whiteongrey

Would installing the Boss Bass600 adjuster knob in the trunk simplify the install? Was it plugged into a pre-existing wiring harness in the rear?

Acapulco Bill

I had my MB dealer do the installation. On the Boss Bass600 there is a "remote on" function and I am unsure if the Audio20 has a 12v lead which goes hot when you turn the radio on. In any case I assume that at least that part of the wiring went all the way to the front.
To answer your question, yes it would be simpler to wire the control knob in the back, however since one was making the trip from the rear to the front anyway for the remote ON function, my dealer decided to do it correctly. Maybe the dealer even ran high-level L & R lines, the best way to do the install.
The most SIMPLE installation involves leaving the subwoofer ALWAYS ON (using the 12v line in the right side of the trunk) and also the control knob in the truck also, only having to splice in from the right rear speaker to provide a signal.
Attached is the Boss Bass600 manual in PDF format.

BMMV

Thank you for showing how this was installed, I think I am going to go this route.

Acapulco Bill

Looking closer at the subwoofer install, there is a foam rubber pad used to seal the face of the subwoofer against the rear shelf sheetmetal. Nice install job. Properly seals the output of the woofer only into the passenger compartment.
Congrats to the dealer, Stuttgart Motors of Cuernavaca, Mexico.

jctevere

Looks Awesome!!! Definitely going to go this route. I don't even care if that sub fails within a year. $150 for the sub and amplifier is so cheap and such a great deal. Now I just need to grow some ***** and tackle this install.

@ Acapulco Bill - Do you think two subs will fit on that shelf?!?! =P

Acapulco Bill

@jctevere: Instead of two (there is a box on the crossbrace that makes it difficult to install another one) get the Boss Bass1500 which has more than twice the watts and 56% more driver area.
I am pleased with the balance the Boss Bass600 provides. Remember this is compared to an audiophile reference-quality system, not a system that will vibrate some poor soul's kitchen dishes as you drive down the street.

Acapulco Bill

Here is the Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/BASS1500-Profi...1016375&sr=8-1

jctevere

Thanks Bill! I will definitely look into this. However, I don't think I will be able to install these myself. So I just want to get EVERYTHING together and head to a local shop and have him install it. Where did you get the mounting bracket for your trunk install? Also, will this amplified sub (1500) be able to get power from the rear module in the side of the trunk, or will it need a home run direct to the battery.

Then people mention splicing the input from the rear speakers? Is this correct?

encoder

Which I suppose would make Janis Joplin sound like.... Louis Armstrong?

encoder

@ Bill... You had the dealer do it... Care to take a SWAG on how much something like this would run at a dealer stateside?

And given the huge number of other retailers here, would you still take it to a dealer or just have a nice audio shop do it? (Obviously NOT the installers at Best Buy or anything, though )

NickCats

FWIW, I had one of the high end audio shops here quote me a price for the install. He said somewhere between 4 to 6 hours at $60 an hour for labor ( $240 - $360 ).

That is the only thing holding me back from moving forward with the upgrade. I can purchase the speakers on Amazon for $150, but I'm not sure I want to shell out another $360 for the install ( I am worthless when it comes to DIY )

Nick

Acapulco Bill

@encoder y NickCats: I paid $140 DLS for the install, and sat there and watched my MB dealer do it (the dealer is 200 miles away so I had to go and wait anyway, got the brake line recall done at the same time).

So it is hardly 4-6 hours. Maybe 90 minutes for the fronts and an hour for the rears. And $60 an hour... Wonder if you can purchase just the INSTALL at Crutchfield? Gotta run about $100.

And buy the speakers on Amazon which are nearly at half price?

mwaldron

Thanks to all in this great thread. I just purchased the 60.9 and 6032si sets. Next up is the Boss Bass1500 and finally, the install.

Question: Does the Boss Bass1500 fit as well as the Bass600 Acapulco Bill has in his pics?

Acapulco Bill

Boss Bass600 dimensions:
Height (inches): 2.8 inches
Width (inches): 9.8 inches
Depth (inches): 13.7 inches

Boss Bass1500
Height (inches): 3 inches
Width (inches): 11.9 inches
Depth (inches): 15.5 inches

No problem with the height or depth. The WIDTH which is the diameter of the speaker plus the enclosure frame, fits perfectly. However, cutting the rear shelf, probably there is only about 9 inches of "width" front to rear until you get to a brace. No problem, just cut the 10 inch circle with a 1 inch sliver hiding 1" of the surround of the woofer at the rear.

This will not affect the sound, remembering that the 10" cone has 56% more surface area than the 8" cone. The Boss Bass1500 10" should work and sound just fine.

mwaldron

So a Bass600 would be a better fit? I really like the way yours looks. I won't be installing this myself.

