Gentlemen,
Here is my situation. I purchased a 92 300D 2.5turbo. Can't say enough good about the machine itself. However the Becker sound system is really shot.
For those of you generous enough to share your expertise, what would be a good combination of CD-head unit and complete speaker replacement.
I have basic mechanical skills but very little audio experience. I would like the system to appear as close to original as possible. I primarily listen to Big Band and Crooners of that time. Just a GOOD QUALITY reliable system which is easy to install would be everything I need to complete a REALLY GREAT machine.
Thanks to one and all for your thoughts on this matter.
Door speakers too!

ROSCOE

good luck in your pursuit of sound excellence. You have not told us about the 'shot' system in your 300D. What is wrong with it or what does it not do for you? Are you comparing your home audio system to your car system?

__________________
1986 420SEL. 200,000 miles plus.
1991 Cutlass Supreme
1980 VW Vanagon (Old Smokey)

The head unit crystal display is failing to display , The fader wheel does not work properly. Every speaker in the car seems to distort at very low levels.
Just figured it would be easier to do the whole system at once.

Roscoe

roscoe
You are right, of course. It is time to replace the entire system. The only problem you may encounter is the reproduction of bass found in Big Band/Swing music. That over sized cello looking instrument that I believe is called a Bass will do a number on ordinary speakers at moderate volumes. Check out Steve Tyrell's 'New Standard' CD. Find the track called The way you look Tonight. Listen to the string bass on that tune in your house, then listen to it on a stock system in any car. I think you will get the picture. A good 10" subwoofer in a sealed box with about 150watts RMS will help you out greatly. Personally, I like Sony ES and Pioneer head units. I find them durable and user friendly.

__________________
1986 420SEL. 200,000 miles plus.
1991 Cutlass Supreme
1980 VW Vanagon (Old Smokey)

Visit a variety of mobile audio stores and bring samples of your favourite music. Have the salesmen play the music through a variety of HU/Speaker/Amplifier combinations to find what sounds best to your ears.

For head units, do you want it to be able to play MP3's? Have access to the XM band (cd quality radio, for around $10/mo, lots of channels), do you want fancy graphics, colours, etc. That should help narrow down your choice a fair bit.

For speakers get coax up front and midbass in the rear. High frequencies are directional, and destroy your soundstage if the sound is coming from behind you. One of the objectivies of a quality 'listening' system is that the sound appears to be coming from in front of you on an imaginary stage.

---

In my car I went with an Alpine 7894 head unit - I wanted mp3's and digital time correction (it can be set to make speakers farther away play the music a few milliseconds before the closer ones, to make it sound as if the music is coming from directly in front of you. This makes a big difference in the quality of sound), and I trust the Alpine name.

I went with MBQuart Discus speakers, because I liked the way they sounded, and they were within my budget.

I have a couple of 12" JBL's in the rear, simply because I had them left over from my teenage years when I was into rap and pop music. These days I much prefer the sounds of cool and bebop jazz. These speakers, each with a 300w amplifier, are more than capable of reproducing the low sounds of the era.

There are photos of my install in my sig. Not much else is there yet.

__________________
1981 Mercedes 300D - 300 000 km
1980 Camaro Z28