When shopping for my '06 MCS there were a few "must haves" on my list. It had to be DS, it had to have a stick and it had to have the h/k sound system ...because I love my tunes.

A funny thing has happened ...I much prefer driving my MINI with the radio off because I'd rather listen to the car. The whine of the supercharger, the burble of the exhaust, the general sporty tone of it all ...its much more fun to listen to than the radio.

dean.

 

Wow... sounds like my check list when I bought my '05.

1. DS
2. Manual
3. H/K

Having the H/K is good for when you're stuck in traffic. Crank up the tunes and let the world and stupid driver disolve around you.

But you're right, when you're on the twisties and free as a bird, the best music is the one coming from under the bonnet.

 

Can I join the club? I've been turning down the volume on my stereo because I find engine music to be perfectly sufficient. And I'm composer and conductor.

 

It's starting to look like a DS thing.

dean.

 

hope you don't mind a JB owner chiming in . . .

This is especially true in a cabrio -- been given too many strange looks when I forget to turn down the Kelly Clarkson when I stop at a light (doesn't help matters if I'm singing along)

 

Singing along with the radio/cdplayer is not so strange. The hands free cellphone users are what get me. You can't tell the crazy people talking to themselves from the normal people any more. Sitting at a light and having to listen to half a conversation in the next car is annoying too. Too many people think talking loudly will help them hear better.

 

That's when the H/K (especially with my sub added) gets really good use.

Turn it up as loud as it goes so the person can't hear.

 

Well I'm a HB joining in too, and mine is not even an S but I still love the sound of the enigine. But I drive a lot on the highway, so the tunes still get used quite often.

 

i'm like that, too! i have my hk stereo and it does sound pretty sweet! but when i'm driving by myself i almost invariably turn off the stereo just to hear to car's sound, and she sounds great!

and i'm not ds, i'm chili red

 

RG/RG MCS, with HK too. Same way here. Love the burbble... all of it...

 

HK system is definately a must. At first I thought who cares... After having it I have never heard a better sounding stock radio system. Very very nice

 

H/K, sometimes you just need the music cranking! Helps jump up the blood.

 

I "like" and have the H/K, but I am now spending a fortune to have it ripped out and replaced with the DPSM... if you are looking to buy a 1st Gen MINI, consider deliberately not getting the H/K and having the DPSM installed instead. It costs more than the H/K does, but it's far superior... and once you have the H/K, it's extremely complicated and expensive to put DPSM in. Officially, it can't be done.

See my thread for more info:

Call me crazy: Nutty stereo upgrade via dealer (pics!)

Yes, aftermarket would be cheaper (MUCH cheaper), but my car is called "Mr. OEM" for a reason!

 

This brings back a vague 30 year old memory of a sound system add on that I read about. The thing linked the car stereo to the engine and played variouse fancy engine sounds through the speakers as you drove. Want to sound like a Ferrari? OK! You could crank it up and not disturb the neighborhood.

Anybody else heard of this or am I crazy??

 

Sounds pretty neat, but I can't figure out for the life of me how they would have synched it to your actual engine speed thirty years ago.

It would be pretty easy today, though. You could have a "black box" that picked up the engine RPM through the cigarette lighter socket, and then have the various engine sounds pre-recorded as digital sound files that a signal processor could adjust for volume/pitch as your engine speed varied. Then, it would be a simple matter of connecting the black box to the AUX input on the car's stereo.

 

You know the supercharger is music to my ears...

 

RUSH: Snakes & Arrows is out TOMORROW and it will be rocking my MINI's H/K system for weeks to come. :-)

 

A friend at work asked if I wanted to go the RUSH concert with him, and before I could even think, I blurted out "You mean those guys are still ALIVE?!?!"

 

i already have my tickets to see them in Charlotte

 

The real wonder is that *I* am still alive, given my bad behavior in the earlier days of Rush.... Rush Rocks.