john87699

I couldn't agree more. If someone is cool enough to group together a discount package and after two of the stereos are completed the last gentleman decides to back out I think it was extremely nice for Rick to offer him a full refund. If the gentleman couldn't afford the stereo in the first place and needed the money that bad he should never have taken part in the package. The economy has affected a lot of people and I don't think many small-medium size businesses are 100% sheltered from this. When you have a lot of money going in and out of an account these things can happen I agree. In my five years of dealing with Rick I have never had a single bad experience. That's not to say they can't happen - no business in the world has a 100% satisfaction rate, but the good things I have experienced and read about Reus have always far outweighed any bad press I have come accross on the Web.

jdd

Hi jbondox,

The quote you used for your post is my post dealing with an unhappy customer. After reviewing your post it appears your comments were directed at John's present and past posts.

I just mentioned this because I didn't want anyone to think it was me that worried the S-class section.

I also agree that $2500 for a custom audio system is a very fair price and that customers wanting the best audio systems but think they deserve a discount are extremely frustrating.

Do you recall which level of Reus system you heard? My understanding is that they have at least 3 different levels of systems for each model of MBZ. Maybe you heard the entry level system or maybe it hadn't been properly tuned.

You subjectively describe the Reus audio system as being "blah" but you never mention that it is just your opinion. Everyone has a right to their own opinion but I feel they should always clarify that it is just their opinion and let other people make their own judgement after listening to a car audio system. As you know a lot of people think Bose systems sound great which IMO I don't really understand.

You stated that from your view point the Reus Systems frequency response is to flat therefore not exciting. But isn't a smooth frequency response based on the cars interior acoustics one of the goals of a good sounding system? And isn't it imperative in car audio competitions, e.g. IASCA that the audio pro use RTA during tuning to achieve a flat frequency response?

"The ability of a system to reproduce the audible freq spectrum 20-20,000 Hz without emphasizing or deemphasizing one particular frequency range" constitutes a good sound by most car audio pros. By getting as close as possible to a smooth response you can use an external EQ or the head units built-in bass, midrange and treble controls to tweak the system to your own personal preference.

Most likely the reason I like the sound of the Reus System is that my hobby involves music recording and mixing. During the mixing process I attempt to get as smooth of a freq. response as possible. I also used a RTA on my home studio to attempt to get a flat response. The monitors have to have a flat freq. response etc.............everything has to be flat. In my Ferrari 360 I rarely have to adjust the Becker head units bass or treble.

In some of the car audio literature they talk about using two separate remote mount EQ's. By having two EQ's you can use a RTA to set the first EQ to a flat frequency response and you can use the second to fine tune the sound for your own personal preference. Plus if you are unhappy with your 2nd EQ's settings you can always go back to 0 and the system is back to a flat response.

jbondox, since you're experienced in car audio is having two EQ's a good idea or just overkill? Thank you for your help.

KR_Chicago

Just chiming in. I have a Reus system on my SL55. Rick sent someone out to Chicago to install it for me. I am not an audiophile and would usually not consider spending that kind of money on a car stereo. But I splurged on the car and figured I might as well go all the way. Other than the sub in the trunk (cleverly fit into the spare), which I saw them install, I have no idea what the system includes. All I know is I am very happy with the sound and even happier that the stock appearance of the car is unaffected. Everything is heard and not seen! I am quite happy with everything.

kaneman

Reus is at least a safe bet. They don't hack the car to pieces. More than I can say for the folks over at Custom Car Stereo. They did a free-air rear deck sub mount on my E55. At no time did they tell me this involved them CUTTING OUT a good portion of the deck! To make matters worse, the boneheads drilled THROUGH the back deck AND INTO THE BACK OF ONE OF THE HEADRESTS! I was less than impressed, and this wasn't a cheap system... all in I was at around $8500.

Now, I have a shop down here that does wonders although they are WAY expensive. Also, it's not what you'd call 'stealth'. I've posted photos of the car previously and it was featured in CA&E last year. Beautiful work but definitely un-stock. The most important thing to me though is the sound.

From the few (two) systems I've seen, Reus is all about getting the most out of the car within the OEM/stock constraints and is a massive improvement over anything stock. They don't sound bad at all. For someone who wants louder than bombs/big big bass, they're not the way to go. For someone who wants sound quality bar none, perhaps they can get there, but I haven't seen it.

My credentials: my installer and I have put together and tuned two systems (one in my E55 and one in my 350z). Both were featured in CA&E and both have taken 1st or second place in major show events, always excelling in sound quality. The 350z in particular not only did well, but was invited to SEMA and would've appeared on the CA&E stand if I'd wanted to send it (for various reasons I decided to decline). I still have the acceptance letter if anyone REALLY wants proof.

