hi guys, can you help.

it recently dawned on me that buying higher bit rate tunes for my ipod and having the harman kardon sound system upgrade might be a waste of time, as im using a y lead which im led to believe channels all the sound through a 3.5mm jack? making it mono

can anyone confirm this and if its the case suggest a better way of getting the maximum sound quality to my speakers from songs on my iphone,for instance is there a digital line in behind the head unit etc?

its a 2011 cooper s if your wondering.

Hello there, I too have the H/K upgrade and use my iphone 4 with the usb/aux connection Y lead. All I will say is wooohoo ! I have not noticed any problems with sound, it is excellent !
Even my wife's mini where there is no H/K upgrade but using the standard stereo with the Y cable is great sound quality :-)
Mine - Cooper S 2010
Wifes - One - 2012

I find the y lead is pretty good with the h/k system, the only problem I have sometimes is finding somewhere to shove the iPod out of view, I have currently got it sat under the Main console (near the vent for foot ventilation) on the drivers side, but sometimes the car doesnt pick up the iPod straight away so I have to faff around disconnecting and reconnecting the USB and 3.5mm wires, but eventually it works.

Also, sometimes if the iPod moves around a bit it can make the audio sound fuzzy (might just be my cable) and it can come loose from the port (again might just be the way I've got it setup!)

Geo

To answer your question, no, it's not mono. And the iPhone/pod can handle reproduce more than what you're getting out of iTunes anyway. It's not a waste.

I hear you ! Mine sits upside down in the cup holder ?! little crazy when I have the arm rest it could go in, you just can't play music through it ?!? crazy BMW move.
So my plan is to do what some other have done out there :
Make an iPhone 4 Holder - North American Motoring (http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/r60-countryman-talk/208534-make-an-iphone-4-holder.html)

This is my fav and I will probably go for this one ! :
Audio/Navigation :: Install an iPhone in the Armrest - North American Motoring (http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/how-to/135178-audio-navigation-install-an-iphone-in-the-armrest.html)

as always this place is a fountain of knowledge, thanks for the replys guys.

im just not convinced base is handled very well, maybe I need a fiddle with the sound setup on the stereo

one last thing guys.... isnt there an audio upgrade option when buying the car which enables your mini stereo to support apple airplay ? thus streaming all your music over bluetooth eliminating the y lead?

this is what I want, is it a very tricky job to get the media upgrade after market?

It's Bluetooth, not AirPlay.