I have to agree with Derepente. I would recommend using the stock tweeter locations. I have seen many speaker installations but I have never seen nor heard of an idea like you suggest. I think it will look better if you stay with the stock locations or pop for the extra $80 and get the A-pillar covers as I did. If you use the stock location you can use/make an adapter that been used by many others. Just search for "Tweeter adapter". I think its called Mini Tweeter Adapter2.PDF or you can buy them here http://www.urbanmini.com/UrbanMINI/R...r_Adapter.html

Tweeter placement:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...729091251b.jpg
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...729091515a.jpg

Polk Component System
http://img222.imageshack.us/i/dsc00940eh0.jpg/
http://img222.imageshack.us/i/dsc00942tb2.jpg/
http://img222.imageshack.us/i/dsc00943le7.jpg/

 

Djraddy,

Thank you for the links to the adapter, the tweeter installs and the polk installs. They will be helpful.

The factory location has been criticized by a number of posts in this forum as being too low for tweeters. Basically they would be aimed at each other at passenger knee level. I assume MINI agrees as in the HK system they were moved to the A pillars.

I picked the location in my previous post with the hope of taking advantage of the placement in the A Pillar without the hassle and cost.

Cost - more like $100 on a convertible based on my research. I can afford the $100 but I personnally challenged myself to end up with a better system than the HK upgrade for the same cost or less.

Hassle - one speaker in the door, another in the A-pillar with a crossover wired to both. The install is a lot easier with the tweeter in the door.

Location - very close to front of door panels. About the same height as the A-Pillar install and only a few inches further back from the front of the MC. It does not trouble me that nobody else has used this location. As a frustrated non-engineer, I like to invent my own solutions.

Aesthetics - I'm a decent carpenter and have done lots of model building. If I design a tweeter enclosure, it WILL fit in. The enclosure may not be necessary as the Polk Tweeter can be surface mounted or recessed. Recess depth is under 1". The literature also claims it can be aimed. I won't know how much rotation is possible till I see the unit. If I recess it, most won't even notice it there as the black grill appears to be close to matching my black interior.

Don't take any of this the wrong way. I really appreciate your input. But there is a famous phrase in a well known Frank Sinatra song, "and I did it mmmmmy waaaaaaaaaaay!"

Karaoke anyone,

Tom

 

Rather than hijack this long and very useful thread for additional discussion on my 2011 MCS Convertible audio upgrade, I started a new one. You will find it here.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...m-upgrade.html

I hope nobody was put off by my response to the last two posts containing recommendations on tweeter placement. MINI Coopers are highly individualized automobiles. It starts with colors and expands with a very extensive factory option list. Those posting mods at this site take individualization to a whole new level.

One of the components I have chosen, the Sound Ordinance 8-BT integrated sub/amp is the first install of that particular piece of equipment to be documented at this site.

Apparently the same is true of my proposed location for the Polk Audio DB6501 tweeter. I didn't mean any disrespect to the last two posters who discouraged me from considering the location. It's just that I have my own vision for the mods to my MCS, which I think is consistent with the spirit if this site. Whether I actually implement that location remains to be seen.

But if my last response came across as a bit flip, I apologize.

I have learned a great deal from this site and am following many of the recommendations you all have passed along. For that I am very grateful.

Tom

 

Dear Outmotoring,

i was wondering if you can assist me. i have a year 2007 mini cooper d which i am currently changing speakers in. i notice from your post that you installed an amp. could you possible tell me how you did this? the guy in the shop is telling me that you cannot change the amp in the new mini's without re-wiring the car and my dad and i think this is rubbish and i was reading your thread on speaker replacements and notice you fitted a 4 way amp. could you give me some more info please.

thanks

Mark

 

do not completely disconnect your old amp a the cars computer wants to see it, but you can certainly add another amp or two.

 

Right, you can wire your new amp tapping into the speaker wires at the x9331 connector, but leave the rest of the system intact. If you have a Hifi (or Harmon Kardon) system and remove the stock amp, apparently software updates from the dealer will not work. There are posts about using software to remove the Hifi/HK option from your car's build, but that seems like a lot more trouble than just leaving it in but not actually powering anything.

