C-Class (W203) 2001-2007, C160, C180, C200, C220, C230, C240, C270, C280, C300, C320, C230K, C350, Coupe

Can anyone help me understand how the NON-bose sub is wired?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rate Thread
 
Old Nov 20, 2011 | 03:25 AM
  #1  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
Can anyone help me understand how the NON-bose sub is wired?

I have searched many threads and not found the answer, it is even more difficult since "sub" is too short for the search engine and no one uses subwoofer. Anyway from what I can ascertain, the dual voice coil sub is run off both of the rear speaker wires. When I tested the front speaker wires they were normal 4ohms as expected.

When testing the rear speaker wires they were 5.4 ohms. How do you get approx 5.4 ohms from two 4 ohm devices? (both of the dual coils are 4 ohms each)

My other question is that when I looked at the wires on the sub itself they almost look out of phase. The pink wire appears positive but the brown with white stripe on the other side is hooked up to positive also? Obviously mercedes would not have wired them out of phase so what am I missing?

Sub wires


Left side of sub


Right side of sub
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2011 | 04:07 AM
  #2  
phister's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,054
Likes: 11
From: fort worth, tx
06 C230 SS 6spd
Looks like its a DVC (dual voice coil) sub and they wired so it sounds like a two subs instead of one. It doesnt look like its brigdged. Heres a diagram of what it maybe setup like.

Reply
Old Nov 20, 2011 | 04:28 AM
  #3  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
Yes it is DVC but there is no amplifier specifically for the sub, it is driven from the rear speaker wires ie from the head unit.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2011 | 05:31 AM
  #4  
phister's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,054
Likes: 11
From: fort worth, tx
06 C230 SS 6spd
It probably uses a hi/lo converter of some sort. Or the HU has a built in amp.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2011 | 09:03 AM
  #5  
amdeutsch's Avatar
Administrator
MBWorld Ambassador

Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 15,769
Likes: 37
From: www.Traben-Trarbach.de
MPG+ ROLFCOPTER
Originally Posted by tw2
When testing the rear speaker wires they were 5.4 ohms. How do you get approx 5.4 ohms from two 4 ohm devices? (both of the dual coils are 4 ohms each)
Depending on where you are taking that measurement you are most likely reading through the crossover as well. That would introduce an additional DCR value.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2011 | 09:45 AM
  #6  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Note - it is wired out of phase!

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...rear+subwoofer
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2011 | 01:45 PM
  #7  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
Originally Posted by Glyn M Ruck
Thanks for the link, I had read that thread a few times. The problem is halfway through they go off on a tangent and never really get to the bottom of it. I can't believe a auto maker would accidentally wire out of phase which makes me think we are missing something.

I might just cut those wires and make a short loom to my aftermarket amp in the trunk. That would solve the problem.

I might take the resistance at the sub and speakers just to confirm. Otherwise the only way you can get 5.3ohms is if both rear speakers are 8ohms and the sub voice coils are in series.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2011 | 03:56 PM
  #8  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
It is wired out of phase due to the orientation of it's mounting i.e. upside down to the interior of the car - makes perfect sense. Send Wardsweb a PM. The impedance you are reading includes the X-Over caps.

Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; Nov 20, 2011 at 04:11 PM.
Reply
MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

story-0

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Nov 21, 2011 | 01:19 AM
  #9  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
Originally Posted by Glyn M Ruck
It is wired out of phase due to the orientation of it's mounting i.e. upside down to the interior of the car - makes perfect sense. Send Wardsweb a PM. The impedance you are reading includes the X-Over caps.
Thank you for the reply. I have no trouble understanding that the sub is wired out of phase from the rest of the speakers because it is mounted upside down. I agree this makes perfect sense.

What I am having trouble understanding is that the two coils of the sub appear to be wired out of phase of each other. ie the white wire is negative on one coil and the pink is positive on the other coil and generally both are positive colors for the rear speakers. Or does this not even matter?
Reply
Old Nov 21, 2011 | 10:43 AM
  #10  
Wardsweb's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 448
Likes: 4
From: San Antonio, TX
'11 SL550 - '08 ML350
This may help:



My sub install is found here:
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...pictorial.html
Reply
Old Nov 21, 2011 | 10:46 AM
  #11  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
I'm sure someone at Becker/Benz has done some in-car measurement & found this set up to give the flattest response. I'm sorry I was not fully appreciating your question. I'm reluctant to believe that the twin voice coils are out of phase to one another or destructive interference would take place. The dual coils simplify impedance matching for simple wiring of multiple speakers while not presenting difficult loads to the amplifier. It would be interesting to see the full wiring diagram Benz is using. Anyway - easy check. Feed a mono thump, thump, thump bass frequency into the head unit - identical in both channels. Swing the balance from one channel to the other and put your finger on the back of the woofer cone & check the phase. Does it suck in for both channels due to mounting orientation? If it does not I would believe that the reason for out of phase wiring is to damp max cone excursion by achieving a null which is a bit tacky.

