You will remember that, even after the terrible Tweeter experiences, I was ready to try again with GBMINI#3, again installing a Kenwood head unit and Kenwood Keg (20GB MP3 drive). The new head unit improved sound a little over the stock head unit, and of course gave me access to more than 2,500 MP3 files on the Keg, but there was still a need for more bass – so new speakers and an amplifier were required.
So on May 18 I left GBMINI#3 with Jamie Perkins, the Car Audio Specialist, in Melrose (40 minutes drive). On 21st, I picked it up again, finished. I have been waiting to get hold of the pictures Jamie took during the install, and of course I have been testing out the system.
My priorities were:
– Clean Sound
– More Bass
– Minimal loss of trunk space
I think Jamie succeeded! Only MINI fanatics will even realize there is a false floor in the trunk now, so that I have lost a couple of inches of depth – under the floor is a Rockford Fosgate P4004 four channel amplifier that drives a pair of Boston Pro 60 speakers in the doors, and a pair of JL Audio 6W0 subwoofers – the trick was for Jamie to build custom sealed enclosures and put the subwoofers in the rear 6×9 speaker positions!
And as you can see, Jamie used lots of Dynamat too – I have not noticed any vibration so far!
It took me a few days to adjust all the cross-overs and sound levels to get the sound how I like it – sometimes having too many adjustments is a bad thing! But I am now very happy with the result.
The sound will not be LOUD enough to some people, but loud was not on my list – of course the system is anyway much louder than the stock system (I don’t know if it is louder than the HK upgrade).
If you are going to MINIsOnTop, you will be able to check it out! 😉
THANKS to Jamie for doing great work, and of course to Jayson for recommending him!
M&I / GBMINI 
And what does Ian favor musically? Bach, Beatles, Dead Kennedies, Miles, Burt Bacharat, The Tubes, ELO? all of the above. I know the British group Tiger Lillies.
Ian, I’m quite interesting in your setup. How do you setup your amp and subwoofer? There’re 2 model for 6W0, the 4 ohm and 8 ohm versions. Both are single voice coil. From the spec of your Punch P4004, it should put out 50Wx4 @ 4ohm or 200Wx2 @ 4ohms Bridged RMS. To my knowledge as one electrical engineer and sound enthusiast, putting 50W to your front speaker and bridging the both subwoofer together to 4 ohm (i assume that you have 8ohm version) would maximize the power delivered to your sub (around 100W each which is optimal from JL specsheet) and get the greater sound than using 4 ohm subs and put only 50W to each of them. So your system would be 50×2+200W Bridged at 4 ohm.
Chote I gotta headache.
Spectacular idea on the subwoofer enclosures…who thought of that?
All that space is why the H/K gets away with producing so much base from its rear speakers, that space acts as a huge enclosure.
See my gallery note on the crossovers.
Can’t wait to hear the end result. 😀
Ian did you chop the 6 x 9 hole to fit the box? Any pictures of that operation? What is the volume required for those drivers? I built a bulkhead and foamed the rear section to seal it. Either way I guess you have to mess with the car. Have fun on the Mountain.
Hey maybe some Tom Waits, Ricki Lee Jones, Moby, a little Mermaid Avenue???
Hey Ian, how much difference did the Dynamat make to general road noise? I’ve been thinking about putting it inside the doors etc.
Note that *I* did not do any of this install work – I just found a guy who could!
Yes, the subwoofers are 8 ohm – I don’t know if they are “bridged” but I guess they are; Jamie mentioned his plan to wire them that way.
My plan was to install subwoofers in the rear speaker positions, to minimize trunk space loss. Jamie agreed it should be possible, and created the enclosures you see pictured.
I did not chop the 6×9 hole – Jamie did. This is the best pic of the chopped hole!
The Dynamat has not significantly reduced road noise – most I think comes from tires / suspension and not through the body / doors.
The car sounds more “solid” when you close the doors, etc. And there is zero vibration.
Is Dynamat worth it? I don’t know – you would need a before / after comparison with nothing else changed, which I don’t have.
Robert – maybe I will post a list of what music is on the Keg one day. Out of your guesses, I only have Beetles & ELO.
WOW, that large hole in the frame structure would concern me. Seems the MINI needs all the frame rigidity it can get, but then I like eggs.
Must be classical or Jazz then.
(Beatles)
The hole in the frame for the subwoofer boxes is hardly bigger than the original 6×9 hole and does not cut into any of the double seamed structural metalwork. No worries.
Do you have any pics of the panel back on after install?
You mean the rear trim panel that the subwoofer is behind? It is totally unchanged from stock!
How much was the total install?? (if you dont mind me asking :P)
I don’t remember exactly now … somewhere between $2000 and $3000 depending if you include the price of the head unit & Keg …
Hi, I was amazed when I looked at this install. This is really superb. I am actually interested in doing something in that direction, as I, too, do not wish to reduce the trunk space. Note: I have a MCS cab, and the trunk is smaller than a normal mini. I wished to use a simpler system actually, not so High End, with the Focal 165 K3P kit, with two 165 subs in the rear enclosures, and I was wondering if I should build enclosures like Jamie did (Small MDF boxes) or just build a panel to attach the 165K3P Focal speaker and leave the entire space behind .. I was wondering what effect it would have on the sound ???
The radio will not be so high end as well, it will be a Becker 7944 and the amp a Audison LRx4300 in bridged mode, so 2x210W, I would install the K2P+tweeters in the front doors and the K3P in the rear enclosures.
My wish was to have a system which looks like stock from the outside, but sounds much better…
Any comments will be greatly appreciated..
Charles.
Charles,
Jamie specialized in wood enclosures – I think he likes the warm sound they give.
If you don’t build an enclosure, you should ensure that the space behind the speaker is sealed – that would be a much simpler install!
First off that looks amazing. I never thought about doing something like that on my mini. But after looking at yours I am very tempted in doing that. Do you have more additional pics of how it looks finished? did you cover the sub with a grill?
The two 6″ subs here vanish behind the stock rear panels where the 6×9 speakers used to be. No evidence of any difference.
Ian,
When you had this done what did you use (if anything) for rear highs.
No highs in the rear, just in the front.
You can currently reach Jamie Perkins via this contact info