Khan28

So my 06 C280 is being a bit troublesome at times (tranny issues) and part of me is hinting at getting into a facelift W204 C300 or C350 as I feel I've spent a tad too much on my W203 trying to chase problems. I took a loaded up 2012 C350 with 84,000kms for a test drive and loved it despite riding a tad firmer than the W203. Loved the extra space, solid feel, styling, DI motor and the command system isn't bad though not as good as the newer BMW iDrive system.

One minor detail I observed however was that the HK system didn't sound all that and that was with the L7 on and playing around with the settings and playing XM Sattelite audio and when I plugged in my phone via USB to play MP3 tracks. To me it lacked bass, fullness and overall didn't seem that powerful and while it may have sounded a bit better than the Audio 20 I have in my car I wasn't impressed. A Bose sound system (I know, I know) in an Infiniti IMO sounds better in all aspects. Any audiophiles want to chime in?

Thanks.

global33

I have the HK system and find it very sensitive to the quality of the incoming source. Sirius is the worst with its highly compressed signal and is unlistenable. It thrives with old-school CDs or even better with with Dolby surround DVDs. iPod is ok when used with with a higher bitrate format, MP3s fall short.

NewtwoMB

Not an audiophile as such but a keen fan of good equipment and music reproduced well. Fully agree with the last post. DVDs are great, as are (old school) CDs. All my iPod music is at highest bit rate and sounds mostly pretty good. Not a great fan of bass heavy electronically produced music...

After 3 years listening I had the HK door speakers upgraded (they're not the best in speaker tech) to ones made by Morel (except the tweeters and woofer spkrs). This has improved the sound even more and I'm pretty happy.

If I have any criticism its the overall volume potential when travelling at high speeds, 70-80 mph, on noisy highway surfaces.

Eonetiller

I absolutely agree Cds are the best for sound in that system. However I never have any audio issues with sirius. However, I the audio for the ipod is the worst, it's always so quiet.

Acapulco Bill

The Harman Kardon Logic 7 sound system is the auto industry's "gold standard" for audio. If it sounded poorly, it should be auditioned with an original quality-recorded CD (NOT an MP3, streaming, digital radio, Spotify, XM Satellite or other inferior sound source).

Individual drivers may be defective or fail, so give each a close-up listen at a medium volume level to determine if it is performing correctly, and free from buzzing which usually is caused by the voice-coil rubbing in the magnet gap.

Best of success!

JohnnyC300

My harmom kardon computer speakers which accompanied a Dell in the year 2000 work better to this day, retail for 19.99, have two tweeters and 1 sub, and were abused by me as an adolescent.

2014 C250

I think the system is decent. It really does require good source material to get the most out of it. The imaging it none too shabby and it has a pretty solid if not powerful low end.

Acapulco Bill

@Eonetiller - Low iPod volume is a known issue with either the Aux or the iPod Integration Kit. Two solutions are: 1) Make sure the software in your headunit is up to date, as there is a "Boost" function which should fix the low volume. 2) If that isn't enough, the excellent Sound Shocker in either the standard or Pro version, provides distortion-free gain for the iPod. http://phpaudio.jigsy.com/passive-preamp

Another thread about the Aux Boost update is here: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...-volume-3.html

The 6th Generation iPod Classic, when loaded with Apple Lossless tunes, will provide analog output that is indistinguishable from a CD, so this is a gain, not a quality, issue. MB just didn't do their homework!