See:

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=163

and this simple pdf.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf
DualVoiceCoilDrivers.pdf (14.5 KB, 460 views)
Reply
Old Nov 21, 2011 | 11:00 AM
  #12  
Wardsweb's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 448
Likes: 4
From: San Antonio, TX
'11 SL550 - '08 ML350
It is easy to get confused because you would think the brown wire would be the same for both coils. It is not. Take a close look at the picture above. It is positive on one coil and negative on the other. So, it is wired in phase. If it were wired out of phase, the two signals would cancel each other out.

Last edited by Wardsweb; Nov 21, 2011 at 11:35 AM.
Reply
Old Nov 21, 2011 | 11:49 AM
  #13  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Thanks Told him to speak to you!
Reply
Old Nov 22, 2011 | 01:40 AM
  #14  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
Originally Posted by Glyn M Ruck
I'm sure someone at Becker/Benz has done some in-car measurement & found this set up to give the flattest response. I'm sorry I was not fully appreciating your question. I'm reluctant to believe that the twin voice coils are out of phase to one another or destructive interference would take place. The dual coils simplify impedance matching for simple wiring of multiple speakers while not presenting difficult loads to the amplifier. It would be interesting to see the full wiring diagram Benz is using. Anyway - easy check. Feed a mono thump, thump, thump bass frequency into the head unit - identical in both channels. Swing the balance from one channel to the other and put your finger on the back of the woofer cone & check the phase. Does it suck in for both channels due to mounting orientation? If it does not I would believe that the reason for out of phase wiring is to damp max cone excursion by achieving a null which is a bit tacky.

See:

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=163

and this simple pdf.
Thanks, I will see if 66wrms to each coil will destroy it.
Originally Posted by Wardsweb
It is easy to get confused because you would think the brown wire would be the same for both coils. It is not. Take a close look at the picture above. It is positive on one coil and negative on the other. So, it is wired in phase. If it were wired out of phase, the two signals would cancel each other out.
This is the part I was confused with. The positive terminal on the sub is the one closest to the camera for both sides. On the left it is a pink wire on the right it is brown/white stripe. Typically brown/stripe is a negative, so it is actually positive despite its color?
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2012 | 03:47 AM
  #15  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
Update, the way we think it is wired is wrong. I ran the sub with an aftermarket amplifier. I ran the dual voice coils in parallel. I wired the pink(tan looking one) and the brown/white stripe one to positive and the brown/pink stripe and white to negative. You can barely hear it up on full. I then wired pink + white to positive and both brown with stripe to negative and it is normal volume.

The white is positive. If you treat it as negative the coils work against each other and effectively cancel each other out.
Reply
Old Jan 28, 2012 | 08:23 PM
  #16  
irokwrx's Avatar
Junior Member
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Bowie Md
Mine 03 C32-Hers 04 c32
What is the size of the sub? Also has any one replaced it with a real sub(jl,mtx)
Reply
Old Jan 28, 2012 | 08:35 PM
  #17  
tw2's Avatar
tw2
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
I have not measured it but it is either 8 or 10". There are lots of threads about putting new subs in, in general.

If you mean putting one where the stock sub goes then I know of at least one install. The only problem is that you need a sub that works well in an infinite baffle. Also the weight of most aftermarket subs is quite a lot to support with the metal of the rear deck.
Reply

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:06 AM.

story-0
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

Slideshow: Not every Mercedes design becomes timeless, some feel stuck in the era they came from.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:09:07


VIEW MORE
story-1
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

Slideshow: Yes, Mercedes built manual cars, and some of them are far more interesting than you'd expect.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-02 12:36:58


VIEW MORE
story-2
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 11:19:28


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Slideshow: Before curves took over, Mercedes mastered the art of the straight line, and some of those shapes still look right today.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-25 12:05:49


VIEW MORE
story-4
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

Slideshow: The 190E Evolution II shows how a homologation necessity became a six-figure collector icon.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-22 17:53:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes is turning one of its core nameplates electric, and the details show just how serious this shift is.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:58:06


VIEW MORE
story-6
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

Slideshow: Faster charging, longer range, and a controversial steer-by-wire system define the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz EQS.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-15 10:35:34


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

Slideshow: These overlooked Mercedes-Benz models never got the spotlight, but they quietly delivered more than most remember.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-13 19:35:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

Slideshow: A well-used 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300D with more than one million miles is now looking for a new owner, and it still appears ready for more.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-10 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

Slideshow: From bulletproof sedans to surprisingly tough SUVs, these Mercedes models proved that the three-pointed star can go the distance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-08 09:55:49


VIEW MORE