ryahia

Hi All....I just leased a new 2010 C300 Sport. Its my first Mercedes. I like the car alot. I just got out of a Lexus IS250 lease loaded with Navi. This new C300 has the MM and Navi package. This car is supposed to be better than lexus but the technology is just not very impressive.

First, I have seen screenshots of the audio interface and my Bass/Treble controls dont look as nice as some I have seen here with more features. What gives? I only have basic Bass/Treble controls on my screen.

Second, The Sirius Radio sounds like a muffled cellphone...closer to AM radio and definitely NOT digital quality like I had with XM in my Lexus. I am an XM subscriber but if it will sound like this its almost not worth having to switch to Sirius...i know they are merging, but still.

Third, These are the LEAST intuitive controls I have ever seen on any car. It basically takes almost 10 seconds of pushing or rotating knobs and clicking here and there to switch between the navi map and radio display....and finding a street on the Navi is a nightmare...Am I missing some options here?

do these things bother anyone else?
and...can I do anything about the sound quality or controls while leaving everything stock?

vcruiser

Does multi media include harmon kardon? im rpertty sure it does


I agree with you, the audio controls suck.. there is no mid, and no tone settings for other frequencies like on my brother 335i which has the same hardon kardon system...just with a better interface..

im happy with the navi..no complaints yet.

but it's weird that your sirius doesnt sound good... mine sounds great and im happy with it..

im a sound engineer, so I'm pretty sure i can distinguish what sounds good from what sounds bad.

try going to your dealer and comparing..could be a technical malfunction!


good luck with it!

ryahia

How do I know if my car has a Harmon Kardon system? I thought MM Package assumed the better audio unit?

snarlingchicken

The 2010 doesn't include the Harmon Kardon Logic 7 anymore. It's an $800 option in the US. And just out of curiosity...and I'm not sure if it would even affect your car in any way...but uhh...did you recently get a tint job maybe?

ryahia

No i just got the car last saturday. No tints yet. I am just not impressed with the Sirius sound qulaity at all. I searched vaious online forums and there are TONS of complaints about Sirius sound vs XM sound quality. I have to say I am freakin pissed about the HK sound option not being included in MM system. All the controls look the same...I dont see anything in the pictures with this option that would indicate anything is missing from my car. All I see is the chrome rings on the door speakers in the pictures. My C300 does not have these chrome rings.

Is this the only difference..cosmetically?
Is there a real difference in sound qulity when missing the HK system?
Can this HK 7.1 option be installed aftermarket?..like if I go complain to the dealer they can add it?
Sorry for my ignorant questions...Newb here.

Thanks

snarlingchicken

I think honestly, rather than getting an after market HK system, it's better to just go with an entirely aftermarket/non HK set up. A new amp, an XM receiver, some subs maybe? Trust me, it will probably be a lot cheaper than finding HK parts, retrofitting them, and then programming the nav to work with it.

ryahia

my preference is to keep things stock though...Especially because this is a leased car.
If I could just buy the OEM HK option seperately I would install it myself....can this be bought? Has anyone seen it?

Azn_C300

yes you can swap out speakers to HK. Do a search for Vic Viper. He did a swap out for most speakers and with write up.

coolvi

Logic7 is a feature that can be switched on/off which appears as the third option on that Treble/Bass screen IIRC. It's also an indication of the presence of the H/K package.

But IS250 is fine car: A loaded IS250 goes head-to-head with a loaded C-Class feature-for-feature and price wise, too, and the difference isn't that significant. Maybe you're expecting too highly of the C and underestimating the IS.

vcruiser

just check if it has a harmon kardon emblem on the speakers... if not, you didnt get the sound system.

To get it retrofitted from the dealer will cost so much money, so i suggest you purchase new speakers and an amp and sub for your ride!

you will be satisfied!

AMGTTV8

The HK system BLOWS the stock Audio 50 system out of the water...

Now by no means am I saying that there isn't room for improvement on the HK platform, but it's pretty damn good IMHO...

Sucks that you didn't get it...

I understand why they don't include it in the MM package anymore...

Too many people *****ed about the price of navi because they didn't care about the value provided by the sound element..

RLE

Since the only knob you can turn on the MM face is volume, I don't see what you are going on about. And the switch from radio to nav is one touch of a button and it's instant. You have discovered that repeatedly pushing the radio button activates the four radio modes? In my MM, I have adjusted the tone controls to close to maximum and with the Logic 7 turned on, all I could ask for is a tad more bass but even so, the HK system is vastly better than the W203's Bose setup.

Of course, I don't listen to Rap or Black Thug "music". Maybe that's it.

AMGTTV8

no need to hate

woedee

Ive had my car since 3/09 - its loaded with the h/k system, and I am not impressed with it at all whatsoever. Should have invested that $$ in a better sounding aftermarket system for that same $$. Not to mention, the voice controls, bluetooth, and navi system are really not that impressive.

jstaneff

If you are straying this far from the "normal" mid settings, then there's something else not right. Mine is very good at the mid-range settings that are the defaults. Road noise is a bother, but when I park with the engine off and the HK system going, it's wonderful.

Maybe better road-noise insulation is a worth while investment?

RLE

The word would be "scorn."