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Do aftermarket units fit? What are you trying to improve? I kept the head unit since it's integral to other functions and had a different amp and speakers put in, I wanted better sound and achieved that.
Do aftermarket units fit? What are you trying to improve? I kept the head unit since it's integral to other functions and had a different amp and speakers put in, I wanted better sound and achieved that.
I would like to improve the quality of my audio as well. Where abouts is the amp and how can I change it?
Anyone know of someone that has installed one of these units? Really worried about the quality. I see Craigslist ads in the Toronto area for these frequently.
I used Audison for the amp, Hertz 6.5xl for speakers and a JL sub. The amp, Audison 8.9bit, was hooked up to the factory head using a Audison Bit Dmi , ( optical to optical interface of Mercedes Most optical) about 3000$ installed. If you have money, Audison has better amps than the 8.9. I think they even have a 10000$ amp
I was wrong on the price of the line Audison amp. The Audison Thesis Hv Venti amp costs 12,000.00$
Thanks for the info.
Unfortunately an amp like that is out of my price range.
I'm going to do some research and see if I can find something more affordable.
I didn't install it , I could have figured it out, but I don't have experience and you have to know how to take off the dash with the air vents and pull out the stereo, as well as how to fish and wire up the unit to power and the head. I don't know if your up for this and to do it without damaging all that nice trim. It takes tools and experience. To bad your not in Chicago , I was lucky to find the installer I used. I can help in picking of equipment, and what I did.
First to get better sound go to the Hidden Maintenance Menue to set the hidden EQ, I got a bit better sound by boosting bass and treble and cutting the mid range. With ignition on but not running push the phone Hang Up button, the # button, 1 button simultaneously, in about 5 seconds a menue will open, navigate it , carefully, till you find the EQ and try adjusting it
First being unhappy with the EQ result I opted for new speakers, the Audio 20 is 3 ohm or about, and 20x4 so it has power, you need to pick low ohm speakers or the most efficient, or you will loose volume, the efficiency is the SPL rating. I went with Hertz 165xl. The speakers are riveted in so you end up junking them. The installer did use the supplied crossover but left them in the doors, which isn't a good idea, but the MB wiring made this necessary. The sound was a lot better with the Hertz but the amp didn't allow the kind of sound control I wanted, plus I'm used to very good sound. So next I opted for the Audison 8.9 and a JL 200 watt sub. With the 8.9 you take out the crossovers because the 8.9 has them built in, they are better and fully programmable! The 8.9 should go under the passenger or drivers seat, possibly under the dash on the drivers side, but not under the passenger side as your interior air filter is up there. You don't want it hidden as it needs cooling. The 8.9 and sub can easily get too loud and still be undistorted, it honestly makes my ears ring for days if I crank it. So clean power isn't an issue. On this upgrade I didn't put in the Optical interface to MB Most, he just took the speaker outs, to 8.9 inputs. Going Bit DMI isn't simple, I had to find a real MB tech that hacked the system to bypass the Audio 20 amp, that alone cost me 250$. So the Bit Dmi may not be something you can do. Then I had the Audison remote intstalled. All this was around 3500$. The 8.9 sounds very good, but if I had an extra 2000 I'd instal the Audison Voce and separate preamp. The 8.9 is class D circuitry, Class D is great for bass but not high frequencies. The Voce is Class A-B and D for bass. The sound is very good but the speakers keep wanting more volume, so I have the sub control at hands reach near on the mid console. I'm not sure if Audison is Focal, but consider those speakers as well. Did this help? Yes it's involved.
Here are a few photos of MB engineering mode, hidden EQ. And the Audison 8.9 editing screen. The 8.9. Is completely programmable , you need a PC to do it, not an apple.
Wow, thanks for the write up.
Based on what you said, my best bet will be to install the amp, new speakers, and a sub.
Speakers will be easy enough, I might have some trouble with the amp, but I'm sure I'll be able get everything squared away eventually.
I didn't realize that there was an engineered sound setup, so I'll most likely play around with that for a while.
I'll start with speakers first and if the audio quality is better than stock, I might just stop there. If not, I'll throw the amp and sub in.
Since the audio 20 is 2-3 ohm be careful what you pick, 4 ohm speakers will cut your volume . So you need efficient units, High SPL and low ohm. All though some of the best are made to need an amp and are less efficient. There is a full review of the 8.9 on Passmag, I have it saved but don't know how to post a link, I tried earlier, but that was a Photo of the link, I guess photos don't work. I can email it but I don't know how to post it here
No, its designed for less efficient , better speakers. I should really do a db test, I honestly have never distorted the sound , my ears hurt before I get there. The efficiency of the 165xl , the power of the 8.9 is more than needed. The better Hertz speakers are maybe 50% less efficient . They would work on the audio 20 but not be as loud as what you have now. The big thing with the 8.9 is it's really two units in one. Computer Programmable preamp and 9 Chanel power amp. With a lot of power, in a small package.
02-08-2017, 10:46 AM
