# 2011 MINI Cooper



## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

2011 MINI Cooper hardtop:











System Goals: to improve factory sound while maintaining accessability and functionality of the car.

Gear: 2 way active setup w/ JBL MS-8 processor, JL HD900/5, LPG25NFA tweeters, Eton 6.5" Hexacone Midbass, and a IDQ12v3 sub.

Knowing my audio expectations for this vechicle exceeded my installation and fabrication abilities, it was left in the capable hands of James Sheltra at Audio Interventions in Bonita Springs, FL. He took some picturs during the build so I could share them with everyone here.

Factory door panel:










After deadning applied:










Baffle/spacer, coated with resin, and a deflex pad behind the mounting hole:










Completed door panel, with the mid sealed to the outer door skin:


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

Tweeter pods for the a pillar being built:




























And the finished product:


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

A fiberglass bottomed box was built for the sub, with space on the sides for the amp and processor, all concealed beneath a false floor.














































With everything installed:











And a trim panel on top:





























Thanks to James for his attention to detail, and lots of hard work. The setup still needs some tuning, but hopefully I can work out the kinks and get it to sound as good as it looks.


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## Schnitz (Jun 26, 2008)

Nicely done. I love stealth builds. I would have integrated the pillar pods though.


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## yuri (Apr 11, 2009)

very tidy install ,mini's are pig size wise for installing but it still looks factory .
wheres the battery as i thought it was where the sub is ?


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## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

Clean & simple, yet sophisticated. I'm impressed


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## oldturd (Oct 31, 2009)

Simple and stealthy. Absolutely love it.


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## odj23 (Jul 13, 2010)

Very nice! How come y'all didn't get factory MINI A-pillars from the upgraded stereo with the tweet housings built in?


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## Audio 1 (Oct 27, 2009)

Very Nice!

I was just at Audio Interventions speaking with James about my car.

Thanks so much for sharing.


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## Mixerdriver (Nov 8, 2010)

love it gives me some ideas.


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## The Baron Groog (Mar 15, 2010)

yuri said:


> very tidy install ,mini's are pig size wise for installing but it still looks factory .
> wheres the battery as i thought it was where the sub is ?


It's only in the boot on the S-no space under the bonnet with the charger and associated pipe work! 

Now if I just had some time to finish mine

Though nice install work


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## Neil_J (Mar 2, 2011)

Very nice install, I'm planning a similar sub enclosure in the back of my 2011 Mini Cooper S, with a JL 13TW5 powered by a XD700.5

I'm going the MS-8 route as well, but with a center channel. I'm trying to get ideas as to where to stuff the speaker... I think the options are:
(A) round fiberglass/wood circular pod for a HAT L3SE and maybe another pod for a tweet if needed (like the famous "improve your soundstage for $2 thread)
(B) put a 4" mid and tweet in that center vent thing on the top of the dash that seems to serve no purpose (the most "stock" / stealth option), or 
(C) remove the huge speedometer and replace it with a 6.5" coaxial set (e.g. HAT Imagine I61) and fiberglass/wood enclosure.. Bonus points for re-integrating a speedometer needle into it somehow. Ballsy as hell, but could give excellent front staging 

Has anyone else with a Mini integrated a center channel?? Any links? My searches so far have turned up empty.


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## Blister64 (Jun 13, 2010)

Looks nice man, I love the trunk. The clean look is the way to go!


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

Neil_J said:


> Very nice install, I'm planning a similar sub enclosure in the back of my 2011 Mini Cooper S, with a JL 13TW5 powered by a XD700.5
> 
> I'm going the MS-8 route as well, but with a center channel. I'm trying to get ideas as to where to stuff the speaker... I think the options are:
> (A) round fiberglass/wood circular pod for a HAT L3SE and maybe another pod for a tweet if needed (like the famous "improve your soundstage for $2 thread)
> ...



My do you need a center channel


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## Neil_J (Mar 2, 2011)

trojan fan said:


> My do you need a center channel


Better imaging for left / right / center for both passenger and driver without having to switch T/A or other processor settings. I know there are a lot of mixed opinions on the MS-8, but I'm confident it will do exactly what I need it to do for my install. Check out the JBL MS-8 FAQ, I can't link to it since I'm a new member :mean:

Edit: necrophidious, I see that you ripped out your MS-8. Are you selling it? I'm in Florida and would give a fair price for it.


