WHERE'S THE BASS??!?!
#1
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WHERE'S THE BASS??!?!
Guys:
Just got my E Coupe. WHERE IS THE BASS? Turn the stereo all the way up and barely a humm or thud from the rear where this supposed subwoofer is supposed to be. The front door speakers vibrate the car more than this sub! Is this sub really that weak or is there something going on here?!
Just got my E Coupe. WHERE IS THE BASS? Turn the stereo all the way up and barely a humm or thud from the rear where this supposed subwoofer is supposed to be. The front door speakers vibrate the car more than this sub! Is this sub really that weak or is there something going on here?!
#3
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2013 E350 4M Wagon & 2013 C350 4M Sedan
I thought that it was due to the roof taking up space in the cabriolet. Sucks to hear that even the coupe suffers from the same problem.
#4
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2014 E550 4Matic with P1/LED/Pano
umm....turn up the bass setting a bit? Mine's so loud as to vibrate the rear deck and make the rearview mirror unusable. A JL 10W6, it is not, but it has as much output as a 10W0 does.
#6
umm....when you state that the factory sub has as much "output" as a JL 10W0....what is out put? SPL?
#7
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Thread Starter
I'm gonna take this thing to the dealer and ask to sit in another unit to compare the performance. I refuse to believe that this sub is THAT weak! Anyone in the Atlanta area wanna do a meet?
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#11
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Guys:
Just got my E Coupe. WHERE IS THE BASS? Turn the stereo all the way up and barely a humm or thud from the rear where this supposed subwoofer is supposed to be. The front door speakers vibrate the car more than this sub! Is this sub really that weak or is there something going on here?!
Just got my E Coupe. WHERE IS THE BASS? Turn the stereo all the way up and barely a humm or thud from the rear where this supposed subwoofer is supposed to be. The front door speakers vibrate the car more than this sub! Is this sub really that weak or is there something going on here?!
#13
Member
so i did some research and you are correct, but in practice it's quite weak and shakes the rear shelf in a very annoying way. i think it's a matter of how much power gets pushed to the sub and the location of the sub that makes it ineffective. in the A6, audi puts the subs in the doors which works better IMO.
the HK system has a total wattage support of 600W from the amp and the speakers support 450W of power and i'm guessing isn't enough power for good bass... here's the brochure with details...
http://mercedes.harmankardon.com/brochures/e-class.pdf
the HK system has a total wattage support of 600W from the amp and the speakers support 450W of power and i'm guessing isn't enough power for good bass... here's the brochure with details...
http://mercedes.harmankardon.com/brochures/e-class.pdf
#14
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2014 E550 4Matic with P1/LED/Pano
100w and a proper sub will do plenty.
that said, I do agree that the OEM system's limitation is its location and subsequent vibrations that mask any actual distortion.... but only one aspect; Isolate the rear deck and you'll see if it works or not.
that said, I do agree that the OEM system's limitation is its location and subsequent vibrations that mask any actual distortion.... but only one aspect; Isolate the rear deck and you'll see if it works or not.
#15
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define "plenty" . it's personal preference...
i can literally massage myself via my sub, but i only do that for the ladies. haha, most of the time though seriously i just add a little more bass than the original system provides - with no annoying vibration and zero distortion. i turn the logic surround system off and leave the treble and bass where they should be (middle). um, it does take up about 1/4 of my trunk space though.
if you like techno, trance, dubstep, hip hop, etc the P2 HK system really doesn't have enough bass in the right areas to satisfy my personal preference. i like all kinds of music and having a really good sub with low volume precision that my JL audio sub provides adds quite a bit to my experience of music that's not meant for shaking everything - like massive attack, thievery corporation, paul van dyk, etc. i really think HK should take another shot at putting the subs on the sides of the rear seats and/or the front doors. rattling vibration is annoying on a $60k car.
i can literally massage myself via my sub, but i only do that for the ladies. haha, most of the time though seriously i just add a little more bass than the original system provides - with no annoying vibration and zero distortion. i turn the logic surround system off and leave the treble and bass where they should be (middle). um, it does take up about 1/4 of my trunk space though.
if you like techno, trance, dubstep, hip hop, etc the P2 HK system really doesn't have enough bass in the right areas to satisfy my personal preference. i like all kinds of music and having a really good sub with low volume precision that my JL audio sub provides adds quite a bit to my experience of music that's not meant for shaking everything - like massive attack, thievery corporation, paul van dyk, etc. i really think HK should take another shot at putting the subs on the sides of the rear seats and/or the front doors. rattling vibration is annoying on a $60k car.
#16
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i would meet you @ atlanta classic cars sometime, if you want to hear my system.
#17
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2014 E550 4Matic with P1/LED/Pano
I'm a huge reggae guy and I find this system is good enough to warrant not messing with it. And, that coming from someone with a 10W6 and 500/1v2 sitting in the garage and the skill to DIY the install.
then again, I'm married and my wife never was someone attracted to guys who compensate by adding big stereos
then again, I'm married and my wife never was someone attracted to guys who compensate by adding big stereos
#18
Member
I'm a huge reggae guy and I find this system is good enough to warrant not messing with it. And, that coming from someone with a 10W6 and 500/1v2 sitting in the garage and the skill to DIY the install.
then again, I'm married and my wife never was someone attracted to guys who compensate by adding big stereos
then again, I'm married and my wife never was someone attracted to guys who compensate by adding big stereos
to be clear, i'm really shocked that you think it's a good enough system... you sound pretty good at this stuff, no pun intended. my JL is a 10w3 and i have the same amp that you have. you should try it!!!
