H Factor

Anyone have any experience witht the optional Bose system in a C230 Coupe? How's it sound; how's the bass? Worth the money vs. getting an aftermarket system professionally installed?

Lynn

Standard system sound is poor, Bose is fair. Standard system bass is very weak, Bose bass is weak. Is the Bose system purchased by itself worth the price? No. As part of the C5 package? Yes.

The dash opening in the car is not DIN standard. A face plate would have to be custom made for the aftermarket system, and probably wouldn't look right. An aftermarket system won't work with the steering wheel controls. Some people have kept the head unit, added amps, and changed the speakers. I understand the Bose speakers aren't the standard impedance, so make sure the new speakers are the correct impedance. Maybe that wouldn't make any difference if you add an amp. Not an expert on that.

MB-BOB

...but I like the Bose system just fine. I'm not into sonic-booming my neighbors at the stop lights.

In addition to Lynn's remarks, I think it's important to know that Bose speakers are not standard size units, so you may be limited to what kind of speakers you can buy that will be drop ins.

Someone posted a few weeks ago that they replaced the standard system speakers with aftermarket, but then went back to the EOM speakers because they were better after all.

Also, consider whether you intend to keep the car until it dies or not. If yes, then play all you want with the stereo. If you intend to trade it in later, or sell privately, consider what a buyer will think about an aftermarket system that isn't fully integrated with the fiber ring in the car and doesn't work with those nifty steering wheel controls.

You may run into a buyer who is an audiophile like yourself and appreciates your work more than having a factory correct MB. But you may also find buyers who will shun the car without the fully functional Mercedes audio system in it.

My advice is to get the Bose system and be happy with it the way it comes, because aftermarket mods are very limited in choice and difficult to do without trashing the value of the car. IMHO.

o2bsurreal

Oddly enough, I just got back from my MB dealer where I had a question about the sub-woofer. My C230 has the Bose system, and I thought they had forgotten to hook up the subwoofer! As it turns out, it was just weaker than I expected. Would I have gotten the Bose? Yes. I like having the steering wheel controls. Does it diminish my pleasure of owning the car? Nope.

Buellwinkle

MB-Bob, you like your Bose stereo in your sedan because it is good. I wish the C230 Bose sounded as good as the C240 stock stereo but it doesn't. The question was about the Bose stereo in a C230 coupe and they are very different. The C230 has 1 extra speaker and it's in the access hole in the hatch area on the right. It's a small box maybe 6x4" with a 2" hole. It does add a litte more bass to the standard radio but not $600 worth. The problem is that the front and rear speakers are in the same door. I tried replacing the speakers but it didn't help the sound quality at all. I think the only thing to do is put in a subwoofer amp, preferably under the passenger seat and put a detachable 8 or 10" subwoofer box in the hatch area. One recomendation from a MB stereo expert is to run 4 speaker wire to RCA converters into a 5 channel amp into 4 new speakers and the 5th channel for the a subwoofer. Estimate around $1,500 to do it right.

I did find one song that makes the current system sound good, it's Baby's Got Back by Sir Mixalot. Don't play that Geggy Tah song from the commercial, it doesn't sound good at all in the coupe.

Buellwinkle

Forgot one thing. If you do replace the speakers, the big four are 6 1/2" and are fairly standard size. You'll need spacers as they stick out a little. I didn't measure the two little ones but they sound pretty good anyway.

Rick

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My Bose system sounded weak until I did the following:

Press the button under AUX on the radio display
Press the button under EXT on the radio display
Press the button under AMB to light AMBIENTE on the display

Make sure you set this feature on EACH possible control setting (CD/Radio/Cassette/Auxilliary-comand only) and it should sound better. By the way, I ripped Geggy Tah's "Whoever You Are" to CD and it sounds great...also sounds good on the MP3 player I adapt with a cassette adapter....

Lynn

I get better bass response with the DRIVER setting than with AMBIENTE. When the car was delivered the radio was set to the SPEECH setting, which has no bass.

The MB web site is wrong. It says the Coupe has 7 speakers. It has 8. There is a tweeter in the top front of each door, a speaker in the bottom front and rear of each door, the center fill speaker, and the sub-woofer. The sub and the center fill are not on the standard system.

o2bsurreal

Lynn -
My C230 has the Bose system, but no center fill. I think the center fill may only come with the C240? The web site leads you to believe that there are 8, but if there are, then my dealer added a sub-woofer and stuck some BOSE labels on my speaker covers. Have you received your C230 yet?

MB-BOB

I'm trying to recall my test ride several weeks ago. I think I remember the tilt-up package shelf being solid all the way across. I would have thought if there was a useful subwoofer in the right rear panel (assuming it's below the package shelf) that there would also be a speaker grill in the shelf to allow sound into the cabin.

(This observation is aside from the discussion on whether the Bose subwoofer does a good job or not, although I would think a grill in the shelf would help.) I imagine one can just stick the package shelf in the garage, but there goes any hatchback privacy. Can someone refresh my memory, is there a speaker grill in the shelf? Or is the 2" exit hole for the sub to the side of the shelf?

o2bsurreal

Hey MB-BOB -

It is below the shelf, but there is no vent. It is located on the right side (opposite the first aid kit on the left), and has a small access door which closes when you aren't needing to work on anything (such as changing your tail-light). You can't see it without lifing the shelf, and opening the access door.

Lynn

I took delivery of the C230 on the 31st of October. It definitely has a center fill speaker. Maybe the factory made a mistake, but I have eight speakers. Shortly after delivery, I checked to make sure they were all working, and that is when I found the car has the center fill speaker. I had read that C230's did not have them.

Rick

My C230K has the Bose system WITH a center channel speaker under the grille on the dash. It takes a lot to get any substantial volume from it, setting to AMBIENTE then fading everything to the front speakers still only gets minimal sound, but thats why they call it a 'center channel fill' speaker.

Comparing this to center channel in home theater isn't exactly fair....that carries all the voice tracks. This just gives more of a 3d soundscape...sort of like the old Dolby SRS which pioneered surround sound. (they cross phased left + and right + channels to get a .03 second delay...who knows what Dr. Bose did)

Lynn

o2bsurreal is correct about the lack of a port to the interior of the car. I just went out and crawled around the back of the car to try to find one. This would explain the lack of bass in the C230 compare to the 240.

o2bsurreal

RE: Center-fill speaker

Okay, I just went out and cranked up my stereo, and laid something on the top of the air diffuser and it did seem to reduce the sound quality. I guess I didn't think it had one because I expected it to stick up or something. If it is in front (i.e. closer to the windshield) of the air vent in the diffuser, then I do indeed have the 8th speaker. When I took delivery, I asked the head of service at my dealer, he told me that it had 7 speakers. Of course, one could theorize that the confusion could be that some aren't considering the sub-woofer a "speaker."