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

Neil_J said:


> Better imaging for left / right / center for both passenger and driver without having to switch T/A or other processor settings. I know there are a lot of mixed opinions on the MS-8, but I'm confident it will do exactly what I need it to do for my install. Check out the JBL MS-8 FAQ, I can't link to it since I'm a new member :mean:
> 
> Edit: necrophidious, I see that you ripped out your MS-8. Are you selling it? I'm in Florida and would give a fair price for it.


Send him a PM


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

That's a very nice and clean install...good job....thanks for sharing


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## boogeyman (Jul 1, 2008)

simple looking and clean, very stealth ,two thumbs up.


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## Hoye0017 (Mar 23, 2010)

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that front stage setup the exact same as Diamond Audio's very first hex line of speakers. I really liked those back then and they weren't the same after they went away from eton drivers.


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

Neil_J said:


> Better imaging for left / right / center for both passenger and driver without having to switch T/A or other processor settings. I know there are a lot of mixed opinions on the MS-8, but I'm confident it will do exactly what I need it to do for my install. Check out the JBL MS-8 FAQ, I can't link to it since I'm a new member :mean:
> 
> Edit: necrophidious, I see that you ripped out your MS-8. Are you selling it? I'm in Florida and would give a fair price for it.


Yes, I still have the MS-8. I keep meaning to put it up for sale, but haven't got around to it. PM me if your still interested.


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## Neil_J (Mar 2, 2011)

PM sent.


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

Hoye0017 said:


> Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that front stage setup the exact same as Diamond Audio's very first hex line of speakers. I really liked those back then and they weren't the same after they went away from eton drivers.


Good eye! The mid is from a really old Diamond Hex set (1999, I believe). We removed the Diamond logo, and painted it gloss black to match the car (hadn't been completed when the pic above was taken). Eton does not sell any of their mobile stuff in the states, so rather than use an 8 ohm 7" from Madisound (that was not weather proofed), I searched ebay until I could find the Diamond set. The tweeter I have is very similar to what Diamond used, but with a higher Fs, and not as well suited for a 2 way. Would love to find a old diamond tweeter. I agree, there is no comparison at all to the modern Diamond stuff (which is why we removed the logo).


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## Bower (Nov 19, 2010)

Nice install! Love the stealth work.


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## Hoye0017 (Mar 23, 2010)

necrophidious said:


> Good eye! The mid is from a really old Diamond Hex set (1999, I believe). We removed the Diamond logo, and painted it gloss black to match the car (hadn't been completed when the pic above was taken). Eton does not sell any of their mobile stuff in the states, so rather than use an 8 ohm 7" from Madisound (that was not weather proofed), I searched ebay until I could find the Diamond set. The tweeter I have is very similar to what Diamond used, but with a higher Fs, and not as well suited for a 2 way. Would love to find a old diamond tweeter. I agree, there is no comparison at all to the modern Diamond stuff (which is why we removed the logo).


That's funny. I don't blame ya for de-badging. I sold Diamond for a while recently and couldn't help but wonder why they never sounded nearly as good as the set I had about 13 years ago. It was the 4.5" hex with soft dome tweets (there was an option for an alloy dome instead). I miss them and they are impossible to find. all the hex series since have had nothing hex about them.


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## crispin (May 23, 2011)

everything looks real good except for those tweeter pods on the pillars, those should be redone...IMHO


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Hoye0017 said:


> That's funny. I don't blame ya for de-badging. I sold Diamond for a while recently and couldn't help but wonder why they never sounded nearly as good as the set I had about 13 years ago. It was the 4.5" hex with soft dome tweets (there was an option for an alloy dome instead). I miss them and they are impossible to find. all the hex series since have had nothing hex about them.


I still have a set of the original Eton-made 4.5s but I don't think they're going to fit in the OEM location in my Mini.


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## cgm246 (Jun 27, 2011)

good install wish it were a COUNTRYMAN!