 

hello all hope this is an appropriate place to post this question. i had a friend install some woofers+amp+sub+head unit not too long ago, but there's one problem we are facing: radio wiring (right now it's incorrectly wired, so i don't have a working radio). do all second generation mini's have the same radio wiring? i have a 2010, and have found previous years' wiring diagrams, and would rather do this than buy a new harness (had one originally, but it didn't work. found another for $100, but i'd rather use a wiring diagram).

thanks!

 

You need to explain what exactly you did to your wiring before anyone could offer suggestions. Work with us here, give us some details on what you have done so far and what you want this to look like when you've finished.

Phil

 

yes, the wiring diagrams should be the same.

 

Thank you both for your responses!

I'm not too knowledgeable in this area, I'm sorry :\ . But, from what I understand, my installer temporarily connected the head unit's power wire to a 12V that we found...which was the ignition power. Now that I know the 2007+ MINI's wiring is the same (thanks MotorMouth!), this shouldn't be a problem anymore.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3210689

My budget friendly front speaker upgrade

 

Hey so I tried searching and read thru like 16 pages here anyone have a picture of a place where I can ground my amp and cap? I know this is speaker replacement but some people have led it off to amp replacement as well.

Im installing a 12w7 and a JL 1000/1 amp and need a good ground spot. Then maybe upgrading the existing

Oh and not sure if it matters since im just asking about a ground spot but I do have the upgraded Harmon Kardon or HiFi system.

 

Since there hasn't been a response to this, I'll just give my 2 cents (if worth that much...).

If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure initially my installer used a ground beneath the wheel-replacing tool kit. In the end, though, he believed that manually making a ground would work better, so that is how it is right now. I don't have the greatest memory, perhaps due to a brain injury 5 years ago, but I do remember an accessible ground around that area.

Added a picture just for kicks.

 

There are tons of ground plates around the car, so depending on where you install the amp, there will most likely be a factory ground plate near you. I wouldn't worry too much about where until you start pulling off some panels, and it should be easy to spot a proper ground location.

 

There is a common ground point a couple inches in front of the amp, on the drivers side in the trunk area. I used that to ground my amp and have not had any issues with ground loops or anything.

 

that's the sort of setup I was looking to do, but those Polk speakers and the JVC sub seem to be discontinued. At least the slim versions of the DXi650s and Dxi350s. Is there any difference between the DXi and DB line ? because the DB651s is readily available, but again, no slim 3.5" if it's needed. For that matter, does the lower speaker need to be a slim mount ? The DB651 (regular) and DB351 are readily available (and cheap), there's also a DB401
any special wiring of the speakers in the door positions ? I'm assuming you just clipped off the connectors for each of the stock speakers and crimped/soldered on the new connectors ?
I've got the regular boost system and just wanted to slap a couple good speakers (2 pairs of 4ohm coax) in each door w/o getting into filters or crossovers.

 

[QUOTE=
I've got the regular boost system and just wanted to slap a couple good speakers (2 pairs of 4ohm coax) in each door w/o getting into filters or crossovers.[/QUOTE]

Just responded to your email... more info there, but the Infinity 629I comes setup with built in cross overs. Just thought you would want to know...

good luck

 

I'm about to replace my front speakers and I looking for dyi on the driver's side upper speaker. How do you remove the housing/mirror control. I see references to the mirror control (and it coming apart) but no detailed instruction for replacing the driver's side speaker when you have mirror control. please help.

 

David

read this post

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...upgrade-2.html

from #26 in particular

 

N1tr0,

Haven't been in this thread for quite some time, so sorry about that. I was looking and doing some comparing, and the specs for the DBs and the DXi's (physically) are identical, so it's probably a model refresh of sorts. For example, the physical dimensions for the DXi650 and the DB651 have the same mounting depth and diameter, so virtually the same speaker size. There seems to be a very slight difference in the performance aspect, though it would be irrelevant on the Boost system. The DXi650 has a continuous power rating of 125w, where the DB651 is 100w. And on frequency response, the DXi650 is 35hz-23khz, where as the DB651 is 35hz-22khz.

