kbanks45

Pretty much. There is no low end at all... Mids and highs... Wasn't sure if there was a hidden eq in the star menu, but it seems like the bass was turn off with the bass all the way up in the sound menu... That's just sorry for such an expensive vehicle... I thought it was just me, but every cls owner has said the same thing...

MB550CLS

looking forward to getting that Smarty Head unit.

tudes

Hi - just wanted to check in, did someone install the Smarty Head unit yet? I have a CLS55 and while I've been wanting to keep it stock, I'm going to cave, I need the tech.

Sergey84

It looks nice to me.
Here is some info from their website:
Price: $660
Page: http://smarty-trend.com/mercedes-ben...head-unit.html
Photos: http://smarty-trend.com/blog/48_merc...rty-trend.html
Video:
Also extra info and thoughts:

1) I see they suggest an adapter for the factory amp which is extra $190: http://smarty-trend.com/mercedes-ben...-most-amp.html
2) Maybe no SiriusXM but not sure
3) This is what they said in Youtube comments 2 years ago: "The SMARTY Trend head unit supports the work of steering wheel buttons.Before the purchase, we need to look at the back side of your factory head unit to know for sure that our head unit will fit your car."
4) Also from comments: "Boot time from sleep mode - 1 second; Android cold boot time - 20-25 seconds."
5) It's sad the screen res probably didn't change since 2017. Only CPU, memory, android version and maybe few other things. I just found a random stereo H231N made by Seicane and it has 4Gb and 64Gb and they provide more technical info on their product page. Not sure if Smarty Trend for W211 has wireless carplay/android auto, or BT5.0. I guess it's due to update its hardware because other Chinese companies seem to have more fresh hardware.
6) Shipping is $50 via DHL from outside US.
7) Regarding shipping this is what they say: "Delivery around the world. If you are located outside of the European Union, then only the DHL is available for sending an order. If applicable to your country, you will pay VAT and import duties regarding local customs zone policy."
8) Idk what about returns? Where to send it back in case it fails. Considering the seller is located outside US it may be a bit risky.
9) I can't find any real reviews on the web. I see Smarty Trend products are sold on their website and in Ukraine as well.
10) Instead of detailed reviews I only found some comments on Youtube and some quick reviews on the forum (below).
11) From android forum: "So to sum up, the product is solid, the customer service and communication skills are terrible." https://forum.xda-developers.com/sho...2&postcount=22
12) No CD player. Sometimes I listen to my CDs but of course I prefer to stream music using BT.

So the total for this unit would be $900 including an adapter for the OEM amplifier and shipping.

Sergey84

PS: on Ali there are similar stereo units with different resolution, different android, probably different CPU etc:

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale...=1&groupsort=1

Sergey84

Update: I just briefly watched this video on their channel and I guess accent is rather Russian/Ukranian so I guess these guys are not in China but Idk where they are located.


Their customer service phone +1-209-704-6788 has California area code though it's not that hard to move the phone out of US and then just use WhatssApp messaging/calls via wi-fi only. I sent them a message and will update you if they ever reply me via WhatsApp.

tudes

Thanks @Sergey84 .
Agreed with @kbanks45 - 15+ year old cars, and I've seen very limited info on upgraded head units. I was initially thinking about getting the Euro version of the OEM one, but I feel that's an absolute waste. I wouldn't be getting any real tech upgrades.
And plugging in my iPhone through the aux with a lightning cable adapter suuuuucks.
Need the tech!

1ancelot

Late to the game, but I wanted to clarify that Smarty-Trends is a legit website, after making a purchase for a head-unit for my W219/C219 CLS. I ordered it two weeks ago and received it about 30 minutes ago. Now hopefully everything works (I'll post an update in regards to installation process), but in the event it doesn't they have a year warranty on their products. I'll admit I thought the site was shady because there are no visible reviews to see and most of the social media platforms are bone-dry. However, support is responsive via live chat/email (when someone is available).

kbanks45

That's cool. Let us know how things turned out. I'm still debating if I'm going to buy one or not. I'm hearing mixed things....

1ancelot

Update,

After six months of quietness, finally got the radio installed. The main holdup was finding someone to install the radio, went to several shops and they turned me down either because they wanted me to buy their product instead or too scared to work on a Mercedes (don't blame them). Just got it installed a few hours ago, using the factory system. Don't have the Canbus module installed at the moment, so no steering wheel controls yet.

Sounds louder than factory head-unit, will note that there is a chance of blowing out the speakers when using Bluetooth compared to the old head-unit with the iPod Bluetooth adapter. I was playing Spotify through the head-unit at max volume and then switched over to my phone which was also at max, which was a shocker. (Stopped it before damage could be done). The only thing I will complain about so far is the home buttons etc... don't light up so can't see them at night unless you turn a light on.

