DPSM - Digital Power Sound Modul - FIRST REVIEW!!

[Benmk]

Hi everyone,

After asking a few people about the DPSM and finding it hard to get some answers i had a call from MINI. The bottom line was that they wanted to have it fitted at the show room and offered to fit the full system (£1770) for £1249.

I wanted to keep my warranty so instead of fitting it myself (the origional plan) i took up the offer. They booked it in straight away, gave me a MINI One for the day (not quite the same as my S but still an adventure), and even game my MINI a wash.

So far I have used it for about an hour or two so we are still at very early stages but i thought i'd fill you all in with the results so far.

Firstly the initial turn on. Its incredibly loud. It has an awful lot of Mid and High power in comparison with the h/k. The sound i also noticed straight away is very crisp and clear. You definately hear everything.

At MINI we played the same song in mine and a demo car with h/k and the main differences were that the volume and clarity were much better. The h/k did have a slightly deeper bass and more of a softness to it but the DPSM had a hard gitting punch and a much better top end.

My brother has a cooper with h/k so after i did a bit of driving i came home to compare again. My DPSM has already started to run in and the bass rumble is slowly starting to increase. I had to make some adjustments as the higher ends were far too loud for the bass. I managed to get everything sounding level and the h/k just doesn't seem to push quite as hard as the DPSM.

Understandably for £350 fitted h/k is a great buy but in my case were there was nothing fitted apart from boost origional (bought it six months old) it was more sensible for me to go with DPSM.

Is it worth the money??

For me personally i would have spent around the £700 to £800 mark on after market anyway but i didnt want to have to carry the head unit face with me when i get out. Also i rarely make big expenses but i'm keen on cars and sound so its the type of thing i like to invest in anyway.

Inside the car sounds fantastic. I have the quality, the bass, and the volume, and all without any unnecessary speaker boxes/amps etc (been there done it and prefer to have a boot).

Yes it was £1249 BUT with that i had the parts, someone else to fit it, and i still have warranty so i'm not upset with the big expense at the moment.

I will keep updating as it wears in and improves and will get some photos up very soon.

If any one can give me any info on the DPSM that would be brilliant and I am also more than happy to give as much info as i can.

Thanks

Ben

[GBMINI]

Does the DPSM provide any additional adjustments - I'm assuming all you have is the heads original bass & treble settings?

Where is the DPSM module located?

[rkw]

Ian, the DPSM amplifier goes into the center dashboard behind the speedo/Nav/chrono.
MotoringFile has installation instructions here: http://www.motoringfile.com/howto/So...odule%20NG.PDF

[Benmk]

Actually it doesnt.

The system you are thinking of is just a better version of the standard systems and i dont think it even exists in this country.

Try http://www.bmwworld.com/pdfs/dpsm_install.pdf for the proper DPSM system instructions.

The amp is placed in the compartment in the boot just like the h/k but it has a direct wire to the battery for power as opossed to taking power from the loom etc.

As it is the same headunit all in a have is bass, trebble, and fades etc just like it did before. I am going back to mini to ask about that when im next in but to be honest the quality is already so good any settings aren't really needed.

Ben

[Adrian_T]

Am I to understand that you paid £1200 to have a louder version of the same stereo?

Madness....

[Benmk]

I paid that to have a much better system than the h/k. It involved new speakers, sound deadening, new amp, additional wiring, new tweeters, new crossovers and a whole lot more.

My problem was that i bought the car 6 months old so i couldnt have h/k fitted as you do from factory. It s more expensive to fit h/kafterwards as the wiring is a lot different. The DPSM was more a viable option.

[Benmk]

Completely forgot about the surround switch but located it this evening and its really weird. Makes everything a bit echoey and "spatial". Looked in the manual and didnt tellme much about it.

It gives the effect as you would expect - enhanced surround sound.

It sounds more like your in a concert hall and everything seems to be a bit less forced.

Both sound good but cant decide whether it sounds better on or off.

Any one have any ideas??

Thanks

Ben

[Benmk]

So its been in the car a few days and had around six hours of playing and its just getting better and better.