And yea, I just snipped off the OEM connectors and soldered on the connectors that fit the speakers. Many others go through the extent of all new wiring, but the wattage output of the boost system isn't high enough to warrant that in my personal opinion. With the 92db sensitivity rating of these speakers, the sound output is much clearer and gives a sense of nearly double in volume.

As for my JVC CS-BB2, that's a bummer...it does appear to be discontinued. Which is a shame, because this is a really nice performing sub, and compact. I guess the alternative still seems to be the BOSS Bass600, though it is a couple of inches larger in both width and length.

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CDkQ8wIwBQ#

 

This is what I ended up putting in my Mini Cooper 2010:

- Rockford Fosgate Punch P3 P3SD212 Shallow 12-Inch 400 Watt Subwoofer - 2 Ohm
- VLYNX HEAVY DUTY 12" Sub Woofer Box Enclosure 3/4" MDF Slim Truck Box
- Pioneer AVH-P5200BT In-Dash DVD Multimedia AV Receiver
- Infinity KAPPAFIVE 50W x 4 + 350W x 1 Class D System Amplifier
- Boston Acoustics ProSeries 60SE - Car speaker - 125 Watt - 2-way - component (in the front)
- Boston Acoustics SC60 6.5" Car Audio Component Speakers (in the back)

There are some tweaks I'd like to do with the head unit, but overall I am very pleased with the results.

 

So I have had my sub in for quite a while and it over powers my hk speakers greatly almost to the point the treble portion in my car sounds choppy.

I want to upgrade the speakers without adding another amp or crossovers if possible. Any ideas on the best bang for the buck I can get (hopefully a loud bang to keep up with the bass)

 

A lot of folks seem to come to this thread with installation-related questions - Where can I put my amp? Is there room under the seats? How do I tap into the audio signal? Where is the Remote Turn-on signal? How do I remove the rear seats/front seats/panels/etc...

I'm posting links to our installation guides for our new Model 1101S Subwoofer System for the MINI. They don't cover removing the door panels and replacing the speakers (the instructions for our upcoming Soundstage upgrade will cover that), but they cover pretty much everything else anyone doing a DIY-installation needs to know.

Feel free to use them, even if you aren't using our products - our gift to such a great community of folks!

MINI Cooper R56 Installation Guide [Click the "Installation" tab] - for rear storage compartment amp installations.

MINI Cooper R57 Installation Guide [Click the "Installation" tab] - for under seat amp installations.

 

Ok so i've read through this whole thread...and am still quite confused.

I have a 2008 MCS with the HiFi upgrade and I just want to replace all the factory speakers...no plans of going with an aftermarket amp or anything. I want clearer sound, better lows and mids for sure...don't want to lose the space in the boot so no plans for a sub or anything either.

Do I need 3 way or 2 way or component speakers for the various locations?!

My budget is under 500 bucks ideally...and I don't mind replacing the stock tweeters as well. If that extra info helps at all.

 

If you are looking for any kind of real, objective improvement that's going to be virtually impossible with your requirements. The factory amp has extensive DSP-based frequency shaping that is tailored to the factory speakers (see image below - red is the woofer signal from the HiFi amp, blue is midrange). It is also extremely low powered - the front midrange and tweeter share a channel that is less than 3 watts RMS.

What you are asking would require speakers that are a) more efficient AND have greater bandwidth than the factory units, and b) have the exact same deficiencies as the factory speakers and thus would work with the HiFi amps signal shaping. In addition, you would still require a bandpass network to fix the artificial, HUGE bumps in the signal at ~45Hz for the woofer and ~150 for the mid. Otherwise you'll still be left with the "one-note bass" (all bass basically sounds the same) issue that currently plagues the HiFi system.

There are no speakers available anywhere, at any cost, that fit the bill - and the physics of the above requirements are largely impossible.

If you are willing to add an amplifier your options will increase dramatically, though you'll still be hard pressed to get any significant improvement without increasing your budget a bit.