I am thinking about doing an audio upgrade. I am not sure if I necessarily want to rip everything out yet. I am thinking maybe going with vehicle specific speakers replacement offered through few different brands. My questions is that is there one brand better than the other? I am specifically talking about Steg vs Eton vs Ground Zero. These are literally plug and play speakers.

My main goal is to upgrade the sound without going through a major change. I hoping that the speakers alone are a big enough of an upgrade that keeps me happy. If this doesn't work then I may go all the way in and start with NavTV Zen M module which plugs into Most interface and completely removes factory amp along with factory EQ. This module then connects to a sound processor via optical cable then over to the amplifiers. Then upgrade the speakers to Focal and add the JL 12W6v3 subwoofer I have sitting in my basement.

Any thoughts on the above listed brands for plug and play speakers? Steg, Eton, Ground Zero???

 

I thought someone just went through all that. Do a search on Burmeister or speaker replacement or upgrade....

 

The sound system on W205s is so trash.

 

I haven't yet upgraded the voice speakers, but I did put 2 sundowns in the trunk and it's a bit excessive but I like to bump lol. In order to get a good clean signal for voice, you're going to need some type of DSP. Just do a quick search and you'll find the info.

 

I looked up few different threads. It feels like I’ve spent hours researching. What I haven’t found is the differences between brands. Is one clearly better than the other or is one recommended over the other?

 

Honestly it just depends on what your preference is. I've never been a die hard brand guy. Any brand amped over stock will be a big improvement.

 

I dont think the Burmester system should be considered trash - not super high end but also not trash and compared to many "upgraded" OEM systems its decent. I also find it a bit weird to amp up your C63 with a high fidelity or even thumping audio system (have done that on previous cars)...that is something for either quiet luxury cars where you wan to hear just the music or for car guys who just want that big 12" subwoofer thumping - neither are typical clients of performance sports cars in my mind. But everyone is different - so everyone can modify to his liking.

 

I agree the stock sound system is pretty bad. Bass is almost non existent. Luckily in this car I prefer to listen to the exhaust and the music is just white noise in the background!

 

I don’t understand the complaints about nonexistent bass unless they retuned the audio for FL. I think there’s plenty of bass for a stock system. Bass is not the problem, quality of mids and highs can improve. I really don’t think Burmester is trash at all but it can be improved.

Little history before anyone says that I don’t know what bass is. In car audio, I’ve had 2 12’s in my younger days then 10w7 and had 12w6 on my previous car. At home I am running dual SVS 16 ultra subs for my audio and HT. Nothing like bass dropping under 20hz and keeping up with the volume.....

 

Same could be said about adding exhaust, downpipes and bigger turbos on a "Mercedes" but here we are lol.
All my vehicles have had a "system" because I love to thump.

 

well, yes, everybody it’s own and nothing wrong with it...but your examples are all performance modifications more typical for a performance cars. So, not the same as an audio upgrade.

 

let’s be honest here. This car is no GT3 or lotus where keeping it light is beneficial on track. Most if not all of these cars are street driven/daily driven. Audio upgrade makes sense, No?

 

sure, you guys get too quick hung up on stuff. I just said audio upgrades is not what comes to my mind on a C63...like I would find it weird having a 30lb sub box in the trunk. But I also said each it’s own and do what you like - no issue with that et all.

 

I understand.... TBH, that’s one of the reasons why I sold my 10w7 and bought 12 w6 because it was half the weight. 10w7 in a box was 62 lbs. I may not even add a separate sub in this car.

 

OEM system is fair bit compared to Audis B&W, W205 system is awful.

 

I am currently in the process of upgrading my speakers on my 2020 coupe. I decided to go with the audiotec fischer Match speakers instead of going for various higher end speakers (not that the Match speakers are particularly cheap). I chose this route because they are essentially made to fit our car without any cutting/modifying of the current speaker mounts. I replaced the door speakers/tweeters, the footwell subwoofers and the center speaker and replaced the stock amp with the Match Up7 DSP. Did not throw a subwoofer into the trunk yet, but may end up doing so later on.