#19
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2014 E550 4Matic with P1/LED/Pano
I just bought a JL Fathom F110 this weekend for my home system. I'm quite confident in saying I'd spend money on the car if I felt it lacking and the time/expense was worth the trouble. My recent history (all DIY installs)
2008 Subaru STI. Kenwood/Garmin double-DIN in-dash with plans of grandeur (traded on the Benz before I got around to the install):
Custom doorpanels with DLS Iridium 6.3i
2006 MINI Cooper. 135Wx5 - MBQuart up front, old school Kicker 6x9 subs in the sidepanels. anybody that listened to it thought there was a 10" sub in the back but instead saw nothing:
2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon. JL Cleansweep integrated into center console with volume and bass controls (LED in ashtray). 100x4 + 500x1. Quarts times 4 doors. JL Stealthbox w/10W6. Anybody that listened to it thought there was a pair of 12's back there (when instead they saw nothing).
2008 Subaru STI. Kenwood/Garmin double-DIN in-dash with plans of grandeur (traded on the Benz before I got around to the install):
Custom doorpanels with DLS Iridium 6.3i
2006 MINI Cooper. 135Wx5 - MBQuart up front, old school Kicker 6x9 subs in the sidepanels. anybody that listened to it thought there was a 10" sub in the back but instead saw nothing:
2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon. JL Cleansweep integrated into center console with volume and bass controls (LED in ashtray). 100x4 + 500x1. Quarts times 4 doors. JL Stealthbox w/10W6. Anybody that listened to it thought there was a pair of 12's back there (when instead they saw nothing).
#21
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Yeah, that sounds cool but I'm not so sure that I want to mod the stock system much besides changing this P O $ subwoofer. Speaking of which, I absolutely REFUSE to believe that this is all the punch that this system has! I'd like to compare with another stock system first because this thing is pathetic...
#22
Member
The 'upgraded' sound system in the E-Coupe is one of the worst I've ever heard, especially in a nice car.
The tweeters play about 10db (or 10x) too loud, the midrange is pretty nasal, and the bass is so boomy that it almost completely clouds out the midrange. No amount of adjusting the controls will help very much.
Now that I've changed the all-season tires to Michelin Pilot Super Sports, the top priority is to talk to my car stereo guy.
The tweeters play about 10db (or 10x) too loud, the midrange is pretty nasal, and the bass is so boomy that it almost completely clouds out the midrange. No amount of adjusting the controls will help very much.
Now that I've changed the all-season tires to Michelin Pilot Super Sports, the top priority is to talk to my car stereo guy.
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so i did some research and you are correct, but in practice it's quite weak and shakes the rear shelf in a very annoying way. i think it's a matter of how much power gets pushed to the sub and the location of the sub that makes it ineffective. in the A6, audi puts the subs in the doors which works better IMO.
the HK system has a total wattage support of 600W from the amp and the speakers support 450W of power and i'm guessing isn't enough power for good bass... here's the brochure with details...
http://mercedes.harmankardon.com/brochures/e-class.pdf
the HK system has a total wattage support of 600W from the amp and the speakers support 450W of power and i'm guessing isn't enough power for good bass... here's the brochure with details...
http://mercedes.harmankardon.com/brochures/e-class.pdf
#25
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2012 E550 Cab
I just took delivery of my 2012 E550 cab with HK upgrade and I made a fatal error by assuming such a premium sound system would be ok. It's not. It's awful.
There is literally no bass unless I turn up the bass setting to max, whereupon the sub thuds/booms away in the trunk - sounding disconnected from the music - horrible!!!!
It's been back to the store twice, but the MB dealer tells me it's perfectly normal (whatever).
Not sure what to do. Maybe swapping out the sub would be enough, but I suspect the whole audio system is connected to the car's electronics, which makes messing around with it quite risky.
Actually, it has a feature which changes the audio setup when the roof is down. Again, sounds awful, they shouldn't have bothered. The boomy sub is even worse with the roof up.
If I could, I would just switch the sub off and tolerate the average bass coming from the other speakers.
Any ideas?
There is literally no bass unless I turn up the bass setting to max, whereupon the sub thuds/booms away in the trunk - sounding disconnected from the music - horrible!!!!
It's been back to the store twice, but the MB dealer tells me it's perfectly normal (whatever).
Not sure what to do. Maybe swapping out the sub would be enough, but I suspect the whole audio system is connected to the car's electronics, which makes messing around with it quite risky.
Actually, it has a feature which changes the audio setup when the roof is down. Again, sounds awful, they shouldn't have bothered. The boomy sub is even worse with the roof up.
If I could, I would just switch the sub off and tolerate the average bass coming from the other speakers.
Any ideas?