Mini Clubman Stereo
Discussion
<Posted on other forums too>
Hi
I have had my clubman s now for about five months. I am disappointed with the standard stereo setup in the car. (Boost)
I see newministuff.com offering upgrade paths for the audio, but i am unsure if this will suit my needs. I am not looking to make the sound louder but just want more clarity. I find the standard setup a little uninvolving without the punch i have experienced from other cars ( including our old 2001 Mini One).
So would i get away with just upgrading the speakers or does the new amp help with the quality too? I will be able to do the install myself, but just don't understand exactly what i need to fulfil my requirements?
Many thanks
Mike
Hi
I have had my clubman s now for about five months. I am disappointed with the standard stereo setup in the car. (Boost)
I see newministuff.com offering upgrade paths for the audio, but i am unsure if this will suit my needs. I am not looking to make the sound louder but just want more clarity. I find the standard setup a little uninvolving without the punch i have experienced from other cars ( including our old 2001 Mini One).
So would i get away with just upgrading the speakers or does the new amp help with the quality too? I will be able to do the install myself, but just don't understand exactly what i need to fulfil my requirements?
Many thanks
Mike
mike9009 said:
<Posted on other forums too>
Hi
I have had my clubman s now for about five months. I am disappointed with the standard stereo setup in the car. (Boost)
I see newministuff.com offering upgrade paths for the audio, but i am unsure if this will suit my needs. I am not looking to make the sound louder but just want more clarity. I find the standard setup a little uninvolving without the punch i have experienced from other cars ( including our old 2001 Mini One).
So would i get away with just upgrading the speakers or does the new amp help with the quality too? I will be able to do the install myself, but just don't understand exactly what i need to fulfil my requirements?
Many thanks
Mike
Just to update on my research and thoughts so far.....Hi
I have had my clubman s now for about five months. I am disappointed with the standard stereo setup in the car. (Boost)
I see newministuff.com offering upgrade paths for the audio, but i am unsure if this will suit my needs. I am not looking to make the sound louder but just want more clarity. I find the standard setup a little uninvolving without the punch i have experienced from other cars ( including our old 2001 Mini One).
So would i get away with just upgrading the speakers or does the new amp help with the quality too? I will be able to do the install myself, but just don't understand exactly what i need to fulfil my requirements?
Many thanks
Mike
I have found this thread on NAM
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/how-to...
It indicates that the standard Radio Boost clips the signal to the rear 6x9s at anything below 100Hz (ie where these speakers would be most effective) I followed the instructions (best guide is on page one and page nine of the thread) and it has made a noticeable difference to the stereo for some 15 minutes work. The hardest part of doing this is moving the pins around which is where the instructions on page nine of the thread are extremely useful.
Now I am thinking of upgrading the front speakers to Focal 165CVX and rear speakers to JBL 6x9s to get the improvement in clarity I am after.
I have been advised on another forum that this upgrade would be futile and would not give any gains in quality. I am not a complete audiophile but would appreciate any advice from this forum. (Balanced view and all that!!
)If I do go ahead I will update in this thread about any gains to be had (or whether it is a complete waste of money!)
The channel swap is worthwhile doing though!
Mike
Just a brief update on my stereo situation, as I had given up on it TBH.
To recap, I had been trying to get greater clarity from the stereo. I tried the channel swap idea and also installed some Focal speakers in the front.
These gave incremental improvements to the sound but still not to my complete satisfaction.
Yesterday I installed a parrot kit into the car (MKi9000) and this seems to have improved the clarity of the sound by using the parrot amplifier rather than the one built into the Mini. One of the drivers was to get decent Bluetooth connectivity into the Mini without adding a new stereo or too many additional screens/ add ons to spoil the interior.
The biggest pain is installing the kit. This involved 44 bolts, removal of the speedo, rev counter, heater controls and various other bits of trim. It has all gone back in well, but complete installation took me 2.5 hours.
I now have better clarity in the sound, bluetooth connectivity, voice dialing, direct ipod/ iphone charging/ USB point. The only thing that looks a little crap at the moment is the position of the remote control on the steering wheel. I need to find a better place to put this.
The kit including the harness to fit it to BMWs and Minis cost a little over £100 and I can highly recommend.
Mike
To recap, I had been trying to get greater clarity from the stereo. I tried the channel swap idea and also installed some Focal speakers in the front.
These gave incremental improvements to the sound but still not to my complete satisfaction.
Yesterday I installed a parrot kit into the car (MKi9000) and this seems to have improved the clarity of the sound by using the parrot amplifier rather than the one built into the Mini. One of the drivers was to get decent Bluetooth connectivity into the Mini without adding a new stereo or too many additional screens/ add ons to spoil the interior.
The biggest pain is installing the kit. This involved 44 bolts, removal of the speedo, rev counter, heater controls and various other bits of trim. It has all gone back in well, but complete installation took me 2.5 hours.
I now have better clarity in the sound, bluetooth connectivity, voice dialing, direct ipod/ iphone charging/ USB point. The only thing that looks a little crap at the moment is the position of the remote control on the steering wheel. I need to find a better place to put this.
The kit including the harness to fit it to BMWs and Minis cost a little over £100 and I can highly recommend.
Mike
dave1409 said:
Hi Mike, I think one of the problems with the CD Boost system is the low output power - that is why newministuff fits the amplifier. I had their full audio upgrade earlier this year in my Clubman. I think it sounds great now (as do others who have heard it).
Dave
I have heard great stuff about Mikeys installs, but TBH I was not so bothered about the low output - it was the clarity of the system. I firmly think that Mini strangled the boost system in terms of output and clarity. Why clip the rear channel? It leaves those buying second hand with a real problem upgrading because the stereo is so integrated into the Mini - you can't simply upgrade the headunit to a fully bluetoothed/ ipod/ dab/ decent quality unit.Dave
I would love the full upgrade that newministuff offers but I live miles away and the cost of the install is not insignificant.
Just thought this option may help others making a decision....
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