Finally, I also used the NavTV ZenM module. The last part is where I've run into issues - first day coming home from the audio installer, speakers sounded great, but within 24 hours I started my car and NO audio. When I would turn the volume, no indicator of the volume level would come up on the screen. After turning off my car and letting it go to sleep then turning it back on, it worked. Brought it back into the audio installer and they said they think they needed to upgrade the software on the ZenM, so they did and I went home with speakers working. Soon after, the same thing happened - would turn the car on with no audio (carplay, radio, xm, etc.) and a new thing started happening where the car would start with audio on but then quickly stop working (within a couple minutes of driving). But also would sometimes work completely fine for long drives.

I just got back from dropping my car off at the audio installer. I'm obviously very frustrated in the situation, but they had a NavTV rep come out and they are currently working on my car to try to figure out the issue. They said that other C63s and a few Audi models have been experiencing the same thing recently - they think it has something to do with the voltage dropping for some reason. They're running tests, so hopefully they will have it all figured out today and I can update those who are interested in learning more. Fingers crossed. If this doesn't work, I'm going back to stock and getting a full refund (which still wouldn't fully compensate me for all of this headache).

 

Although I don’t have a great answer on a partial upgrade, in the next few weeks my C63s coupe will undergo a full revamp and I’ll be happy to share the results and any challenges if you like. Although I agree in principle with not adding weight to this (or any) car, this is my daily driver and the only place I can listen to and really enjoy music, so am willing to make the trade off. Every time I’ve tried to do a partial solution I’ve ended up sorry, and the Burmester system is seriously flawed on multiple dimensions.

As far as brands, this is a very personal decision based on what you like, not necessarily "better" in an objective sense. My personal favorite of what I’ve heard are Morels, which tend to the warmer side but still clear and accurate. I have Morel Elate 3-ways in a different car and have been very happy with them for 9+ years. The amp also matters as does the tuning, which can make or break the results. If I can be of more help let me know.

 

Crossed while I was typing! Good luck sorting that issue - I may have the same one as well!

 

The stock burmester sound system does not have enough bass, and is not super clear. It's fair as far as orher non upgrade luxury car sound systems go though.
I could definitely see upgrading the factory speaker locations and maybe adding a small sub. Rattling the license plate is not my thing though lol

 

I just placed an order for the Audison AP8.9 and the parrot harness adapter for the stock amp. I had to order the harness from the UK and won't be here until mid to late May. I also ordered some sound deadening to do in the meantime. I'm going to deaden the rear deck, trunk lid and the bottom of the trunk. Hopefully that helps with the rattling my Sundowns create.
The only thing I'm upgrading now are my a pillar tweeters with some JL Audio tweeters I have laying around from my other builds. If the Audison is as good as promoted I think I won't need any other upgrades. If not then I'll swap out the door midrange speakers. I know there is a lot of write up out there so I'll just snap a few pics and post them up.

 

So I saw a video on YouTube where an audio company based out of Nashville upgraded Bmw i8 speakers to the Eton plug and play speakers.

I ended up calling them and according to these guys, these Eton are on par or better than the Focals. Key is to use DSP and aftermarket amps.

 

The key to any upgrade is aftermarket amps and DSP. They make a world of a difference. The Audison AP8.9 is an amp with integrated dsp which is why I choose it. According to another member I spoke with we don't have those engine noises coming through so no need for the JL Audio Fix 82 to cancel VNC.

 

Ok.. I thought there was just something wrong with the stereo in my car lol. It has pretty minimal base and the sound isn't all that great, just sounds very treble heavy. Nothing I could do in the settings made it sound much better. I had a 2013 acura TL with tech package and that stereo was amazing by comparison.

 

It's subpar tbh, Audi's B&O in comparable RS5 have better punch, and even the M3/4 have better sounding options. It's subjective but It's noticeable to my ear.

 

Is there a premium/basic burmester in the C63, because mine is fine with decent bass. I'm no audiophile, but I like my music, the comments on here lead me to think people are talking about two different systems, maybe even a pre/post facelift variant?