[sjp]

harmankardon.com/content?ContentID=mini

 

[Ryephile]

Cool overview, thanks for sharing! I'd love to have more specs about the amplifier, in terms of RMS power per channel and how the DSP is used [e.g. volume based EQ, time alignment, crossovers].

 

[brandonbardsley]

Excited to hear what it sounds like now, hopefully worth the £500! I'll give you my impression upon delivery later this month.

 

[Ryephile]

It's absolutely worth the cost of the option. The resolution is very good, the staging is very good, the bass response is fairly legit, and the frequency response is reasonable. You'd have to spend far more to get the same overall quality. I'd say the only major negative is it doesn't play crazy loud, but even at max volume there's no noticeable distortion, so I'm assuming the volume limiting is done intentionally.

Versus the base stereo, every aspect is better, but what really shines is the significantly lower bass distortion, actual high frequency response [thanks to the added tweeters], better resolution everywhere, and a much better soundstage thanks to the center mid/tweet. If you like music at all the h/k option is a no-brainer, unless you were planning on dropping big coin on a fully developed aftermarket setup.

 

[jeremybingham]

I agree ryepile; what impresses me most is the stereo imaging or staging; with the cntral dash speaker it really places the music well; nearly as well as the house set up; very impressive-i love it!

 

[Jelster]

The HK systems have never been big on volume, despite the wattage of the amps.

I've HK in all of my Mini's and my M135, only way I'd go without it is with a full custom set up, which will cost more money and a lot more space.....

 

[brandonbardsley]

I know you shouldn't judge it off of a video as it will only ever be as good as the speakers you're using to listen to it, however the clarity of this really excites me! I know from recording my standard Visual Boost system of 6 speakers, these sound so much clearer..

 

[Cmoney]

I bought my mini used with 12,000 miles and it had the upgraded speaker system, Harmon Kardon. I didn't think to much of it, but now my car is in the shop and I have a basic loaner. And the speakers that come standard are garbage and are making me appreciate the Harmon so much more.it sounds better, it's way more crisp, it goes louder. I would without a doubt recommend the upgrade.
Mini on