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

What did you have to do to get the Diamond 7s in the doors? I was under the impression that the basket was too wide to fit. If these will fit that means these and a number of other 7s will fit.


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> What did you have to do to get the Diamond 7s in the doors? I was under the impression that the basket was too wide to fit. If these will fit that means these and a number of other 7s will fit.


The driver is an oversized 6.5", so not quite 7". We had to trim the door panel to get it to fit, and seal the driver to the outside of the panel. It was a really tight fit - I'm not sure you could use anything larger without extensive mods. It also helped that the driver is somewhat shallow - less than 3". I will check and see if I have more photo's from the door build, and will post them up. Hope this helps.


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## Neil_J (Mar 2, 2011)

quality_sound said:


> What did you have to do to get the Diamond 7s in the doors? I was under the impression that the basket was too wide to fit. If these will fit that means these and a number of other 7s will fit.


I just went through the same thing trying to get L6SE's (7.1") into my Mini's doors. I had to cut out the plastic grille that had been melted into the door panel, and widen the hole to clear the basket. I took some measurements and designed some spacers in CAD and had them laser cut by Ponoko (material was MDF). That should fill the gap between the door panel and the metal, along with some non-hardening clay, and then mount the driver to the skin. Gotta wait for the Hybrid L3G grille to come out sometime later this month...


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

So you mounted the L6SE to the door panel with an MDF spacer between the door and the door panel? Hmmmm, I want to keep it more reversible than that. 

Thanks for the info though.


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

Quick update on the conclusion of the build. The MS-8 was declared technically not feasible after several weeks of trail and error testing, as well as endless help from the both the folks over at JBL and my installer. I swapped the MS-8 for a Bit One, which we were able to tune reasonably well, but could not overcome the noise issues from the stock head, and the LPG's could not play low enough to keep the Etons from beaming. So the drivers were swapped out, the Bit One was pulled, and processor #3 was added.










The tweeter (Scan D3004/602000) fit nicely in the already built tweeter pod...










but the door panel had to be trimmed a bit more to get the Scan 18w to fit...










and a custom grill was added...










For processing, a DEX P99RS was added to keep things as simple and noise free as possible...










Overall, the sound is much improved. No noise, width out to the pillars, depth slightly beyond the windshield, and a solid center image just above the center of the dash. Midrange is very clean, with good midbass output and sub bass that is completely in the front of the driver. Only complaint is a little harshness in the tweeter at the top end of female vocals, most likely caused by windshield reflection.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

How do you like the dash kit? I have the same one and I know I kind of HAVE to use it since no one makes a single DIN kit, but I'm concerned about moving the controls even lower than they are now and making the cupholders completely useless especially since I want a single DIN flip-out screen in the car (probably an IVA-D106 even if it is discontinued) so i can have something for movies and not have to look down much as well as keep the iPod functionality pretty good.


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> How do you like the dash kit? I have the same one and I know I kind of HAVE to use it since no one makes a single DIN kit, but I'm concerned about moving the controls even lower than they are now and making the cupholders completely useless especially since I want a single DIN flip-out screen in the car (probably an IVA-D106 even if it is discontinued) so i can have something for movies and not have to look down much as well as keep the iPod functionality pretty good.


No issues with the dash kit. Controls are a little lower, but it hasn't been a problem. Do you have the auto climate controls? They would be a little awkward to use being that low.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Yeah, I have the auto HVAC control but I usually only even use the Auto and fan speed buttons so I'm hoping it won't be too bad. I popped my QWD 100s in today to replace the OEM 4s and oh my god is it better. Still have the OEM midbasses and no tweeters but the midbass is NOTICEABLY better and the Quarts are actually more efficient than the OEMs. Go figure.


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## The Baron Groog (Mar 15, 2010)

quality_sound said:


> What did you have to do to get the Diamond 7s in the doors? I was under the impression that the basket was too wide to fit. If these will fit that means these and a number of other 7s will fit.


How about some 8": Produkte Doorboards Soundsystems | Mini | One Cooper Clubman | Mini One Cooper Clubman R55 R56 R57 Alle Modelle Generation 2 75193 Doorboards Mit 3 Wege Soundsystem | Jehnert Sound Design Automotive


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