First off, I'm sorry for starting this thread, I see the sticky for sound upgrades on the main page and went through there looking at the links but have no idea what any of it means or what I am even looking for.

As I am sure you are all familier, the sound isn't loud enough. My friend says I need to just add an amp. He says most cars have amps under the seat, I don't know. I have no idea.


So... What can I do to upgrade the sound? Do I need to add an amp under the seat? Replace all the speakers, or what? And is it something I can do myself or will I need to take car to the shop? I have no idea what I need or what to do or where to look.

If someone could please help me I would greatly appreciate it because I'm just going crazy with the volume never going up.

 

--Hmm you know it's funny that you say that your H/K isn't loud enough because the H/K upgrade is an amp and possibly some better speakers. I think they said it's a 330watt system already. I could be wrong though. But if you don't think your current H/K system is loud enough you probably would need to replace that H/K amplifier. Make sure it is a MOSFET amp. Those are higher quality because they produce a lot of consistent power and the sound is a lot cleaner with a lot less interference from other electrical do-hickys in your car. Also you'll need to do a little research to see if your stock speakers can handle the power your new amplifier is putting out, or you might damage them. If they can't handle the power you want then you'll need to purchase replacement ones. Infiniti speakers, polk and sony are three of my favorites. I don't particularly care of Pioneer speakers and stay away from kenwood and jbl.

There's also the possibility that something is wrong with your stereo. When I test drove a Mini Cooper S auto with an H/K I couldn't turn it too loud without rattling the windows. Although I did turn it down a lot to listen to the supercharger whine. (what a sweet sound!) But having your dealer check it out might be a good idea.

One other way to increase volume and clarity is to add soundproofing to your car. If you don't care about weight increase or racing then this should be no problem for you. Talk to some of the bigger car stereo places in your area. Some strategically placed sound proofing could give you better focus of sound in your car.

What kind of music do you listen to? If you're lacking bass, or that little boom then adding a subwoofer might be what you need. I have a 8.5 inch bazooka subwoofer that has its own internal amplifier built it and it is more than adequate to rattle my current car. I'm planning on keeping that subwoofer and installing that in my Mini later.

Hope I've helped. Good luck in setting up your stereo to your needs. I love music while I drive. It's my best friend on long drives.

--pyratio

 

See here http://www.mini2.com/reviews/review10.html

All you wanted to ever know about the HK

Many people think its way to quiet. Just go to your local automotive stereo shop and ask ... or do some homework first and go to crutchfield.com and see what fits in a MINI.

Yes, you will need a bigger AMP. Depending upon how powerful it is you might need better speakers.

Its all a personal choice.

 

You can't just swap out the HK amp and put in a bigger one. That's the problem with the HK system, the amp is the "brains" of the whole setup and the entire sound system depends on the HK amp being there.

There's a link of gbmini.net about adding an amp in series with the existing HK amp, essentially using the HK as a line cross-over with the real amplification done by the new amp. But this is definitely not for the faint of heart.

A lot of people after knowing the future expandibility limitations of the HK are disappointed the didn't go with the stock Boost radio and do mods after.

 

Definitely check out Ians page at www.gbmini.net . He probably has more info than anywhere else.

Alos, for the H/K, always make sure you keep bass and treble at halfway or lower. The second you go above halfway, the amp cuts volume.

 

Mikey at www.newministuff.co.uk may be able to help you too....he also sells some of Ian's (GBMini) stuff as well...

 

Thanks for replies..

I wish I went with the stock system! I did alot of research on the Mini before buying and everyone said the sound isn't loud enough in both the stock and upgraded. Alot of reviews said just to get the stock and then upgrade after market rather than the H/K as it would be a waste to upgrade on top of the upgrade and what not. But I really thought that people were exaggerating. They weren't!


My friend told me that most cars usually have amps underneath the seats. He said all I really need to do is add an amp down there or something. I'm just not sure how or what or where. I'll go check out them links you all posted and see what I can find.

And yeah, I always have the bass at either the middle or a little under the middle... I don't like the bass being too loud, makes it where you can't hear the lyrics or anything. And the Treble I play with... Some songs sound louder with the treble all the way up, some with it in the middle. So I don't really know.

I wish there was a quick fix to this. =(


Oh and I listen mostly to BoA, Britney, Utada, Tatu, Jeanette, Lorie, Ayumi Hamasaki, ABBA, etc... I guess pop.

 

This is from Ian Cull's post in the 3rd thread in this forum. He runs the gbmini.net web site. His last point is most valid here. It's not as easy as "looking for an amp under your seat".

 

You need to look at Ian site. On teh right side iof the page he has a MINI Themes link to info about the steror. Everything he has writtin about MINI stereos is there. It will be very usefull.


Also, THere is lots on info here about what happens when you turn the bass or treble up over halfway. I can promise you that you are getting reduced output if you do it.