Acapulco Bill

Go for the Boss Bass1500. It will fit nicely. And if you are a bass fan, you just cant get enough. As a symphony conductor, I prefer everything in its place, remembering that the bass is never the main course on the musical menu.

europeankar

Hey Folks!
This thread is very nice! I have a C63 comand without HK. I want to have better sound quality. Also more BASS. I am quite confused with the stereo upgrade these days. I am thinking to get a sub something like Infinity basslink. But I have no clue what is good for front and rear speakers. Looks like I don't require to have an aftermarket amp for it??? Also I need HK tweeters?

Kappas?
focal?

Thanks for any inputs!!!

Acapulco Bill

No amp needed for the door speakers, Infinity Kappa 60.9s for the front (includes xover and separate tweeters) and Infinity 6032si shallow mount coaxial for the rears. Bass get a Boss Bass600, or Bass1500 selfamplified. All the info is in this thread.

AskDrTodd

Bill-

In the past I've worked at a couple audio shops, and always thought of Infiniti as low/mid-grade and Boss as crap. I don't mean to be unkind, but was surprised to hear you recommending them so highly. I wish I could listen to them in person, the bass is truly crisp and responsive? Not boomy and distorted?

Acapulco Bill

As a symphony orchestra conductor, and a musician in more modern genres, I find the sound of the Infinity's to be excellent. Infinity is part of the Harman Kardon group, and these speakers are of higher quality than used in the HK Logic 7 system. Infinity has produced, in its long history, some of the world's finest speakers, and these particular drivers (60.9 and 6032si) are definitely not low/mid-grade. Period.

Remember the exercise here is about EFFiCIENCY, in order to be able to maximize the DB volume output from the Audio 20's 20-25 watts RMS per channel. It is an inexpensive and very effective solution for any Mercedes with the Audio 20 headunit, and is recommended without reservation. One cannot suggest "better" speakers for this application. With original CDs in the Audio 20 player, or Apple Lossless encoded input from an iPod Classic that has good digital to analog converters, the results are near audiophile quality for a 2-channel (e.g. not surround) system, except for the bass.

As for the Boss Bass600, (or Bass1500 etc) this self-amplifed subwoofer is compact, inexpensive and simple to install. It adds the missing bass "texture" in the bottom two octaves (25 - 100 Hz) that the door speakers fail to reproduce. Some have complained about the Boss' reliability, but properly installed and driven to reasonable limits, so far mine has done well. For $100 plus the install, well worth the price for sure.

europeankar

I think i am going to get the infinity 60.9, 6032si, and boss bass600. I have a 2010 C63 with comand. Will this work as well?

Acapulco Bill

@europeankar: Surprised that your C63 didnt come with the HK system. The C63 is the only W204 in Mexico that comes standard with the HK Logic 7 system. If you have the Audio 20 or Audio 50 these speakers will work excellently.

@AskDrTodd and everyone: Having spent enough on sound equipment to have purchased several mansions in my lifetime, I have no AGENDA as to which BRAND produces the best sound. The particular PRODUCTS I mentioned are the best for this application, which will rescue and transform the disappointing stock Audio 20/50 system into a truly good one without reserve.

However, an audio RETAILER (all of them, actually) have another AGENDA and will tell blatant untruths (read downright LIES) to the customer with only their profit in mind. That said, in my Acapulco home I have two sound systems, and will not name the brands here. However, one cost much more than my new W204, the other cost under $300 on ebay new in the box INCLUDING THE AMPLIFIERS. It would be difficult in a double-blind test, with volume levels matched within 1 dB, to tell the difference between them. Only on some material such as close-miked female voices using condenser microphones, is a difference barely discernible.

The point being, place no importance in the BRAND or the WATTS, only the EFFICIENCY and the final SOUND, that's what is important. Like food, first the taste and then the texture (as it is when conducting an orchestra), how it looks makes little difference at all.

AskDrTodd

Bill I have to disagree with you a bit there. I worked at a couple different shops, but I was an IASCA competitor for a few years, and I almost never used the equipment we sold at the shops, I only went with the higher-end (i.e. NOT made in China, WITH warranty, USING high quality caps/boards/circuitry and Class A amplification, reasonable sized magnets & voice coils, kevlar/carbon cones, silk tweeters, etc etc.) equipment. I've had the best experiences with Image Dynamics equipment for less expensive equipment (it would run shoulder to shoulder with some of the $1,000+ stuff), and Dynaudio on the upper end (which was nearly untouchable if you could afford it).

