MF reader John writes:
>I’ve been debating with my MINI owning friends about this for months now so I thought it was time to finally get an answer. What company actually makes the Hi-Fi in the R56?
The MINI Hi-Fi stereo is made by… (drum roll)…. Harman/Becker Automotive (not to be confused with Harman Kardon which is another Harman Becker brand).
The HiFi system is made by Harman/Becker Automotive Systems. Harman/Becker and Harman Kardon are brands under the same parent company Harman International. In their group of brands, I think the Kardon line is above the Becker. Here’s a photo of the amplifier from MikeytheMini (newministuff.com):
<img src="http://www.mini2.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=131314&d=1176026850" alt="null" width="469px" />
Thanks for the Clarification rkw. The post has been updated to give a little more info.
I’ll mention also that Harman International is a huge company. In addition to Harman Kardon and Becker, they also own Mark Levinson, JBL, Infinity, AKG, and many other brands.
so who is making the headunit please ? HB too ?
Interesting that this is the first time MF has addressed the Hi-Fi stereo as long as the R56 has been out. I ordered it with even hearing it so I am eager to plug in the ipod and crank it up. The opinions I have heard so far have been luke warm at best.
Not sure why Mini hasn’t offered a great stereo option. The HK in my ’05 was mediocre and I had hopes this would be addressed.
I would love to hear a few opinions from R56 owners.
It dont matter who makes it, its still awfull .Get a grip Mini
I have it and its not bad. It needs to be broken in for a few weeks to get the best sound, so dont judge it right when you get your car because you WILL be disappointed.
After 2 months still dissapointed with the R56 Hi-fi compared to the H/K unit in my old R53 – especially at highish volumes where high treble and low bass sounds have the speakers booming and buzzing throughout the cabin (and I don’t turn up the treble or the base settings).
It’s a different sound from the old H/K model but in no way would I call it disappointing. Especially considering that the previous unit wasn’t entirely perfect. It does have a different character than the previous H/K though.
Yes.. it does have a different character than the previous H/K unit… it is cheaper.. just like most things seem to be on the new R56.
I can’t comment on the R56 Hi-fi — as I have not listenned to it, but, if it is a “step down” from the R53 H/K, that is very bad news because I am not impressed with the R53’s.
It’s a shame ’cause the H/K in the BMW is an outstanding value — so I expected the same when I got it for my MINI . . . not so.
By the way, if you have to break in a sound system for 2 months, it is less likely that the system is now performing better, and more likely that you’ve learned to live with it — just a thought.
As much as the comments are helpful here and elsewhere on the web. Take much of it with a grain of salt. The true test is you sitting in the car with a CD you brought in.
To answer Bor’s question above our head units are made by Alpine. They were for the R50/R53 and they are also for the R56. I have confirmation from Stracco on this. As much as I like the Hi-Fi I am a tiny bit surprised that they didn’t offer a system that CRANKED a little bit more. Although I am still happy with the Hi-Fi I wish it covered more low range (Read=BASS) for certain types of music I sometimes listen to (Read=HOUSE MUSIC with a lot of precussion).
I got the hifi nav combo on the r56. It is really great but I have noticed that it is very receptive to burned cd’s and can get poppy. My bigger question is with the NAV. What is the deal with the faux DVD selection when picking the audio input? Is it something offered in Europe? Are there plans to release stateside this feature? I realize its illegal to play while driving, but I still would love to get that to work!!!
<blockquote>My bigger question is with the NAV. What is the deal with the faux DVD selection when picking the audio input?</blockquote>I think this is related to an unusual feature that has been described in the forums. You can create a DVD disc loaded with a huge amount of MP3 music, load the disc into the NAV’s DVD drive, and it can play them! The problem is that to do this you must first eject the map disc, so you have no navigation while you use the DVD drive for audio. The NAV DVD drive is hidden behind the panel with the volume control.
I think that HiFi is a good value for money. The extra money you pay, won’t get you anything half decent to replace the lowerer end option on the MINI. You get an amp and a better set of speakers factory installed. If you want something better, just replace the speakers in the HiFi set, without the hastle and cost of installing an amp.
<blockquote>It’s a different sound from the old H/K model but in no way would I call it disappointing</blockquote>
To clarify my comments earlier, I would still recommend the Hi-Fi option for those who like their music; it’s a good system, particularly with the nav interface – but I’m dissapointed that it doesn’t sound better, given 4 or so years of development from the R53.
I suspect that speaker quality may be an issue – I simply can’t play some tracks at the same volumes in the R56 compared with the H/K system, because of distortion (and I’m not talking especially loud volumes)
What would be great is to see another independent review by someone who really knows their stuff, like the one for the HK system that was posted on this site in 2003.
>To clarify my comments earlier, I would still recommend the Hi-Fi option for those who like their music; it’s a good system, particularly with the nav interface – but I’m dissapointed that it doesn’t sound better, given 4 or so years of development from the R53.
To some degree I agree with you. However I’d add that the new HiFi seems to excel in areas (clarity for one) that the old H/K fall short with. It is a little interesting that they are so different from each-other though.
Quick question…
I have heard that one can install a multi disc changer in the secret compartment. What if you put a DVD player in there? Would it play through the nav?
<blockquote>Harman International is a huge company. In addition to Harman Kardon and Becker, they also own Mark Levinson, JBL, Infinity, AKG, and many other brands.</blockquote>Here’s an indication of the size of Harman International. Earlier this year, Harman had agreed to be bought out for $8 billion, although the deal now appears to have fallen through:
<a href="http://www.stereophile.com/news/092407harman/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.stereophile.com/news/092407harman/</a>