Hey guys!
I've been reading and also experienced myself that the sound in a new C-class without the Burmester is crappy - not enough bass etc. So I thought that I should do something about it.
First I tried to play with the equalizer on my phone - added some low frequencies to it. This made a huge difference on some music tracks, making them more vibrant. But later it was still not enough and I still missed the bass.
So I looked into different places and searched for possibilities. I didn't want any extra boxes for the sub woofer in the trunk etc so my first thought was to get the small sub woofer that goes under the seat. This automatically means wiring and effin up the stock wires and harnesses etc, which I also didn't want. The sub would be around 200€ + installing it.
My second thought was to take a look at the stock bass speaker in the passengers foot well. It was actually a 10 min job to take it out. just pull the carpet backwards, take plastic trim off, which is fastened with 3 bolts. There are also some electrics behind it which are also fastened with 3 bolts. The bass speaker it self sits on 3 bolts and is easily accessible.
What I found out was that this bass speaker was a total joke. its a 17cm speaker with a tiny magnet.
look at it:
So I thought that it should replaced with something more powerful, but it should still fit without changing anything and it should not burn the stock amplifier. So I took it off, went to the store and bought a 60W bass speaker from Visaton. My idea was that it should be possible to put the original speaker back if needed with out any noticeable damage to the plastic podium etc.
I took the original speaker out of the podium, cut a new podium for my speaker out of ply wood, painted it black, sealed it etc and installed it back.
This is how they looked compared to each other:
After assembling everything back together I can say that I now have a very good sound in my Benz. Plenty of bass on low volume. Everything turned out perfectly - I have a totally stock system, all the wiring remained the same, socket is the same, I don't have any extra sub box anywhere. It took me around 2 hours and 27€, so yeah i'm pretty happy with the result.
And I can always switch back to the stock bass speaker if needed and nobody will even know.
So guys go ahead and replace the bass speaker, totally worth it and costs nothing.
for me bass isn't the disappointment, it's the ear piercing brightness of the burmester setup.
Id be interested to know how to sort that out.
The system is too heavy on mids, that's why the system sounds so bright. I'm certain the engineers were trying to compensate for THAT by adding treble and changing the overall curve to the tweeter. It's actually a funny sound, it's harsh. I fixed it in mine by using a DSP and its equalizer. But it requires wiring into the system....
Hey guys!
I've been reading and also experienced myself that the sound in a new C-class without the Burmester is crappy - not enough bass etc. So I thought that I should do something about it.
First I tried to play with the equalizer on my phone - added some low frequencies to it. This made a huge difference on some music tracks, making them more vibrant. But later it was still not enough and I still missed the bass.
So I looked into different places and searched for possibilities. I didn't want any extra boxes for the sub woofer in the trunk etc so my first thought was to get the small sub woofer that goes under the seat. This automatically means wiring and effin up the stock wires and harnesses etc, which I also didn't want. The sub would be around 200€ + installing it.
My second thought was to take a look at the stock bass speaker in the passengers foot well. It was actually a 10 min job to take it out. just pull the carpet backwards, take plastic trim off, which is fastened with 3 bolts. There are also some electrics behind it which are also fastened with 3 bolts. The bass speaker it self sits on 3 bolts and is easily accessible.
What I found out was that this bass speaker was a total joke. its a 17cm speaker with a tiny magnet.
look at it:
So I thought that it should replaced with something more powerful, but it should still fit without changing anything and it should not burn the stock amplifier. So I took it off, went to the store and bought a 60W bass speaker from Visaton. My idea was that it should be possible to put the original speaker back if needed with out any noticeable damage to the plastic podium etc.
I took the original speaker out of the podium, cut a new podium for my speaker out of ply wood, painted it black, sealed it etc and installed it back.
This is how they looked compared to each other:
After assembling everything back together I can say that I now have a very good sound in my Benz. Plenty of bass on low volume. Everything turned out perfectly - I have a totally stock system, all the wiring remained the same, socket is the same, I don't have any extra sub box anywhere. It took me around 2 hours and 27€, so yeah i'm pretty happy with the result.
And I can always switch back to the stock bass speaker if needed and nobody will even know.
So guys go ahead and replace the bass speaker, totally worth it and costs nothing.
one pretty pic to get you going and motivated:
Nice! What I've learned about the W205 speakers (Burmester or A20) is they use rare earth magnets (neodymium) that are significantly stronger than the big conventional magnets we're accustomed to seeing on speakers with high power handling. Which is why the factory amp can drive your new speaker despite the fact it's magnet is significantly larger.
The speaker's power rating is only part of the equation. The speaker's efficiency rating is a major factor. A speaker rated for 100 watts nominal with an 87% efficiency (poor) will not play as loudly given the same power as one rated for 75 watts nominal but a 97% rating.
The other issue is the amp's actual output. If it's putting out 25 watts a speaker requiring a 50 watt nominal signal will underperform significantly. It's always a balancing act when you're not adding your own amps.
Focal makes the IFBMW and IFBMW-S drop in replacement speakers for the Harman Kardon system in BMWs. The IFBMW is a 2 way 4 inch, and the IFBMW S is an 8" dual coil shallow mount sub. Neither are the correct form factor for the 205, although the 4" will work with some modifications to the mount.
I don't believe anybody is making drop in replacements for the Burmester...too small a market. BMW has been using those speakers for many years, which created a large enough pool of potential customers.
.did it cause any damage to the factory amp ? man the base sound system on the w205 is rly disappointing..
This is how they looked compared to each other:
After assembling everything back together I can say that I now have a very good sound in my Benz. Plenty of bass on low volume. Everything turned out perfectly - I have a totally stock system, all the wiring remained the same, socket is the same, I don't have any extra sub box anywhere. It took me around 2 hours and 27€, so yeah i'm pretty happy with the result
compared to this crap. 
) but the difference from the base audio to the Burmester IS significant.
