Note: While I can appreciate good sounding music, I am not an audiophile.

Generally I prefer to drive my Mini with the radio off. The sound of the car itself is all the music I need. But the wife riding shotgun prefers a little music.

While my new to me 2012 Roadster did not come with Mini Connect (were an Android family anyway) it did come with both a USB port and a Aux/headphone jack.

We originally just tried just plugging the phone straight to the car, but Android has this "feature" where it lowers the volume when using headphones.

Yes, the car came with Bluetooth, but that's phone calls only.

So I went looking for options and came across the "Mpow Portable Bluetooth Receiver" for $19 US.


It's battery powered with an audio out. Connect your phone to the Mpow via Bluetooth (A2DP no less), connect the Mpow via the aux/audio port for phone to car wireless sound.

The audio cables that came with the Mpow were low quality so we used this instead.

Also, the USB port on the Mini is powered. Use it to charge your devices. We got this coiled, expanding cable for charging purposes. All our phones and the Mpow share the same USB connector. The USB cable tucks away very nicely.

Now with the phone in the Cravenspeed Phone Mount, connected via Bluetooth to the Mpow, and the car set to Aux mode we get endless streaming music via Google Music or Pandora. And when Google Navigation kicks in with voice directions the music automatically stops and restarts.

Further my Bluetooth connection for phone calls still woks just fine.

We have had the Mpow for about a month now with now issues. Battery life is surprisingly long and we always have the option to plug it in.

The Mpow is obviously one of those made in China/Taiwan specials so I can't speak to long term reliability, but for $19 bucks it was worth a shot for us.

There are wired alternatives that appear to be more reliable, but at a cost of $50 or more and with extra cables that need to be routed.

So far we have been very happy with the Mpow.

My only complaint: we have to manually turn on the Mpow before each use. The wired alternatives by comparison are auto on.

 

I have Connected, so I don't know how that might alter the situation (beyond, obviously, having a screen) but I plugged a thumb drive into the USB port and have access to all my music there. The interface isn't perfect, and it can be a little slow when populating search results, but it works. And it's built-in.

 

The USB port does not require Connected, it works for me as well.

But we stream our music using Google Play Music instead of using satellite radio so this solution has worked best for us.

I was also letting everyone know that the USB port is powered so no need for a cigarette lighter adapter.

 

I used a slightly different solution of a Bluetooth adapter. I don't have MINI connect.




This uses the USB/iPhone 30-pin cord that came with the Roadster. The 1/8 inch phone plug and USB plug are both connected into the MINI aux/USB in. The advantage of this is that the adapter is powered by the USB plug, and you don't have to worry about the internal battery or a separate charging plug. It automatically syncs with my iPhone 5 (or any Bluetooth device) when I get in the car, and also syncs with the MINI internal phone Bluetooth. Pandora and selection from my music files is done through the iPhone, not the MINI. Bluetooth sound quality is very good on the HK stereo.

 

This is a great tip. I have been using some no-name Bluetooth adapter from a daily deals site in a similar way (1/8" jack to the AUX, and use the USB for power) but the one I have needs to be turned on every time I get in the car and the phone doesn't auto-connect. I've ordered one of these ($15 with Prime shipping right now!) and I'll replace the one that I have with this.

EDIT: Got mine yesterday. Works perfectly. Paired up instantly, and connects to my phone automatically like it should when I get back in the car. I'm using the MINI aux/USB iPhone 30 pin cable.