05/10/2026
New year, new audio rescue project. This modded 2011 Mini Cooper JWC had a previous install done by another shop in the area. The customer had purchased a full plug and play kit from Integral audio. It came with literally everything a shop needed so that the only work would be bolting components in place and running some wires, including a full plug and play signal and speaker harness. Theoretically speaking this should be pretty straightforward. Yet, the system was completely nonfunctional with the amp blowing out in days.
Upon dissecting the old system, we found an astounding amount of hack work, with the plug and play harness fully butchered, tons of cutting, reattaching and cutting again. In fact, the entire thing was so confusing that we stopped trying to figure it out and just ripped it all out wholesale and started fresh. We had hoped that some of the previous work could be salvaged and simply reorganized.
I sound like a broken record but I strongly believe its work like this, not online sales, not cheap customers, that is destroying our industry. For every customer that finds a shop like us to do it properly, 100 will swear off aftermarket car audio all together and tell their friends about it as well.
The goals for this project is to make a clean sounding vehicle that performs great at loud volumes, created a totally stealthy hatch area build that takes away no additional storage space compared to the OEM floor, and honestly? Just make sure it works, which the customers has not experienced thus far with other shops.
Jesse performed all of the work on this car, due to how long it took to remove the previous system and making sure nothing they hooked to would damage the car, he ran behind schedule at first and forgot to take some of the pictures that we usually do.
Despite this being a Harman Kardon car, this vehicle did not have a MOST optical signal chain. Instead, this is more like the hifi system in similar vintage BMWs, with a low level signal coming from the stock headunit back to the stock amp, which was removed from the previous install. We cleaned up the previously butchered Integral audio signal adapter harness and rewired it for our purpose. This clean low level signal goes into an Arc Audio Falcon, which serves as the interior amplifier as well as the DSP. We bridged the amp from the 12 channels existing down to 8 to provide ample headroom.
The front stage is a combination of products that fits and works well in the stock locations. An Audiofrog GB10OE small format tweeter went into the existing Integral audio A pillar pods, with 75 watts RMS to each. A Musway MG3M midrange went to the stock mid door location via an acrylic spacer adapter, with a whopping 250 watts per driver, while an Arc RS6.0 midbass went into the lower doors, with another 250 watts to each driver. The previously installed rear 6x9 coaxials were kept and are powered by 75 watts RMS.
Using two of the Falcons DSP controlled RCA outputs, we utilized an Arc Audio Nighthawk to run a single Wavtech Thinpro10 with 800 watts RMS.
For the back, Jesse created a simple design that features a 0.4 cubic foot gross sealed enclosure (the Wavtech optimal is 0.35), flanked by an amp rack that locates the two Arc audio amps. This is bolted down to the floor and trimmed by a simple cutout that is wrapped in graphite vinyl. To mimic the elliptical shape that is present in the Mini design, Jesse made the top floor cutout to be an oval, with the sub in the middle and the two amps on either side, with a matching curvature on their cutouts.
The components are protected by an MDF/Steel mesh grille and when in place, presents a completely flat floor that is at the original cargo floor’s height and orientation. Retaining all the usability and cargo room of the original car.
Having done several similar vintage Minis in the past, we had a good idea on how this would sound. The end result basically matched our expectations. The imaging and staging is pretty decent. The center image isn’t as precise as more modern cars with dash or high door mounted midranges, but it is very well anchored and does not shift. The height is perfect, right around 8 inches off the dash, depth is typical of mins with their shallow dash and upright windshield, which means aren’t super deep but at the edge of the glass. Width is superb with beyond the pillar placement on some songs.
Tonally, the most amount of work was dialing in the midrange due to their location, but once we finished, it is very pleasant. The midbass is tight with good extension, the midrange resolution actually turned out pretty decent, and the highs coming off the Audiofrog GB10 really ties it together. It is detailed, airy, nut never harsh. I think with a better midrange placement this car can sound a little better on the vocals , but this is also dependent on if there is a passenger on the other side and the size of that person. On my own in the driver’s seat, it is quite good.
One thing that we have not used before in a mini, is a sub like the Wavtech Thinpro. Previous installs featured shallow subs that have far less output and extension, and in small European cars like this, you get a lot of ultra-low bass going away once all the doors and windows are shut. The Wavtech however, is strong and powerful enough to minimize this effect with the car buttoned up. coupled with the RS6.0 m midbass, the note is firmly anchored upfront and while it still rolls off below 30hz with the windows up, it is far less noticeable than in the past. On the flipside, the tiny interior gives superb tactile feedback from the bass hits, you literally feel like the sub is attached to the seats when you play songs with impactful drums or electronic hits. Super fun to listen to.
Thus concludes yet another audio rescue project, and I will say this again, I really hope we don’t encounter too many of these in the future, but it is unlikely to come true as long as shops put their own bottom line above their abilities and the needs of the customers.
Thanks for reading, and as usual, please refer to the individual pics for more detailed information.
Cheers,
Bing
