I want some information on the stock sound of W126 vehicles and does it very on which model and which year and model has the best sound? What about bass?

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99 C43
98 S420
99 C230K
01 C240

...model and the year. Different years had different speaker/headunit combos. The sound system on my 1991 420SEL is a marked improvement over my 1984 300SD.

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Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

I'm not much of a car audiophile, but to me, the stereo in my 91 560SEL sounds pretty bad. Problem is, to have it done right, everything should be replaced; head, amps, speakers, etc. That's a decent chunk of change. Since I don't have a CD player, I just use a portable MP3 player (via cassette adapter) for now.

[Edited by w126 on 07-06-2001 at 10:49 AM]

...what don't you like about the sound system in your 1991 560SEL? I thought the 560 SEL had a fairly decent sound system straight from the factory. The system in my 1991 420SEL sounds pretty good. I just replaced the Becker unit with an Alpine CDA 7876 only because I wanted to have a CD changer and didn't want to buy an old Becker changer to go with the car's original stereo.

I assumed that since your 560SEL was the top of the line Benz for that year that the stero system would sound even better than mine.

Anyway, my car's old speakers sound even better now with the Alpine unit. You may be able to do the same and not spend a lot of money and still have a decent sounding stereo system.

Of course, I am not an audiophile and have been accused, on occasion, of having a tin ear. but you should really look into one of the newer headunits by Alpine, Blaupunkt and Nakamichi. You may be pleasantly surprised by the sound quality and still have cash in your pocket.

__________________
Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

Hi,

The sound that I get is acceptable, but for a car of this quality (and price) the sound system leaves much to be desired. The most annoying part is the paper speakers. Mine tend to "chatter" at certain frequencies and decibels.

This is a 10 speaker, 2-amp system (top of line I guess), so replacing them would be on the top of my list. Problem is that they are 2-ohm speakers, so that doesn't leave me with many choices (Bose possibly). Overall, it's a very proprietary system.

I took it to a well-regarded car audio store and they said the whole system should be replaced if I want it done right. They installed a Viper alarm system for me that works well in concert with the factory system (even the MB techs marveled at their wiring artistry), so I trust these guys.

It's something I can live with, but since I plan on keeping the car for another ten years, it will be replaced at some point.

Thats what made me mad about hearing the sound of the stereos when I first heard them in the 126's because its such an expensive car and you get close to "clock radio" sound in it with those cheap Beckers.

I changed my Becker with a nice JVC unit and sounds a bit better but the car audio store said you cans put 6x9 speakers where the first aid kit box is and the box next to it but some cutting and supporting will have to be done.

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99 C43
98 S420
99 C230K
01 C240

I have an '88 420SEL, and I'm in the middle of the "remove everything" process. So far, I replaced the Becker with a Kenwood eXcelon, and replaced the stock front speakers with an Infinity Kappa Component set. Just this set me back $900, plus several hours of work. It's worth it though. The quality of the Kenwood/Infinity setup is outstanding. It's painstaking, and costly to upgrade a 126, expecially if you have the 10 speaker system (who the hell thought up 4 tweeters in the rear deck???).

Big - How did your stereo system come out? I see this post is old, but I'm interested inwhat brand/size components you used, and how they are wired. I also have an 88-420SEL with a 10spkr sound system. It's functional, but the tuner doesn't pick up stations very well. I'd almost consider getting the Becker repaired, but I'm not sure I'll be satisfied...

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2003 S500 Black/Charcoal
1990 560SEL 61k Arctic White/Grey

SOLD:
1988 420SEL Black/Palomino Sold @ 85k
1987 420SEL Midnight Blue/Grey
1986 420SEL Diamond Blue/Grey
1983 380SEL Champagne/Palomino

Rich- I pulled out the Becker Headunit, and had a car stereo shop hook up all the wires to the new Kenwood 'cause I had no idea what was what. I ran new wires to the component set, and mounted the crossovers on the top of the inside of the glovebox (suprisingly easy). I left all the factory wiring and amps in place, I just didn't use them.

The origional door speakers were 6.5" I think, but the mounting depth of a 6.5" Infinity kappa woofer is too deep to fit in the stock speaker basket, which i wanted to keep. So, I used three metal brackets to support a 5.25" woofer in the basket, and one screw directly into the basket, so the speaker's kinda off center. The problem with this setup, is I'm sure I lose some bass and quality with nothing around the speaker, which I plan to remedy as soon as I find time with foam speaker baffles. I know this is probably hard to understand exactly what I'm saying, but I could take some pics of it if you want.

Imagine the circular hole in the speaker basket with the stock speaker removed, the new speaker is off center to the upper right, with one screw though the mounting hole on the speaker into the basket, and the other three mounting holes supported by brackets attached to the basket.

I mounted the tweeters in the stock dash speaker locations for something-like 4" speakers. Again, I mounted each one on a metal bracket, with the other end of the bracket attached to a hole I (very carefully) drilled in the dash(under the speaker grill obviously). The sound from the tweeters is a little harsh at times because they're aimed to reflect off the windsheild, but it's not noticable 99% of the time.

The result of this setup is a stealth install. No tweeters mounted directly on the dash , etc. My Kenwood eXcelon x817 CD player motorizes around to display a blank black panel when I turn off the car, but I usually remove it when I'm parked for any amount of time(even in my driveway). Either way, it's stealth.

A stealth install was more important to me than perfect sound quality, which is why I went with this setup.

I realize this is probably more info than you were asking for, but I hope it helps. I love my eXcelon headunit, I'd recomend it to anyone. This setup was the best option I could see for what I wanted, but might not be right for you. I'm still lacking rear speakers, but the importance of rear fill is debatable. If you wanna know about the 10" sub in my trunk just ask, I could explain that setup too.

I had two stealths - neither of the faces on them detached (this was a few years ago). The first one broke after a few years, it looked like a garage door stuck halfway open. The second was stolen - they did $3,000 worth of damage to get it. Some stealth that was.

No more stealth faces for me..

__________________
2003 S500 Black/Charcoal
1990 560SEL 61k Arctic White/Grey

SOLD:
1988 420SEL Black/Palomino Sold @ 85k
1987 420SEL Midnight Blue/Grey
1986 420SEL Diamond Blue/Grey
1983 380SEL Champagne/Palomino

Not having an oil well in my backyard, I had to find a more economical solution for my 420. I found that Pioneer makes a 4x6 two way speaker that almost ( almost ) fits like a glove in the dash. All of the other speakers have been a PITA. The sound, although clear, is mediocre, and lacking in bass. I am thinking about mounting a smaller sub in the truck, and having it empty out through the compartment on the pass. side rear shelf.
I put in 6" speakers in the rear, using the original plastic mounts, and keeping the tweeters in place. The doors were also fitted with 6 inch speakers, but I am wondering if I couldnt have stuffed some 6.5's in there...Anybody do that?

thanks

-Larry

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09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D