Harmon Kardon sound system

[Sidetops]

Does anyone know if a HK amp is simply 'plug and play' if you have a SatNav system?
And if so will it improve the sound quality if you haven't got the HK speakers and subwoofer?

[Bolin]

If you have Highline without HK then you need to wire the amp in - about 20 joins to make in the loom in the boot area if you are going to put the amp in the factory-fit location.

Not sure about the second question, but as the standard speakers are poor and you want improved sound, I would change those to HK too - or instead change to aftermarket speaker without the HK amp. But an ICE guru should be able to help more (try a post in the ICE sub-forum to get more attention).

[sytneraudi10]

The BM25 or BM54 will make the sound better using the.standard speakers.

However the HK setup is very good. It can be added as previously said but make sure you do get the right amp.

If you fit wrong one it still better but the quality improves even.more with the correct one.

But the BM24/54 is plus and play with no hassle and they are getting cheaper and cheaper on ebay.

[rich17865]

The HK is not worthwhile unless you have a wish to keep it genuine, save the money and use it on some proper stuff

[Sidetops]

Thanks guys.

[sytneraudi10]

I would disagree with Rich.

I have it on the 75 with the highline and I miss it in the ZT which only has the highline.

But there is better options for the money the HK setup fetch.

[coolcat]

Seriously as stated the best improvement would be to replace the stock 'Goodmans' speakers.
The Harman Kardon speakers would be an improvement but there are better speakers than those available for reasonable costs.
You will need 165-170mm speakers and I would suggest components for the fronts and rears or keeping costs down, coaxial speakers in the rear.
Look for brands such as MB Quartz, Infinity, Focal, Hertz etc.
You should be able to replace front and rear for around £150 with these brands and they would vastly improve your sound quality

[rich17865]

Originally Posted by Sidetops

Thanks guys.

On another note,

Highline loom is different to a highline HK loom.

[sytneraudi10]

As said just changing the tuner and using the standard speakers is a massive improvement on sound quality.

Good thing is if you get a cheap one of ebay it can be changed in 10 mins aslong as the pesky plastic cover screws come undone.

Best £100 I spent and with it having dual tuner it keeps the TMC on the sat nav the whole time whilst listning to other stuff and it tunes to next radio station far quicker.

[scoubix]

I would consider upgrading the standard amp/radio module to a BM24 or even BM54 before even considering fitting the hk amp at all, or upgrading the speakers with the HK ones. In terms of hassle vs. Improvement in sound quality, this is definitely the easiest thing to do, and provides with a much better sound quality while keeping the standard speakers...which are not all that bad, compared to most standard offerings in more recent cars. True they lack some bass, but they are overall quite balanced in the medium and treble ranges, and if one sets the tone controls to max bass the bass output is even good enough for my taste...that is, if you use use a BM24 or BM54. The original radio module is really a piece of junk.