MINI Cooper F56 JCW Harman Kardon Complete Upgrade
4 September 2022
Complete custom-tuned Speaker and Woofer upgrade with an extra hidden boot suwboofer.
Original Setup:
HiFi S0674 sound system in disguise of Harman Kardon:
- front 2-way component speaker set
- rear 2-way component speaker set
- 2 full-range 4″ speakers in the rear doors
- 2 average quality 8″ floor woofers
- Small and weak amplifier from the S0674 HiFi series
New Setup:
- front 2-way active component speaker set Focal K2 series, ES100K
- rear 2-way component speaker set STEG
- pair of 8″ underseat woofers STEG
- 2 centre speakers STEG, midrange and centre
- 10ch DSP amplifier with active channels to front tweeters
- 550W RMS mono amplifier for:
- 10″ JL Audio subwoofer – hidden in the boot
About the upgrade:
When we get a vehicle for an upgrade, whether it’s a BMW or a MINI with the Harman Kardon system, there is always a bigger challenge as the starting point is already on a decent level of audio quality. Some might disagree and say that Harman Kardon is nothing premium and they wouldn’t be wrong, however to make the difference between the HK and our solution worthwhile, we must make sure to always bring something special to the table.
On Ricky’s Mini with the Harman Kardon, which is actually nothing else than relabelled HiFi S0676 speaker upgrade (S0674 is the actual code for Mini, BMW 1 and BMW 2 series with HK), we wanted to make sure that he gets an absolutely maximal outcome without still any modifications of the vehicle which for true high-end audio is required.
It was settled to use the premium Focal K2 series speakers ES100K. The 4″ door midranges were installed with special adapters to fit the 3bolt mounting holes in MINI and using a speaker terminal for Plug and Play connection. The tweeters replaced in the A-pillar grilles fit the location perfectly by getting clipped inside the speaker mount.
The rest of the speaker’s setup was used in the brand STEG. The centre channel got 2 speakers, rear side speakers also in a 2-way component set and underseat woofers replaced with premium 8″ drivers.
Usually, we would use a 7channel DSP amplifier and it would be a totally perfect solution, but we decided to bring the game to the next level with MATCH UP 10DSP amplifier. Having done this, we could ditch the front speakers’ passive crossovers and run speaker cables from the amplifier to the tweeters directly. Having the front stage powered in active is always a more premium solution because the sound tuning, time alignment especially, gets even more precise results and it’s also more energy effective.
To top it all off, we installed a hidden powerful mono amplifier to the other side of the boot’s side to run the 10″ JL Audio sealed subwoofer which found its place nicely underneath the floor deck. A nice remote control was installed in the driver’s space to adjust the bass.
Results:
Stealth installation, 100% compatible with the vehicle electrical system and no modifications to the car. The newly achieved custom-tuned sound system had perfect centre stage, precise high tones, vibrant and dynamic performance and of course, no distortion even in very loud volumes. When we finished, it was fun to listen to!
