The Silverstone CD changer in my '91 500SL has finally died.

I can have it repaired for about $400, I can install a Alpine 630 for a bit more (mainly for the cables - ) , or I can consider replacing the head unit with a AM/FM/CD combo.

The lack of CD-R support in the Silverstone is the prime factor in my reluctance to simply have it fixed.

So, I'm curious: What have others installed?

I'd also like to confirm/deny other nuggets of info gathered from Searching around (this forum and others):

1: The antenna is connected to the tuner in the trunck, so it will need to be fed into the cockpit for an aftermarket system.

2: Changing the headunit means you need to swap out the amps as well.

3. Changing the amps means you need to change the speakers (as they are 2 ohm).

Mainly because a Becker is already installed, I've looked briefly at the Monza and Traffic Pro. Because of the GPS, the install for the Traffic Pro looks a bit more complicated!

Thanks for your thoughts!

James

P.S. The problem with the Silverstone is that the cartridge won't eject, nor will it play all the slots. I started taking it apart in an attempt to re-affix the worm gear (suggestion from another thread), but ran out of nerve before I ran out of screws.
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'91 500SL
'00 ML320

I've been watching this forum for a few years now and never seen a detailed R129 upgrade. I've still got the original system in my 1990 500SL. I keep hoping someone will supply some good advise here. Only change I've made to my system is to splice into the antenna with a FM modulated CD changer. I very much want to upgrade the system, but I'm still not sure how. Having taken apart some parts of the car, I realized how screwed I'd be if I broke one of the various electrical control systems.

I have an Alpine in my '92 SL with remote, tilting face, 6 cd in the trunk and one slot in dash for cd. Big subwoofers under the back "seats". Too complicated fro my simple mind, but works good. The Becker is nothing if not simple to operate. The Silverstone CD changer is a POS, IMHO.

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1992 Black 500e
1991 Black 300te 4m
1992 Black Renntech 620sl
1979 Porsche 911sc targa

If you don't have a cell-phone mounted in the console of your SL, you should be able to use the antenna cable installed for the cell phone for a new head unit in which the tuner is in the head unit. I back fed the cell phone cable with the radio antenna. It works fine. The cable runs from the trunk and up along the left side under the door sill. Yes you will need to re-wire the speakers, but don't worry about the 2 ohm impedance, it's not an issue for modern head units. I bought a Blaupunt CD mp3 player, as having 150 or so tunes on one CD is a real convenience.

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Resistance is Futile.