When I purchased my 04 MC, one of "must have options" I THOUGHT I had to have was the HK system. From the first song I ever listen to, I noticed the HK puts out too much bass. "What?!" you say, too much bass? In these days of people bumpin' up and down the streets, you would think the bass would be a good thing, right? Not really for me ALL the time.

Well, maybe I'm actually gettin' old, but the bass starts to wear on me and all I would like to do is turn it down. But on the HK, you cannot turn it down all that much. So, IMO, this is why the passenger door speaker is buzzing, AGAIN! I have already had the speaker replaced under warranty, and now the replacement speaker is buzzing on certain songs. The right rear passenger area near the speaker also buzzes on not so high volumes. VERY annoying!!

The thing is, I'm not even that upset at the $550 I paid for the option, as I am at BMW for not researching the HK system on all levels. It would seem that someone in the testing and research of the system would have stood up and said maybe in some respects the system has too much bass and at least incorporated a way to cancel it out if need be.

So now this Monday, in addition to having my entire bottom seat cushion replaced due to a malfunctioing heat seater, I have to now convince Classic MINI that the pass. door speaker once again should be replaced. I shouldn't have to go through all this after paying $22.000 for an economy car! Don't get the wrong idea here, I LOVE my MINI and will keep it until the day I die, but most people wouldn't be as patient. I have owned Japanese cars my whole life before my MINI, and I have had to take my MINI to the dealer more than any other car I have ever owned. To this I say, it truly must be love. Does anyone out there agree that there just might be too much bass dialed into the HK system and do you like it? Thanks for listening to me rant and just know that I'm a devoted MINIac. Cheers!

 

Both stereos have a "Sweet Spot" that you have to dial in to really get great sound from. I have the factory radio in my 05 MCS, but have had loaners with the HK for multiple days at a time where I was able to do some tweaking to get to where I actually (eventually) appreciated what HK has to offer (though I'm still glad I don't have it in my own car).

The default settings for the factory radio are very mid-range intensive, sounding somewhat muddy. Turning up the volume to appreciate the treble is the wrong approach. The correct approach is to reduce overall volume, then run the treble and bass up around the already strong midrange. Then you can adjust the volume as you like, and the composition will sound balanced. The "Sweet Spot" is up 3 notches on treble, and up 3-4 notches on bass.

On songs with zero midrange (ie. Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With Science") you can actuall run the bass all the way up. Having the treble at 3 notches (even 4 if you prefer) adds clarity to the very midrange-centric stock sound.

On he Harmon Kardon stereo with default settings, the bass is very unbalanced and way too heavy. Increasing the volume to hear the treble causes the composition to sound very muddy, muffled, and causes the speakers to rattle annoyingly (they just can't translate all that bass into a 'thump' so it sounds like a raspy 'boom'). Midrange is not adjustable, so you have to adjust your curve around it. Run the treble up 2 notches. Run the bass down 2 to 3 notches. Pick "Electronica" for the most versatile setting. Turn "driver" off. The HK mode can be made to work too. Again, don't use "driver" mode. The key is to reduce the bass below midpoint, and increase the treble just a little. Then adjust overall volume as a whole.

Adjusting the HK in this way, I was able to appreciate it and enjoy listening to music with it during the several days I was in the loaner car. But, I was also impressed by how truly good my factory stereo sounded, properly tweaked, when I got my own car back.

 

I love my H/K, it needs a little bit tuning, that is it.

 

spurv, let me know if you need any HK help, i already did a full upgrade to the HK in my 05. If you wanna add an amp pr something, let me know, i can handle a major HK upgrade.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, Tarzan. My stereo sounds MUCH better now!

 

Is it aesthetic reasons why you wouldn't save the $550 spent on the HK upgrade and instead spend it on a, presumably, better aftermarket unit? Though I assume the aftermarket unit wouldn't match the door panels, and mesh as well in the dash as the HK. Is that the main reason? Or am I mistaken in thinking that for around $550 you can get a good quality aftermarket unit?

 

Shop around and you'll find $550 will take you pretty far! Aftmkt head unit around $250, front speakers $200, rear speakers $100. I'm not into recommending brands, none of the top brands, Alpine, Pioneer, Polk, Infinity,etc. are bad. It's personnal preference. IMO any combination of the above will sound better than factory HK.

The only thing is labor. Unless you diys, add around $350. Here in the east, that's the average a shop with MINI experience (watch out for the big box guys) will charge to swap head units, pull front door panels, and take apart the back seat.

