Harman Kardon Speakers

My iconic trim had a production start date in late September and I just picked it up Monday with HK sound system. I was also told the HKs were going back in beginning in September builds (told this when ordered in August) and later confirmed that all SEs and JCWs were getting them. I love the system. Not blown away but didn't want to deal with installing anything aftermarket and I'm very pleased with the sound quality!

 

If anyone is interested I just swapped out the speakers on my base audio system with the Audiotec Fischer Match speakers that Crutchfield sells.

Briefly:

Installation pretty easy. Everything fits. No wire splicing or hole drilling.

Front and rear speakers: much better! Having a separate tweeter makes a huge difference. I probably could’ve gotten similar results with a cheaper pair of something like Infinity Reference, but there is something to be said for not having to splice wires and dick around with adapters.

Under seat woofers sound better. Not crazy better, but better. Expensive. Might not have been worth it. There’s going to be a limit to what you can get from a small woofer stuck in the floor.

I didn’t think the stock speakers were horrible, I thought they were almost good enough. With the new speakers I feel pretty satisfied.




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Did you add an amplifier, or did you change just the speakers? Wondering if the stock amp has enough wattage to drive the new speakers and subs.

 

Just the speakers.

Could it use an amp? Sure, but that’s getting more involved than I care to go at this time. I feel like these are “good enough.” Maybe one day when I need a project to do and have some spare cash I’ll look into it.


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The stock SE speakers does not include amps, at least mine does not. I ordered the HK but I didn’t get them due to the chip shortage. An SE with HK should have the amp hidden at the left side of the boot.


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Hi, how did you install the tweeters? Did you replace the pillars? And how did you replace the under seat sub woofers?

 

I feel like he is talking about the built-in tweeters inside his new coax speaker.
You'll see a tweeter inside the main speaker:
https://www.audiotec-fischer.de/en/match/speakers/up-x4bmw-frt.2

If he didn't bother splicing/drilling holes, I don't think he'd bother to replace the A pillar/or cut a hole in it and the wire up the tweeters. Just my assumption though lol

 

Thanks @simplex123, that would be it.

 

Exactly. The new speaker is a two-way coaxial. You could probably drill holes and mount a separate tweeter on the A-pillars or on the door. I thought about it, because I did that in one of my old Toyota’s, but I couldn’t find a set of component speakers that looked like an easy fit for the doors. On this project I was all about it being easy.


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How complicated was removal of the door panels? I'm paranoid about introducing squeaks and rattles after removing/reinstalling panels....

 

Completely agree - if I had the base stereo I too wouldn't want to add tweeters to the pillars as it can be quite a tedious job.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned BavSound as they are highly regarded in the BMW/MINI community to be the easiest to work with in terms of stock speaker replacement.
https://www.bavsound.com

Would you say the upgrade you made is comparable to factory Harman Kardon? Because when I tested it back to back before I found the stock to be muffled and you needed to turn the volume up quite high.

 

It all came apart and went back together like it should have. Nothing weird. Very similar to the Toyota's I've owned. There are videos on You Tube you could watch, but I mostly just went with the instructions that Crutchfield sent and it was fine. The back seat panels were harder to get out, but only because I am a large middle-aged fat ***.

 

I just got what Crutchfield was selling because I knew I'd get the stuff I ordered fast. Plus, slightly cheaper for the woofers than what Bimmertech or BAVsound sells.

Is the upgrade comparable to the Harman Kardon? I've never actually heard the Harman Kardon, so I don't know. I will say that they sound good, the stock head unit just can't get super loud.

 

If your replacement speakers sound good, then they’re not comparable to the Harman Kardon speakers.

OK, that was an exaggeration, because I wouldn’t call the HKs bad. But I’m picky when it comes to audio quality, and to my ears the system is disappointing.

I still have very few miles or hours on my recently acquired car, though, so…maybe it’ll sound better as the speakers break in a little more? Here’s hoping!

And I’m very glad you’re happy with your Audiotec Fischers, @2814-6890! Appreciate your sharing your upgrade path and results with us.

 

I wouldn't say HKs are the best but at least you get 8 speakers + sub and it's prewired for you to upgrade. Whereas base stereo you're quite limited to just 4 speakers plus sub

 

I've noticed an improvement in quality after break in period.

Still not ideal though. I'll keep the HK system for now, but might upgrade in the future.

 

That’s encouraging to hear — thanks for the heads up.

 

After a week with my MINI with the base stereo, I agree with 2814-6890. Even before I took delivery, I was planning an audio upgrade in expectation that the base stereo would be disappointing. Instead, they are almost good enough and I will delay any upgrade work. If they were better I would shelve the intent to upgrade; if they were worse, I’d go ahead and do the work now. Instead, they are in that Goldilocks zone were I will give it more time and decide later.

 

I got my Mini SE Monday and it does have HK speakers.

 

Congrats on your new SE and your luck of the draw on the HK!