Audio is all subjective. One man's nirvana is another man's anathema. So the only way for anyone to know what sounds good to them is to listen and experience. BEST thing to do is start with home audio and figure out what you like. Go to a high end emporium. No, not Tweeter. They don't count. An example would be Audio Concepts in Houston, Sound by Singer in NYC, Audio Atlanta in...well...Atlanta. It definitely doesn't mean spending a ton of money. I can create better sound than a Bose Lifestyle system for less than half the price, although I doubt I can match the packaging, functionality and ease of use (Bose IS actually more than marketing, even if not all about overall sound quality... IMO they're about highly unobtrusive, convenient easy to use good sound with the emphasis on form and ease of use).

Once you know what truly high end sound reproduction is/can be, you can then start evaluating car audio by that same metric. Find some favorites that're well recorded and listen to them on as many systems as you can. You may get sick of 'em but once you hear 'em you'll very quickly discern what a given system does right and wrong.

Now, if your musical tastes run mostly to pop/rap/hip-hop... don't go here. YOU DO NOT want to hear most modern music on a truly good system. Nothing's more maddening than hearing a song you love laid bare with all the warts and production/mastering 'tricks' plainly audible when you know it coulda been much better had 'they' not screwed with it. For that? Get a well-installed system that stays clean and gets loud, but doesn't give you the detail. Kinda like high-definition in ****... sometimes too much resolution is a BAD thing.

jbondox

so Jeff are you the self proclaimed audio fool?

I remember when Louis was doing that installation, definitely a good guy!

HanselLee

Gentlemen,

I have been dealing with Rick for a long time and his systems are fairly sounding and fairly priced. My observation would only be that ..... why pay $4000 for a system that consists of parts sold at the local radio shack???
I had several audio consultants in Los Angeles, including a recording engineer look at the systems REUS has put in, all I can say is ... you can do much better for the money.

Zal

So does anyone know a good installer in the Dallas area? I have a 2001 CLK55 that I would like to get a better than stock unit installed without loosing the stock functionality (like steering wheel controls). I am not an audiophile but I do enjoy my music. Quite a few of the previous posters seem to be authorities on the subject and I would appreciate the guidance. Thanks in advance.

Skylaw

I don't know about Dallas, but one of the best anywhere is forum contributor Sunil Patel (SUNILP) in Houston. He does far more than audio system installations. See his site at http://web.mac.com/motorwerks/German...Main_Page.html

Nick Name

I just found this highly interesting thread...
I listened to Reuss systems at the LA Auto Show 2002. When working for my former company, we had the booth right next to Reuss. His systems are very, very impressive!! I have been a longtime sound quality judge at german and european car audio competitions, so I can judge that Ricks systems would get a high score in sound quality in every competition his cars would enter.
If anybody says Ricks systems are bad, he listened to a car not properly tuned or (maybe) a car with too bad stock speaker locations, or the most likely possibility he just have to grow a little bit older and get some more experience in audio.
Some posters said sound quality is subjective. It is NOT!! A good stereo plays any kind of music (as long as the music is a good recording). The reference is always set by the instruments itself. If a guitar doesn't sound like a guitar, the stereo is bad. It doesn't matter wheter the guitar is played in a rap song or in a country song. As you usually can't invite Ice T or Johnny Cash to play for you, take a good home stereo as a reference (not your bose systems). The music in your car should sound like a good home system.
And this is what the Reuss systems do. If you're cranking the system to 120 dB and more and it starts to distort, don't blame Rick, blame yourself. It's not made for that. If you're a basshead and the stereo can't be heard at the next two blocks, you are dissappointed. But don't blame Reuss systems, they are not made for that.
Reuss Systems play very natural and very audiophile. In every car the systems will sound a little bit different though, but still natural and audiophile.
The pricing for a system is not cheap, but it seems fair to me. An equivalent home stereo would be much mor expensive.

Nick

Skylaw

Speaking for myself, I said human hearing is subjective. In order to listen to music, there are two considerations: The sound source, and the listener. Sound sources may obviously vary in quality. Most of the "quality" can be measured, for example, by comparing the output wave form of a given device (preamp, amp, speaker) to the original input wave form. Systems can vary markedly in their ability to do this. Other quality measures would include component build - how long will a speaker last, for example - or more importantly, how long will it produce the sound it was built to produce.

However, humans differ markedly in their hearing ability as well. The valid point made by honest marketers of audio equipment is, if you can't hear the difference, there is no need to pay for it. I'm not talking about "education" here, but about physical ability to discern the differences in audio. Come into my home or my car, you may find the music a bit harsher than you like. I flew jets for two decades, and have a bit of a loss in a narrow segment of the high frequency range. No amount of "marketing" is going to make pay more for a system that excels in producing a flat response curve in that range, because I can't hear it very well anyway.