Decided that although the sound with the surround on is great, i still prefer the clean natural sound. The power it kicks out is unbelievable and now that the speakers have started to loosen up the bass is becoming a little deeper.

The one thing to mention though is that due to the nature of the system, it emphasises any poor quality music sources so if you have bad quality downloaded music it really shows on the system.

I try and avoid that and so far have had excellent sound quality and great all round performance.

...and its so nice to not have to worry about taking out the headunit everytime i get out the car!

[LMB]

Sounds good.

Cheers for sharing, you're the only person I know of that has had it fitted.

[Benmk]

I was in the same situation. No one had it. After i decided to go for it i thought it would be the decent thing to let people know about it.

I listened again to the h/k today and as good as that is, the DPSM is still a cut above it. The sound reproduction is truly amazing and everytime i get in the car it sounds better and better.

I have yet to find a music style that doesn't sound great on it.

Just looking forward to completing the recommended 40 hours of run in time

[Benmk]

OK, I'm getting ever closer to my recommended playing run in time and its sounding better and better all the time.

I think i have reached the most amount of volume that i will get however the sound keeps getting more full and the bass is definitely deeper now.

Ive been using the surround switch a little too and I'm getting quite used to it. Not so much with modern, bassy, and hip hop based styles (sounds fantastic with out surround switch) but with 70's, 80's, ballads, rock n roll etc it really sounds good.

Playing the Commodores or George Benson with surround on sounds unbelievable

Every song sounds so crisp and powerful!

I was in my brothers car with the h/k and kits been properly run in and i couldn't handle it. The bass was exceptionally power full but had not nearly enough full range.

The DPSM has that full powerful sound that i was desperate to achieve and I'm loving not having to take my headunit everywhere with me.

Plus no thieving eyes peer in as it looks as though there is nothing but the standard system.

I'm going to attempt to get some photos up so you can all see what is actually there.

I read that apparently the Harman Kardon tweeter speaker grills allow a better top end sound so i am looking into it and may change mine (possibly even have them colour coded to match my body colour interior) but i will update with my findings.

If anyone wants to ask me anything please don't hesitate.

Ben

[cooper_sport]

Just thought you might like to know that Balckferret has this sound system and got it back in Dec 2005.

The below link has a few pics and his comments on it.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/general-d...s-piccies.html

[cdiaz]

Curious to know how it sounds now that it's had some time to settle in on you. What's your view now in comparison to the H/K?

[Benmk]

Its been in for a couple of months now and i listen everyday. I have also had a few long journeys so that allows good run in.

The sound at the moment is incredible. It has really deepened with regards to bass. The volume is more than adequate and the quality is fantastic.

Being in my brothers car with Harmon Kardon i find in comparison, his is a bit lacking. It feels like there is no kick and not enough clarity. The back of the H/K makes me feel like i have a blocked nose and the sound seems as though the rear speakers provide little treble.

After playing around with his system i was able to find a reasonable sounding setup and it is better than a standard system.

The DPSM however is a few levels better on every area. Now that i have a fair bit more bass it feels almost like i have a sub but with no compromise of boot space.

I would definitely recommend the DPSM and if your lucky and are able to get a deal on it like me then its a very worthwhile.

Hope that answers your question

Feel free to ask me any more

Ben

[njpaguy]

Three words: kicks major ass.

It was the first install for my dealer (Morristown MINI/NJ). The techs could not believe the sound. Not just the power, but the clarity and punch. One of them has a MCS convertible and is now seriously thinking of doing the DPSM.

If you price out comparable speakers, crossovers and amps versus the MINI DPSM system, you'll be at about the same dollar figure. With the DPSM, everything fits nice and tidy with full factory warranty. No cheesy aftermarket installation that could void warranty coverage of components adversely affected by the aftermarket gear. No stuffing amps under seats. No subwoofers taking up what little hatch space exists in the first place.

You can find the DPSM discounted online (hint!) If you can find a dealer who's done it you may also save some $$$ on the labor charge for installation.