Just picked up our 2010 JCW with the premiuim audio this past weekend. Anyone who enjoys in car entertainment realizes that their opinion on sound quality is very subjective, however I think the Premium Audio is great. I have the HK Logic7 in my Land Rover and while the JCW does not have the surround sound, or the 14 speakers of the LR3, it has plenty of power and clarity. I searched nad the best I could locate is that the unit has a report 400+ watts of power. It can be a little heavy on bass, but that is also hte design of the system, to put you in the center of the music,
We are not dissappointed at all!

 

Picked up my 2010 R56 after a 4 month wait and I am glad I went with the H/K.

 

H/K is awesome, very robust... I highly recommend it.

 

Been almost two weeks with the new MCS, so here are some first impressions of the H-K.

In a nutshell:

First, the old MCS had the basic Boost system, but I had swapped all the speakers out for JBL's (1- and 2-ways in the doors and 3-ways in the rear). I had also reversed the front and rears in the connector because someone's extensive research found that there's a fuller-range signal going to the fronts. The front-rear swap didn't change a whole lot, but the JBL's all around did make a noticeable difference over the toilet paper stockers. It sounded decent; I still had to set the bass just about to the max to get it sounding anywhere near close to as full as I like it, but it still didn't have the feel-it-in-your-bones bass that I crave.

The new H-K system is, simply put, many times better than the base system. (Unfortunately I never heard the earlier premium system to compare it to.) Even with the JBL's, I could only push it so far before it would start distorting; but I can crank the H-K as loud as I can tolerate (and I can tolerate it 'til it vibrates my spinal column) and it retains its clarity all the way up the decibel scale. Plenty of bass, but it doesn't overpower the mids and highs ... it's just there, like it wasn't in the last system. I like my music sounding full and clear, and with the bass tweaked up just one above neutral and treble up to about 3, the H-K gives me all of that and then some. Sitting still with the engine off, it can get a bit boomy; but you definitely need that boom when you're moving, and it delivers all that you should need, even at highway speeds.

It will never be confused with a Mark Levinson system, but neither should it ever be embarrassed by one. Of course, cars that you'll find ML's in have a bit more room for amps and subs and such, too. I've also heard an ML being pushed a bit above comfortable listening levels, and I'd say the H-K is a good close second, which still puts it in pretty good company.

If you like your music sounding full, if you like to feel the bass but still hear the rest clearly, I'd highly recommend throwing the extra few $$$ for the H-K.

 

Well, that pretty much settles it, another $750. for the option. What I can't really understand is, a car company, and others do it too, could just as easily put a decent upper class sound system in their cars that have been considered top of the line. Like the JCW, or even the MiniS too. And don't tell me that the profit structure is so close that they couldn't do it, either. Sorry, just my humble opinion.

 

There are actually a lot of these odd insistence/inconsistencies in the MINI lineup. For instance sports suspension isn't in the Sports Package, a JCW doesn't come with the JCW airo kit, Xenon's in the Sport Package when they should be more logically in the Premium Package, Lounge seats not available in beige and Sports seats not available in redwood,......

 

I know that Mini was trying to keep the cost down on the JCW, but you're right, the JCW Aero package should never have been left out of it. Also, in this day and age of trying to make cars safer, the HID's should be standard, too. And, considering the quantities that Mini would be purchasing, let alone taking BMW into consideration, the costs would NOT be all that much to them. Is Mini trying to tell me that it costs $1795. more to MANUFACTURE the JCW Aero kit, than the regular Mini front and rear ends? Hey, they have to put something on there, and there is a cost to, what we would call the stock front and rear ends, as well as the JCW Aero. Also, why not have a special JCW spoiler that came from the factory, too. When you see an advertisement for the factory JCW, doesn't EVERY add show it with the JCW Aero package? Right. Of course their answer to that is that the JCW would be a $40K car with all that on it and very few would buy them. They're right there, but are they trying to tell me that they couldn't seel that same, what they call a $40K JCW at $32K that they wouldn't be making money? Didn't think so.