Then, there is the music education portion of the equation. You may love a system that does a marvelous job of reproducing a symphony orchestra or a huge European church organ (I do). That capability will be lost on the kid who attends mosh bashes every weekend, who drives through my neighborhood at 2 AM blaring his ridiculous bass and making me want to shoot him - so why should he pay for it? It sounds good to him. Why should he pay a premium for a better system? He probably couldn't hear it anyway.

That's why human hearing IS subjective, from standpoints of the physical, and taste. Don't confuse that with "sound quality" - which is concerned with measurement. As far as one poster stating that "audio quality" is subjective - I wouldn't limit his meaning to measurements of the sound system. He could also have been considering the listener.

And when making decisions concerning how much money to part with - don't spend more than necessary to buy what sounds good to you.

Nick Name

I have to agree with you. There is a difference of sound quality and human hearing (habits). I didn't really think of that. I was more referring to people saying "my system is specifically tuned to jazz music" (or whatever). A good stereo that plays jazz also plays any other kind of music, too.
What's interesting is your part preferring the music harsher than normal to "correct" your ears. A good friend of mine has the same hearing problem, but when we're tweaking crossovers he prefers the sound exactly as me. He says he got used to his "bad ears" and it's now normal condition. All sounds (in the street, at a concert, in a swimming hall) are always muted and he got used to it so much, that it's not muted anymore. The brain actually equalized the incoming sounds so much that he imagins a flat respons curve. But that doesn't seem to the case with you... and I thought everyone adapts the sound like my friend does...
You said humans differ in their hearing ability. That's right. You have to learn to listen. But it is always possible to impress any untrained ear with good sound quality, even the kidz you'd like to like to shoot... They will return to their cars and find out that the car actually sounds like a bag of screws. At first they say I don't listen to that kind of music, so I don't care, but a couple of yeras later they might change their minds... so don't give up on them, I've seen some of them turning into real high-enders.

Nick

Skylaw

Yes - it's interesting how the brain adjusts. My wife, who is musically more "educated" than I am and who used to play in college bands and orchestras, likes her music very quiet - below a level that I find listenable. She prefers to let the sound system "tweak" her memory, and in her head, she is "hearing" the actual performance - because she knows how it should sound.

But then, she likes jazz, and I despise it - and neither of us can understand the other in that regard. Fortunately, we both love classical music and rock.

For myself, I can certainly discern the differences in live music, in slightly compressed (such as AIFF), and heavily compressed (mp3, especially low bit rate) - in ways that I describe as "brightness" and "fullness." However, I also remember what the highs sounded like before the (gradual) loss - and when I have an adequate equalizer, I am always boosting it in a particular range. I can get it close, but only to a point.

rrobin

After reading these old post has anyone come-up with any thing!! I need help to upgrade the audio system in my S-550, the bass is weak, I don't need any booming bass just a bass response which I do not have in this car.The sound in this car sucks HK is no better than the Bose system that was in the S-430 that i traded in in fact the bose system was better. After reading so much about the Reus systems are they any better a year latter or what can i do to get a better system installed. also the Siurus radio sucks as well after 3 trips to the dealer in which I am just blowned off with " the sound never went out while we had it" or "maybe you have something blocking the signal" I can't take it anymore has anyone else have a problem with losing the signal with Siurus radio

jdd

Hi rrobin,

Audio is all personal preference but I know from personal experience that Reus Systems as a great audio system specifically designed for your S-550. They have been in business since the 70's so they must be doing something right.

Here is the reusaudio website: http://www.reusaudio.com/ and here is an article in Edmunds that discusses the Reus system: http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/aud...9/article.html
If I remember right I think the CEO of Edmunds had a system installed in his Bentley.

If you have more questions you can call Rick Reus direct and he will be happy to answer any questions. Don't have his number but it is on his website.

If you have any more questions feel free to send me a PM.

Good Luck!!

rrobin

You are right,audio is a personal preference , thanks for the help the edmunds article was very good i also went to the Reus web site will call to get the details , hopefully they can assist me in upgrading this system. Do you know what they do to improve the system

rob13572468

So has rocky mountain radar... being in business for a long time does not *necessarily* equate to having a quality product...

That being said I dont think reus is terrible. IMO its just not that great but its trimmed nicely and unobtrusive.

rrobin

Hey Rob I went to the Mid-City site looks like they are more into video, radar and I-pod interfaces, What I am trying to do is get a better sound from my audio system which I think sucks,

rob13572468

I agree.. the S550 could certainly sound better.. What I was trying to explain is that you may have a local shop that can provide an excellent upgrade to get the audio where you want it. Withe the reus system you end up paying a premium for the name. You might consider going to the audison website and finding an audison dealer in your area.