In 1992 when the system in OUR (W140) Mercedes' first appeared (the original Bose Betta II) it was THE BEST OF THE BEST in the automotive arena. Nakamichi had nothing on it! But, as we all know; whats top-of-the-line today ends up in Hyundai's tommorrow! So, the original 11 speaker Bose Betta II System got replaced by a dissapointing 10 speaker Bose Betta 2 system with the introduction of the W220. The fact that it is down one speaker is not what dissapoints. The new system uses a 10-inch Nd high efficiency woofer that is supposed to "out thump" the four ordinary 8-inch woofers in the W140. What dissapoints is the POOR imaging, and lack of "voice seperation" that made the original so good. Mercedes Benz said there goal with the original was to have the same sound imaging in all outboard seats. While the system falls FAR short of acomplishing this goal, it does create an outstanding blend of full range sound (for a fatory sound system). The new setup also includes Bose AudioPilot which is lightyears ahead of the speed adjusted volume in the W140. And, lets not forget the fiber optics linking the audio and communication components, making for clean, noise-free performance. And, the fiber optics way 25lbs less than the comparable copper wiring in the original. After all this, you would think the new sound system would kick a$$, but in actuality, its getting its a$$ kicked by Mark Levinson/Lexus!

__________________
"If I teach you half of what I forgot, you'll still have enough to compete with most people"