Hello, I just acquired a mint 1990 190E 2.6 with the stock Alpine head unit. The problem is that to achieve "normal" listening levels, I have to turn the volume knob all the way up, and there's certainly not enough volume to hear the radio when the windows / sunroof are open.

I've searched the archives and come up empty so far. Does this car have a separate amp? Is there something in the head unit I could check? How would I tell if it's bad speakers instead? Or is it wiser to cut my losses and replace the head unit with a new one?

I'm not an "audiophile" seeking concert quality sound, but I would like to at least hear my news and music!

Any advice is much appreciated!

Dave

(By the way, I'm enjoying the car a lot!)

Dave, your best option is probably to find another Mercedes of similar vintage (and similar sound system) and start swapping components one by one. I can't comment on the actual setup for a 190E, however, most Mercedes with which I am familiar operate with at least one separate amp. Check your owners manual. Hopefully you have an operations manual for the radio and this will give details about the setup. Becker Auto Sound (hosts of this forum) also have most of these manuals in pdf format. In most Mercedes, the amp will be located on either the sidewall of the trunk or directly behind the rear seat. Since these are easy to get to you might start with the verifying whether the amps are functioning properly.

Eric

Thanks for the suggestion, but by reference to the electrical diagram in the CD-ROM, this car doesn't have a separate amp between the head unit and the speakers. Any other ideas?

Thanks!