Boss is chinese crap, Infinity was a great company when it started out (I was using their stuff back in the early 90's when it was really quite nice) but alas, their stuff is also made in china now.

That being said, I did order the 60.9cs strictly because this is a lease and I don't want to do too much modification to get the speakers in there, and I fully believe that you have a good ear and I'm willing to try them to see how they work out. I really appreciate everything you've contributed to the board and thread and I don't want to sound like a jerk, I've just seen more than one great 'Made in USA' audio company have to close up shop thanks to the commies mass producing the **** out of everything.

jimmythegreek

Im gonna jump in here and tell you all about my weekend. I spent 2 days removing a good part of the interior to retrofit my 2011 with 2 pairs of 62.91 infinitys after hearing so much good about them on here. My 2008 had MM package which came w everything, the HK system was incredible, I just added a boston 1000w amp and 2 10" G2 subs sealed box and the system was awesome. Now the 2011 has every option except keyless go and HK, it has MM but now there are 3 parts to it and this car had only 2 parts, Nav and MM but no HK audio. I figured for teh price and the fully loadedness of the car Id just do the speakers and add the same box. Heres my results

The infinitys are slightly better than stock speakers, Im not impressed at all. Anyone telling you it rivals HK never had a C with the HK system. Its not just the speakers, the HK in my 08 made everything sound good, the LOGIC7 feature dressed up all music inputs, whether CDs, Sat radio, Media card, etc. and I used 1 general setting and the system was incredible. Mind you Ive put a system in EVERY car Ive ever owned including 4k into a bubble lexus show car in the late 90s, I did alot of teh work myself Im in construction and played w cars all my life, my best friend owns a body shop I use reularly for whatever I need. The infinity setup will not do for me, I used 62.91 in both doors and I sealed everything, used the crossovers, and left the factory mount in place and hacked like the DIY thread people did. I have not installed the HK tweeters yet in the front, but the bass and overall sound is weak and not clean from the infinitys. I have teh bass almost all the way down and the treble almost all the way up and the 2 10" subs are doing almost all the work. At full volume it gets sloppy, I have to click down volume 1 click from full to keep it clean. The HK rocked perfectly at full volume and MUCH louder, these infinitys pass all teh backnoise of the music to the speaker, the HK filtered it and made it sound perfect. Im gonna have to rewire the infinitys with a 4 channel amp, with a crossover, the one they are hooked to from factory lets too much boomy bass in and ruins the sound at full volume, they sound good at average levels tho, but not when jammin the music. In hindsight I would have gotten different 6 1/2" speakers and a full range amp and went that way if I could do it all over again. Actually I woulda waited and found a lesser optioned car that had HK in it could I do it all over again. Music is very important to me, the HK and the MM is what impressed me in the 08 C350 and I didnt expect this from teh 2011 C350 I have now. Otherwise I love the car, but I hate the system, the whole HK optical wires and Logic7 deal is not overated, I wont ever buy anothe benz w out it. I even research this week on a retrofit and its just not possible for the $$, Im better off swapping the infinity and adding another premium amp. I dont know about the guys who did the components, maybe they had better results.........

Acapulco Bill

@jimmythegreek - Am sorry you chose the Infinity Kappa 62.9's instead of the 60.9s for the front, extremely important because the separate tweeter of the 60.9 puts the highs where they should be, in the door frame. The 62.9 cost HALF what the 60.9's do in Crutchfield, and perhaps are not even half the speaker. Perhaps you should consider only replacing the front speakers with the 60.9's. As for the bass, it will be lacking for sure compared to the HK, and a subwoofer is highly recommended.

I am not a surround sound fan, so comparing against the HK ystem with the Logic 7 turned off, I find the mids and highs from the 60.9s quite acceptable (of course you have to get the tweeter properly in its place). As the Audio 20 only puts out 20-25 watts RMS before going into soft clipping (the reason you say the sound gets "sloppy", and better soft clipping protection than hard clipping), the HK only puts out 3 dB more. Remember it takes a week or more for any new speaker to break in, and the sound will improve.

The lesson here is that ALWAYS get your C class with the HK system. In Mexico, this is not possible in ANY W204 except the C63. So one has to find the best solution, which the 60.9's are (NOT the 62.9 which are NOT recommended for this application). As there are two HK Logic 7 systems in my family, I well know what it sounds like, and what the Audio20/Kappa 60.9 in my C300 does and does not do, and I am very happy with the Infinity sound.

Good luck, jimmythegreek, in your quest for the "absolute sound". As it is impractical to retrofit your 2011 with the HK, I would get the 60.9's into the front and a subwoofer as the next option. Beyond that, outboard amps driven by the Audio20 and whatever speakers you wish plus the subwoofer.