mjg007

My stereo went from six speakers to two to one. All my research on various posts point to the stereo. This is where I get nervous. I can replace a transmission, replace a cylinder head, do all my own routine maintenance...but when it gets to the electrical parts, I cringe. Any advice on replacing the stereo? I've seen the wiring connections listed out, but no photos. I haven't bought the replacement yet - I hear the Clarion 585USB is often selected.
Alternately...a suggestion on where to take it in the San Francisco/East Bay area would be great
Much thanks!

MarcusF

You think your radio sounds intimidating? My car has Canbus, steering wheel controls and Bose amps. If I can replace the OE radio in my CLK with an Alpine, get my OE steering wheel controls to change stations/tracks/sound levels, use the Bose amps as they were designed, and not cut a single wire in the Mercedes-Benz wiring harness, then I'm pretty sure you can swap out a head unit.

Crutchfield has installation diagrams that will make the swap about as tough reading one of my run-on sentences.

mjg007

Here's an issue that cropped up: I read in one thread that I should get a HU with a 6V pre-amp, yet the car audio shop people with whom I spoke said don't worry about it. Advice?

MarcusF

I'm no audio expert, but I used the original equipment Bose amps that were in my car with a different Alpine HU. I’ve never heard of a Bose amp that requires a preamp. Bose manufactures their own speaker drivers, enclosures, and amps from scratch. They use their own proprietary specifications, and in general, they are incompatible with other aftermarket amps and speakers. You can use separate amps and speakers (like a sub), but none of that should ever be wired in series with Bose amps and speakers. That’s why the preamp requirement sounds odd. As an aside, a head unit can be made to work with Bose amps and speakers by converting the unbalanced differential signal to a balanced one. The converter costs about $15.

I don’t know what amps and speakers came with a W201, but if it’s Bose, I think your choices are use the factory amps and speakers, or get rid of both. The reason I say that is Bose speakers have an impedance of about 1 ohm. Most car speakers are 4-ohm. A Bose speaker has a lot lower load on the amp. This means less power is required for a given volume level. Most conventional amps can't handle a 1-ohm load. If Bose speakers are connected to a conventional amp, it'll probably destroy the speaker and fry the amp.

If you have a Bose system (the speakers usually are stamped Bose), a fair amount of work went into that system and the W201. With original equipment Bose systems, each amp has active equalization circuitry tailored to each specific speaker driver and it’s based on the location of each Bose speaker. Bose speakers are mounted in ported enclosures that are also vehicle specific.

Some people absolutely hate Bose. If you’re one of them, I’m not trying to change your mind. If you’re on the fence, you may want all the facts so that you can make an informed decision.