Keep researching here on NAM and you'll find lots of affordable aftmkt systems and ideas.

hs

 

I ordered the H/K because I like to use the steering wheel controls and you lose that function with aftermarket stereos. Also, I actually think the H/K stereo sounds good for the price. If I were to put in an aftermarket system, I would easily spend $1500 to get what I want...I see the H/K as an extra grand in my pocket.

 

There are ways to get the MFSW to work with aftermarket.

 

spurvis, the buzzing from the rear is probably the seatbelt buckle. Try buckling it so that it doesn't vibrate against the plastic panel.

 

If it's like the S2000 and costs $100, I'll pass

 

The PAC-SWX adaptor for after market steering wheel control on the Mini runs between $50 & $75.

I saw the standard non-hk as an extra $550 in my pocket to put towards an upgraded system. But I'm glad you're happy with the HK.

 

just pass the speaker lines through a lo-cut filter before the speaker and you're set.

 

Spurvis,
Keep in mind you are actually driving a $17K (base MC price) car with $5K in options, not a $22K car. Besides, I have yet to find a perfect car (at any price) that's 100% reliable from the factory.

For the rattling/buzzing in the passenger door, there is a well documented fix for that. Below is one example.
http://www.jwardell.com/mini/hkdoor.html
I too am disappointed with BMW as they already have a TSB for it, but why they just don't fix it at the factory is unfortunate.

The HK system meets all my audio needs, which is why I spent the $550 for it. Going aftermarket and keeping the MFSW working would have cost more then $550 for the same quality. The only part I miss is the deep base, so I still need to add a sub. I already have the parts from my last car, so I just need to get around to installing them.

 

Thanks to all for your replies. I didn't mean for people to get into the debate of aftermarket vs. stock. I've known all along that aftermarket (installed correctly) is usually far superior. Afer owning 4 Lexus vehicles over the years though, I can tell you that the Nakamichi systems in my '92 SC400 and '94 LS400 were by far the best factory systems I have ever heard. I know this is why I'm so critical on my MINI, but I will keep my HK system the way it is. Overall, I do enjoy the system as it only buzzes on certain recording levels and yes, I can adjust the buzzing away. I just feel that it should be engineered better for being a "BMW" ableit a cheap BMW.

I also know there is a major price difference in these cars, but I trusted BMW design/technology would trickle down to the MINI, I know in reality it is only a $17000 car. Wishful thinking I guess. To all, I want to remind you that I LOVE my MINI and will own an addtional one around '08 or '09 as I'm hanging on to my '04 as it seems the '07 will bring a new evolution to MINI. One that may lose the original character of the Cooper, but change can be good as well. I want the new Traveller/Clubman VERY much and will wait until they build it. Thanks again to all for your replies and keep them coming if wish to. Cheers.

 

Even my kids Sentra performs better. Nothing gets me more po'd then when the two cars are parked next to each other and his radio is pulling the FM Jazz station 40 miles away in full fidelity, and I'm getting double-zip at the same time from the station in Newark, and the other one on the same frequency in Philadelphia.

Nakamicis look great in a Mini Very OEM. That idea is sounding better to me all the time.

 

Just in case you haven't noticed, try the "Instrumental" setting for reasonably well-balanced fidelity.

 

I dont think i would sacrifice looks for performance.

i havent personally heard any cars with this Nakamichi brand head unit, but fromthe sound of thing, they are high quality.

proably the same deal with things like Blaupunkt, all we get over here are the crappy low end models, and most people give them a bad rap because of that.

Right now, i think the best bet for someone with the HK setup is to just add an amp and a sub, perhaps swap out the rear 6x9's. i would leave the front speakers alone, they are a wierd ohm rating and dont like to be messed with.

 

The HK sounds decent to me for the price--honestly the car is so noisy that it almost doesn't matter.
It would certainly be possible for a system engineered specifically for one car to sound better than aftermarket universal-fit head units, but the HK probably isn't quite that good; some of the more expensive aftermarket units do allow an alarming number of adjustments like positional time delay (just like a good home receiver), so patient people with good ears may tweak to their heart's content. The strength of the HK is it's already mostly sorted out and ready to go, no RTA tuning required.
But even a cheap Pioneer or Clarion (both famed for high FM sensitivity) would pull in a lot more FM stations.

You should see the look on the salesman's face when customers ask specifically for Bose... in cars that have available Mark Levinson or Linn systems! Muahahahahaha! And people believe they are not affected by advertising.

 

I have an alternative to Tarzan's suggestion to try.


Keep the Treble and Bass at midpoint or below (putting them above that point causes the H/K to reduce volume). I actually have my Treble at mid and Bass 4 clicks down.

Fade about 3-4 clicks to the front. This gives you a better soundstage anyway and keeps volume off the rear subs.