Sound system in 99 and up mercedes

I'm very dissapointed that Mercedes has chosed to go with the current sound system. First of all it isn't very good. Secondly, the only thing that you can do to improve it is to change the speakers. Other than that you need to yank the whole system and put in a totally new system including wiring.
Anyone know if any manufactures are going to be coming out with decks, amp, crossovers etc that will be compatible with the current Mercedes system?

[Rocky]

From what i hear, you can't even put in better speakers. You'll need an amp. but wait, you might think there is already an amp but they are just boosters. only thing you can do that i know of is to rewire the whole thing.

Actually you can replace the speakers. Of course you have to continue to use the factory amp. Or you can get a seperate Amp but you still need to go thru the factory one. (DUH)
I did replace the speakers in my old CLK430 and it did make it sound better. Of course those speakers were not make for the cheap stock amps and as a result it took up a lot more power. After putting those speakers in, for the sound to be loud you had to turn the sound volume almost all the way up.

Mercedes has never been into radios. When I called 800-FOR-Merc and asked if my radio was broken or just this bad, the response I got was "there's more to a car than a radio". :-)

After I got my 99 E320 with the Bose (I couldn't find one without it, I finally decided to bite the bullet and replace the head unit, get a better amp and install two sets of component 6.5' speakers, one in the front using the enclosures in the pillars and another in the rear deck. I disconnected the rear door speakers and the Bose amp. It's very good and cost just a bit more than the MB CD changer.

I am getting an ML320 on Monday and had the same problem - couldn't find one without the Bose. I'll probably have to do the same thing again.

Just replacing the speakers in the Bose systems isn't satisfactory since the Bose systems use a lot of EQ which is determined using RTA and their really cheap paper cone speakers. If you put good speakers in, the frequency response curve will be all wrong.

hi everyone..
i have a 95 C36 and i must say, i am happy with the 8 speaker Bose system. it is good enough. i dont want to rumble and go nuts and the sound is pretty clear.

i am also happy with the way the stereo matches the dash.

are the bose speakers really that cheap? i know that the mercedes head unit, CD and amp are alpine components. so if you need to upgrade, you can only get alpine stuff...

take care and best of luck..

whan

The 8 speaker Bose system in the E320, which anyone else would count as 6 speakers, the front ones being coaxials, sounds awful compared to what comes as factory installed in a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. It's not that it doesn't "rumble and go nuts". It's that it has no highs, an exaggerated midrange and thumpy one-note bass.

There are lots of other head units that match the dash, like the Kenwoods with the mat black covers, for example.

The Bose supplied speakers are the cheapest crap imaginable. I was apalled (and the installer hysterical) when we saw whay junk they were. And if it's Alpine why does it say Becker on it, which is clearly visible when you remove it. Even if it were Alpine, that doesn't mean you can't replace it with anything else. In particular, and DIN size, which is the standard size, head unit will fit in the dash and can be connected to a compatible CD player if that's what you want. Personally I replaced the E320 Bose with decent, but not very expensive, speakers in the front doors and rear deck, and disconnected the rear door speakers. I also added a small amp and rewired the car as if nothing had been there before. All in all, cost less than adding the MB CD changer.

I have a 2 day old ML320 which also came with the Bose. (Both cars could not be found without the Bose, which I would have paid NOT to get.) I was not surpised to find the same problems with the sound system, though actually not quite as bad. In this one I will probably replace the head unit and wire it directly to new spekers in the doors. I expect to spend under $600 for all of it, installed.

I realy don't understand why MB can't get up to date on consumer electronics. What is it with cassette decks, analog cell phones, and VHS tape players that they like so much?

if you replaced the wiring for the whole sound system, then you are not using fiber optics anymore? My understanding was that there fiber optic system that is in the 99 eclass did more than just the stereo.

>if you replaced the wiring for the whole >sound system, then you are not using fiber >optics anymore? My understanding was that >there fiber optic system that is in the 99 >eclass did more than just the stereo.

What else does the fiber optic do? Maybe theri $1000 analog cell phone? Nothing that I have is effected.

[Rick Miley]

The current fiber optic network is for the sound system and phone. The dealer tech who replaced my radio (see my other post) said they are using the sound system to work out all the bugs with fiber optics before they start using it on critical systems. It's a brave new world.

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Rick Miley
Tampa, FL
99 E300DT
86 190E
87 300E