I'll post pictures/video later.

kbanks45

Wow, I haven’t pulled that trigger yet but still want to do it. I don’t want to trial and error with this car, I want mine professionally done, and done right the first time. The guys that say they’re totally happy don’t go any further with what went down on the installation… I’ll do it eventually… 9inch screen or the rumored 10 inch, but I haven’t seen it yet…

1ancelot

The shop I went to the owner happened to be a friend of a car club member, and from talking to him he knew what he was doing from the wiring/electronics, with a plus of working on models with the comand system similar to mines. I was confident throughout the installation process, additionally, he even gave me pointers if I had to take the radio out, like e.g if you break this wire, I'd be out of a sound system.

If the rumors are true, an upgrade would be plug n play for me now that the wiring process is out of the way.

kbanks45

Yeah, you got lucky. Here in the Atlanta area, they want no parts in touching the wiring, especially with my car having fiber optic wiring for everything. My car is a 2011, the last year for the w219. Hopefully everything will be plug and play, and then I'll do it myself. But I'm not cutting and splicing any wires... Plug and play or nothing.... Unless my radio goes out, then that's a different ball game... lol

BadDownDad

Hi all. I couldn't find any info when I first got the car ('13 E350 base sedan w sport pkg). I've installed my own stereos for years after "Audio Unimpress" told me it wasn't possible to do what I intended. I did succeed btw. So I was told all my electronics wouldn't work if I pulled factory head unit. Been told this before, so I didn't listen. I cut the lines to the factory amp, Sirius xm box, and disconnected the entire head unit. Don't cut the wires at the head unit, just disconnect. So I thought I had to build an installation kit for the dash by hand. No problem. Halfway thru my install I found to makes the kits. Metra has almost every kit needed for MB. Wiring adapters, face bezels, steering controls, etc. If that didn't work which is rare, try eBay using the W code of your MB. Anyways, I have installed the new bezel kit with the wiring interface. Still haven't installed the steering wheel controls, but eventually will. So I'm out the rear camera, steering wheel controls, and some of the "less important" features. These can all be regained once i figure out the "reverse" and "parking" wire that come with an aftermarket head unit ("deck"). The deck I'm running is a JVC KW850. It has mostly everything you would want inn dm aftermarket stereo, as do Kenwood and Pioneer for the price. I've had a few Alpine and Sony decks, but returned them bc I thought they were junk compared to the others mentioned. Just a personal choice. They may work fine for others. With the factory said gutted, I turned to the speakers next. Pulled all the factory ones. Kept the wiring through the doors. Used the factory wires in the trunk to hook up new speaker outputs. Not this is what I could afford as I went, not what my first choice would be. The front doors got Kenwood Reference Series (Infinity, Harman, all made by the same company I think) 7" midrange door subs with component tweeters installed in the same location as factory. The rear door speakers are high-end (if that exists) Polk audio 6x9s. Needed some light mods to the door panels to make these all fit, and not get pulled by the window operations. (BTW now is a good time to do any tint work while the panels are off). That took a little trial and error, but it worked out nice. So behind the front seats I put two "10 subs in pre-fabbed boxes and in the trunk I have a Kicker thin mount downfire 12" sub box that wedges perfectly in the truck up against the back seat. I mounted all my amps to the bank of the 12"box for ease of access, space saving and it was just the easiest way to go really. I'm running a 1500w Pioneer 4 channel to the doors. The two 10"s have their own Kicker 500w true RMS amp. And the 12" gets a Kicker 1200w mono class D. All the deck outputs are RCA to the amps. I went to Goodwill (several trips) until I found the old school heavy duty super long ones like Monster used to make with the gold plated tips. All my wiring was tucked away along the inside of the door trim at the bottom where all the other factory wiring runs. Power was ran on opposite side to reduce chances of interference. I run my music thru Spotify BT to my deck. Never bothered hooking up the antenna, don't miss the commercials AT ALL. Want to put better stuff in, but I can assure you that you can turn it up as loud as you can stand and it sounds AMAZING. Yeah, it's uncomfortable (or impossible) to seat people in the back, but I keep some of my work tools back there. BTW, I work out of mine and have a roof rack for ladders and such. So I lose some perks that others think important, but my car sounds awesome, and driving anywhere even with bad traffic make it all worth it. Rap, rock,jazz. It all sounds sweet. So yeah, my nav is down at the moment, but my phone app works just fine. I can't adjust volume from the steering wheel (yet) but the steering wheel adapter harness at $80ish fixes that. This setup isn't for all, but what I didn't lose is factory appearance except for that hideous phone monstrosity that was part of the original bezel with all those stupid buttons. Hope this helps someone. And if anyone knows the color or wire location for the"reverse" and "parking" wire I would greatly appreciate it.

AMGbean

Just finished my setup found a radio here http://seicane.Com It's Chinese