulous and their service manager has been super patient and thorough. Volunteering to order the amp (that he thinks I might need) ahead of time was gravy.

 

Wow, my system is now getting static for no reason while playing cds. It can't be the cd considering it just bought it. I am really fed up with this crap.

 

Y'all are going to think I'm crazy for posting this - but try it. If nobody is in the back seats as you travel, simply fasten the seat belts and draw tight. I found the metal latch portion of the seat belt would buzz if riding against the side wall plastic.


No more "speaker buzz".

 

Mine is definitely not speaker buzz (I've already learned to live with that). Mine is officially crapped out speakers. As in... all the speakers in the front doors are getting replaced.

At least, this was the verdict I was given after techs tore everything apart and found that my amp (for which a replacement had been ordered) was just fine. Speakers went kablooie. Now I'm just trying to figure out HOW multiple speakers spontaneously malfunction... while I drive around with crappo speakers, as new ones are on order.

Thoughts again...?

 

Heh, I don't keep stuff in the doorwells anymore and that takes care of 90% of my buzz.

 

you guys could just stop crying about the HK and put your own system in. i havent had a problem yet with my HK and i love it, added a sub and i have new 6x9's coming for the rear to take care of the upper mids and highs (3 way infinity)

deal with it, its a factory system and it will always be just a factory system, nothing more.

 

^^ yeah... just because it's a "factory system" doesn't mean that I'll excuse spontaneous speaker blowouts that are likely caused by an underlying and as-yet undetected electrical issue.

I'm not kvetching about quality (I'm happy with my H/K) I'm bitching because, after 2.5 years it BROKE. Flat out. My mother's 12 year old Saturn never had a blown speaker.

If I"d wanted to spend the money for an aftermarket system, I would have, but as I feel superlative sound quality is entirely wasted in a moving environment, I went for a better-than-average factory option. I'll keep the money where it makes sense: in my home system.

 

I really like my H/K system I have owned two MCS with the HK and I think MINI has made slight improvements to the sound quality of the HK in the 2005's, specially in the "Spatial" mode which sounded "mudded" in the '04 MCS I used to have.

 

I love my H/K system for what it si - sure it's just a good OEM system, and a good aftermrket could blo it away with enough money. But I would certainly expect it to operate to normal operating specs. No one is complaining about it not living up to expectations other than that.

 

I have had no speaker problems to date.

 

Hmm..... this is interesting. I have never figured that the amp could be at fault. I have happy with my H/K when ITS NOT MESSED UP! The dealer has replaced my front speakers numerous times. Here we are again two weeks later, and i have two blown front speakers. This system is supposed to be able to handle anything i throw at it, this has not been the case. I just got back from car-toys, and they said that i shouldnt replace my speakers with aftermarket ones, because i could mess the amp up or make it sound really crappy. I also had the Head unit replaced, because it was skipping on cds. The 05 head unit is very cool. I am taking a guess here that the problem is with the amp. Also, when i looked into the compartment were the amp is, i dont remember it being so large. Could someone who has a pre -05 car give me the deminsions of their amp? Thanks...

adam

 

I strongly disagree. Any head unit that doesn't display elapsed track time is very lame. It's a basic functional feature that you get if you buy any $20 portable CD player. For our cars not to have it is absurd.

 

Can't say that I've ever used that feature on my other units...ever.

 

I listen to a lot of jazz, with 10-20 minute tracks. Believe me, it's useful.

Sorry for the thread hijack.

 

So you skip around on the track or something? I don't listen to any jazz, I'm just asking, not being a smart-*** btw

 

I just like knowing where I am on the track... is there another ten minutes left, or another 30 seconds? If it's 30 seconds, I'll sit and listen to it before I get out of the car.

Or if I'm listening to an album I've never heard before, I might think to myself "hey, this song's been on for a while..." and I like being able to see that it's been 8 minutes or whatever.

I'm admittedly a huge music dork, but I still think it's a basic piece of functionality for a stereo.

 

My only regret with my 2004 mini is the H/K stereo. Poor sound for the extra cost. My pal back East bought a mini at the same time with the H/K and he was disappointed with the sound quality as well. Since some of you love the sound, maybe it's a quality control issue with the unit or the installation. Got me...

 

For anyone suffering front speaker buzz (and not blown speakers), there is a great how-to here: http://www.jwardell.com/mini/hkdoor.html