Does anyone know if the stock fader control connects the speakers in series or parallel? Don't want to blow my amp, so I am hoping it's parallel. Thanks

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Chris Muc
Auto mechanic
'87 300E 330,000 km

I agree, I actually by-passed it because I was going to keep my stock head unit since the cell phone is integrated with it. I had to get an Equalizer to balance the effects of haveing a radio with no fader (one of the reasons.) If I could do it again, I would say screw the stock head unit and CD-changer, and go aftermarket. On our 2nd 190E (before we sold it) I had a Kenwood Cass Head Unit, with the CD changer placed on the side of the trunk. A nice touch that I really liked (the instalers idea) was to take the bottom 2 rows of cassette holders out (mine is 3x2) and to add a 1/2-din equalizer by Kenwood.

Another nice touch (purely cosmetic) was to replace the switch for the fader with a switch that controlled my strobe lights. I added a strobe kit (very inexpensive) to the front side and rear lights. I had blue in the turn signlas (clear) up front, white up front in the headlights, red in the rear with white in the rear backups and yellow on the rear turn signals. Now since the rear lights have a very small compartment, I had to use strobe lights the were very small (hence not as bright) but they work very nicely. The switch was bought from MB and it is one of the fog light switches made for the console models. The switch was about $9 and it looks just like the power window switches.

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Chirag (Charlie) Patel

- 99 Mercedes-Benx ML 430 V8 w/custom TV, Video, UHF, speaker system
- 93 190E 2.6 (4-sale) w/ an amp, equalizer, and CD-changer, integrated w. stock stereo for integrated cellular phone speaker system
- had a 93 190E m103 3.2, 5-speed trans,
- had a 88 300E 2.6
- had a 84 300TD w/275k+ miles
- 2001 C-Class - Maybe (if 190E sells)

hi guys..im confused here...i am going to install an amp and using a line converter from the rear speakers as the inputs on my 89 300e (since i am removing the rear dash speaekrs and using the holes as ports to the sub). what role does the stock fader play in this? will i be doing anything detrimental to the system/setup by doind this..i thought that the fader mainly made small adjustments to the level of volume to the speaekrs...i have an alpine unit with fader controls...what do you guys suggest, if in fact there is some problem with hooking up the amp in this manner...should i just never touch the fader? thanks..

ben

Now I'M confused! Ben, you indicate that you have an Alpine HU, as well as an amp; yet you plan on using line converters...does your HU NOT have RCAs? Also, if you're installing an amp, why do you plan to retain the OE speaker wiring? It's likely inadequate, and ties you into that piece-of-crap OE fader (bypassed in both of my rides). If you've gotta run power the length of the car, then is it too much trouble to open up the other side to run speaker wires and RCAs?

Ben, please provide more details on your HU, because many Alpine's have either sub pre-outs or even an attenuable sub pre-out (adjustable from the face of the HU, like Bass and Treble). Knowing this the forum can assuredly better guide you.

Chris, I strongly suggest you heed Peter's advice as to the fader; he's spot-on. However, I must respectfully disagree on the sub issue; I've just finished up the system in my 500E and the 12" sub built into the floor of the trunk is truly, comprehensively unbelievable! I mean, bass that makes your insides move, but is as tight as one could imagine, and far, far beyond my expectations.

Now, 400 honest RMS watts to control a single 12" sub doesn't hurt, so I'm sure this helps the sound. However, even at over 130 dB inside the car (though you'd never know it, there's no distortion), outside it's virtually silent...even I'm amazed. I Dynamatted the spare wheel well and the parcel shelf; haven't done the trunklid primarily because I don't have a bunch of replacement clips handy (you WILL break a bunch of them if you remove the wool felt lining). Now I'm wondering if I even need to do so, because even with the stereo off and with a 3" X 5" hole cut in my 1st aid kit, virtually no road rumble pipes in thru the vent. Maybe a 500E's a more sonically non-resonant environment, and maybe it's the Alpine Digital Phase Processor that's supposed to actively eliminate resonant waves, but I'm sure I could make Peter a believer in this sub setup...and I give up NO trunk space !!

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Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE

Michael,

Out of sheer curiosity, how does the bass response vary when you have stuff in the trunk (and on top of the sub)?

thanks,
anthony