Kasim101

Hello,
So I've had my W205 for a few weeks now and decided to get my aftermarket sub installed that I kept from my last car. I took it to a pretty reputable shop while I was in Miami and they installed the sub, however I noticed I still have my FrontBass woofers working. My hope was that the shop would cut the leads to the Frontbass from the factory amp and used a LOC to have it go to the sub amp. While I was digging around in the trunk trying to make sense of the install that was done, I came to the conclusion that they had most likely taken a high input from the rear speaker deck, something I completely did not want.

Here's the issue, the burmester sound system should have it's own amp to power the additional speakers and frontbass units, I can't seem to see one in the trunk. Does the Non-Command system with the Burmester sound system not come with a factory amp? If not, I feel mostly duped into believing the dealer when they told me there was no difference in the Buremester system in the Command versus Audio 20 system.

tl;dr: Where is the Burmester amp in the Audio 20 system.

*edit: My assumption was wrong that a non-COMMAND system with the Burmester system was still considered Audio 20. By "Audio 20", I was referring to the non-COMMAND system that still has the Burmester package, which was not correct.

guhvies

Seems you're mixing your metaphors. There's no Burmester in Audio 20. There's Burmester and then there's Audio 20, two separate things.

HTH

Kasim101

Hmmm, I was under the assumption that Audio 20 referred to the systems that weren't the COMMAND system. I guess not, still doesn't solve my dilemma. Another forum user here who has their entire system overhauled with a DSP and everything claims the factory amp is where the SiriusXM receiver is, alas there is no amp there and he's just about the only person saying where the amp might be. I want to have some idea where it might be before tearing apart my trunk.

fabbrisd1

Well... you can be more forthcoming with info on your Mercedes ... this is a forum and not mind-reading academy.

1. Front door speakers - do you have Black Grill (Audio 20) or Silve/Metal grills (marked Burmeister)

2. You have your subwoofer already installed by a shop - you paid them - and you're supposedly not happy with the result -so why don't you go back and ask them to set it up the way you want - rather that mucking around in a system you don't understand ? If you have Front Bass (Burmeister) those are for mid-bass only - and the subwoofer handles/extends the lower bass response of your system. You have a install question on what you already had done - really.

Kasim101

Okay well, let me address your points here. I thought I was being pretty explicit in what I was asking. However, it seems I have my systems confused, hence me being under the assumption that the Burmester package without the COMMAND system was still considered Audio 20. I already said I have the Burmester speakers.
To address the your second point, due to complications, it's not an easy return to the shop for me as I got it done while I was visiting a sibling who had their E-Class done by this shop and is a few hundred miles away. Not to mention that both the Audio 20 and Burmester system have Frontbass however the Burmester systems adds an additional woofer to the driver's foot well. The shop took the input signal from the "surround sound" speakers in the rear deck which obviously won't have the lower end of the sound, so in reality, the install wasn't "already done".

You'd also be wrong in the typical sense as well, since it widely considered that Tweeters handle the high end, the woofers (usually in door panels) handle the mid range, and any "bass" woofers handle the lower end, by your designation, the W205 has no real low end, which would be false. Even at that, a higher end subwoofer amp such as the one I have will have it's own frequency cut off and solely play the lower end of the input.

Nonetheless, I have experience in the aftermarket stereo field and am very capable of doing my own installs, I just didn't have the time to do one for my recent purchase so I entrusted a shop to the work which proved if you want something done right, do it yourself. It looks like I will have to be "mucking" around since there's really no clear answer to where the factory amp is hiding in the trunk since seemingly the only person who has placed a location on it, clearly has it wrong.

Thanks.

guhvies

It seems like you've already sussed out what needs to be done and what you have. Let us know the results of your endeavours. Also check out posts by Mike5215. He's the resident guru on W205 sound systems on this forum. Good luck!

Kasim101

I was originally going off of Mike5215's wordpress blog and in his picture of his trunk showing his audio processor, dsp, and sub amp, he labels the factory amp where the SiriusXM receiver is. I started my tear down and found that the factory amp is actually behind his Prima dsp, not where he has it labeled. Now I can see the factory outputs, the only thing I'm missing is what color wire goes to where so that I can tap into the front left and right Frontbass woofers, I'm pretty sure the purple goes to the passenger side frontbass, I'm thinking maybe the pink is the drivers side frontbass?

shaunds

Yes this picture diagram is incorrect. The 'burmester' amp (factory amp), if looking at this picture, is indeed actually behind the Audison Prima dsp. The wiring diagrams I have didn't have the wire colours on. My installer just seemed to do it and all worked out. So not sure. Problem is some of the models don't always share wire colours for similar speaker positions.