There is toooo much bass and distortion. I like clean, crisp music. Can this be done without ripping my car apart or spending a rediculus amount of money. Thanks for your time.

 

>>There is toooo much bass and distortion. I like clean, crisp music. Can this be done without ripping my car apart or spending a rediculus amount of money. Thanks for your time.


I can't help with mods, but I do find it interesting that I have the standard system and there's too little bass. Still have the distortion though. You would have thought they could have got it right, at least for the HK upgrade. My 98 Chevy Lumina's standard stereo is a lot better than MINIs but I hate to start pulling things apart to try and make it better.

Hope someone can help you with the HK.

R.E.

 

I started by replacing just the speakers and adapting an Alpine CD Changer. I tried to work with the stock head. I finally gave up and replaced everything. The quality of the front door speakers should have been a clue to the problem with the whole system. Its great now.

So, to answer your question: Replace it!

 

I am restling with the same problem. Too loud of bass/distorted in annoying areas of mid-bass. I am really not wanting it to be louder, just more full sounding. Other cars with stock systems I have owned are much better.

The only answer I have come up with is: First replace the speakers, then HU and amp. Personally I think it is a stupid system that they cobbled together. Unfortunately it came with the MCS I wanted.

 

The problem lies in the DSP of the HK unit, from which the bass response is emphasized. Without a true subwoofer, the deep bass cannot be properly reproduced, due to the limitation of the speaker size and its magnet capacity. As in the case of the HK system, the DSP is delivering too much bass to the mid-bass speakers that are not designed to handle deep bass.

1. A simple solution to eliminate the sub-bass without adding a crossover or a equalizer is to place an in-line resistor to filter out the deep sub-bass and allow higher frequency to pass through. Resistors are fairly inexpensive and readily available at Radio Shack. Different resistors will have different frequency passing points. Afterwards, a subwoofer can be added for the lower frequency sub-bass if desire.

2. Replacing the speakers is another alternative. Many aftermarket speakers have the capacity to reproduce a deeper bass response than the typical OEM speakers. However, the frequency response is often determined by the speaker size and magnet. Without extreme modification, the speaker size and its mounting depth are fixed on the MINI.

 

This is my understanding of the system and I have actually been able to improve the sound. I seem to have more bass and distortion in my Ipod than anything else. Anyway, when the system is in the HKMini, Electronic, or Instrumental mode of sound balance, the back speakers are acting as subwoofers. If you user your fader control, you can bring more sound to the front of the car thus removing some of that overpowering bass. I have actually gotten my HK system to sound pretty good. Remember you will have to do this in each mode of play. Aux has independant settings, CD has independant settings, as does the FM and AM. Let me know if this helps. On Bridger there is a complete review and explanation of the HK sound system.TheHarmanKardonStereoSystemReviewedHarmon Kardon review

_________________
Prickley Pete is an'04 MCS DS/B All three packages with H/K Sound and window tint.

 

>>There is toooo much bass and distortion. I like clean, crisp music. Can this be done without ripping my car apart or spending a rediculus amount of money. Thanks for your time.

I listen in the HK mode. What I did was to adjust the base down about 50% and bumped the treble up a couple clicks. The base is still there but it doesn't beat me any more.

 

The easiest way to improve the sound quality of the HK system is not to replace parts but to read the review that was mentioned and this one (which was the original review)
http://www.angelfire.com/in2/guitar/minihkreview.html

Figure out the settings that you like the best because everyone will be a bit different.
And if it is still not to your liking try adding some sound deadening material to your front doors first then rear panels if that still isn't cleaning up the sound enough.

Some owners have had good success with Dynamat Extreme.
Cascade Audio VB-2 and VB max is good but expensive compared to other more bulk products.
http://www.cascadeaudio.com/
http://www.raamaudio.com/
http://www.b-quiet.com/testimonials.html
http://www.roadkill.co.za/
http://www.carstereoworld.com/dynamat/dynamain.html

Do a search on sound deadening for doors.

The HK system upgrade is a good one for the money but it is not perfect for everyone. Listen to it while on your test drive with the music you like and while driving in traffic. See if you like it or the stock radio better which isn't bad for the average person. If neither suits your tastes then start with the stock audio and do upgrades as needed.

 

Note that you shouldn't use a resistor - use a capacitor. They pass high freqs and block low freqs. To pass low freqs and pass high freqs use an inductor (L). the following table tells you what values to use. visit www.solen.ca to find audiophile quality components.


ok, the table didn't show right so visit this page to see the table correctly (the page also has very good info on crossovers)
http://www.termpro.com/articles/xover.html

 

Yes.
1) turn the bass EQ down
2) turn the volume down
3) adjust the DSP to INSTRUMENTAL

Congrats! You've just sterlized your music!

for reference, my current h/k settings:
bass: -2
treble: +4
balance: 0
fader: 0
DSP: mini h/k

If you really don't want to detune your ears, keep it off and wait 'til you get to the studio.