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I am considering upgrading my standard audio in my C200 to a much better aftermarket system. My budget is around $1500, and would prefer if it was $1k if possible. I love hifi sound and the standard audio doesn't satisfy that. I also heard that the Burmester isn't the best, so I want something better than both. Love a good bass, and overall balanced sound. Anyone who could share their experiences to how I could find speakers, tweeters, etc. from a good brand without installation - I will try to find a local service center who could do it for me because I am not familiar at all with installations and fixing.
I recently installed a Prima 8.9 DSP amp in my W221. It strips out the factory EQ and allows you to start from scratch in shaping the sound, right down to each individual speaker. (Believe it or not, the stock 205 audio is superior to the stock Harman/Kardon in the 221.)
The Prima unit connects to your laptop for configuration. The C suffers from excessively bright midrange, which is the result of having 4" drivers x 4 in the cabin and no proper woofers. Instead the subs in the footwell have to play "up" quite a bit into midbass territory which can make them sound loose and boomy.
The precise control the Prima provides is ideal for a set up like this. You would assign each speaker a channel:
1) left front mid
2) left front tweet
3) left front sub
4) right front sub
5) right front tweet
6) right front mid
7) right rear mid
8) left rear mid
The unpowered 9th channel could be sent out to a sub box and amp in the trunk, or left open.
For each speaker you would have control of level, crossover points, equalization, and delay. The Prima installs after the factory amp and before the speakers, so you still have 100% COMAND functionality and control.
The Prima is around $900, and install would run you another $500.
Here's a screen grab of one speakers config screen:
I recently installed a Prima 8.9 DSP amp in my W221. It strips out the factory EQ and allows you to start from scratch in shaping the sound, right down to each individual speaker. (Believe it or not, the stock 205 audio is superior to the stock Harman/Kardon in the 221.)
The Prima unit connects to your laptop for configuration. The C suffers from excessively bright midrange, which is the result of having 4" drivers x 4 in the cabin and no proper woofers. Instead the subs in the footwell have to play "up" quite a bit into midbass territory which can make them sound loose and boomy.
The precise control the Prima provides is ideal for a set up like this. You would assign each speaker a channel:
1) left front mid
2) left front tweet
3) left front sub
4) right front sub
5) right front tweet
6) right front mid
7) right rear mid
8) left rear mid
The unpowered 9th channel could be sent out to a sub box and amp in the trunk, or left open.
For each speaker you would have control of level, crossover points, equalization, and delay. The Prima installs after the factory amp and before the speakers, so you still have 100% COMAND functionality and control.
The Prima is around $900, and install would run you another $500.
Here's a screen grab of one speakers config screen:
Did this on my W212 and couldn't be happier. I don't know how does it compare to the HK system on the w212 but I swear it was definitely better than stock.
Unfortunately by the time I discovered it I'd already replaced my front door Mids and Tweets (Focal KRS100) and rear door woofers and tweets (Hertz DSK) so I can't compare the Prima to the purely stock system. If I had it to do over I'd do the Prima first and see if new speakers were even necessary.
So after playing around with a 3rd party EQ app I've determined that the Prima 8.9 alone is not going to cut it. The 4" mid drivers in the doors just don't have the power handling capability you'd need. Typically it should be close to impossible for the stock amp to overdrive any of the stock speakers, but that's not the case here.
I do think the stock subs and tweets are usable, so it would just be a question of finding a heartier 4" woofer. One way to go is a 4" two way component set up front like the Focal KRS100 but those are $749 a set. Not a lot of choices in 4" components I'm afraid. I'd suggest a 4" coaxial (tons of those out there) like the MTX here are $79 a set. I have a pair of these in the rear deck of my S Class replacing the stock 4" Harman/Kardon surrounds. They're quite a bit smoother and warmer, with more power handling.
Two sets of those would do it. Don't sweat the extra tweeters. You can cut them back with the Prima.
If you want to spend $749 on a set of speakers, put the Focal KRS100 in the front doors. Not so much for the 4" mids, but the tweeters that come with the set are phenomenal. I'd also want a small sub box and amp in the boot. I'd want a sealed box, no more than a 10" and ideally two 8".
Unfortunately by the time I discovered it I'd already replaced my front door Mids and Tweets (Focal KRS100) and rear door woofers and tweets (Hertz DSK) so I can't compare the Prima to the purely stock system. If I had it to do over I'd do the Prima first and see if new speakers were even necessary.
I tried running the prima on the stock speakers before upgrading them to the Rainbow Vanadium Series speakers. I would say on stock speakers it's not that much of an upgrade. However, after replacing the speakers and fine tuning them, it's a whole different story. I just got my sub installed last weekend as well. Went with a focal slim woofer to make things look as stock as possible.
Some of the stock speakers in the S I couldn't source replacements for. There were two 8" dual coil pancake subs in the doors, and an 8x12 on the deck I had to keep. Also a 4" center buried in the dash I didn't want to dig out. On the 205 with the premium system I'd try just the Prima, and still a sub box.
Well I just discovered there are no tweeters in the front door mirror sail panels, so a 4" coaxial might be an option, or ideally a 2 way 4" component set which would get you the tweeter and a crossover, and do the less expensive coaxial in the rear doors.
12-12-2015, 07:34 AM
