99 CLK 430 audio upgrades
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99 CLK 430 audio upgrades
Greetings to all from WI USA. I have a 99 CLK 430 that I installed an aftermarket Blaupunkt in, previous owner blew out the speakers (scratchy). Curious as to what types of speakers people have used. Not interested in installing more amps or subwoofers or whatever, just want to get the audio system working better. On a side note once in a while when starting out driving I will get no sound out of the radio at all for 10-20 minutes and then when activating turn signal or brakes all of a sudden it will come on. Scratching my head on that one. Amp trigger wire from radio is hooked up to factory wiring. Rear speaker grilles say Bose on them. Thinking possibly an amplifier problem, have any of these ever failed?
Thanks for any and all info.
Thanks for any and all info.
Last edited by Lorne S Ulrich; Mar 27, 2016 at 10:47 PM.
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From: SCV SoCal
2002 CLK430
You'll see this same info in the countless Bose audio threads - Bose manufactures and designs their own speaker driver and amplifiers using their own proprietary specs. If you use 4 ohm speakers with a Bose amp, they won't sound as good as it would with Bose 1 ohm speakers. Also, if the car has Bose speakers, it originally came with a Bose amp.
The input signal for a Bose amp is different than most standard car amps. Bose uses a balanced, differential signal interconnection. Most aftermarket (regular) audio systems use an unbalanced connection. A Bose amp will work with an unbalanced connection, but it won't sound as good. That problem can be overcome with a simple converter box. My PAC box was $14 and out of production. ARTcessories has an inexpensive 12V converter.
The wrong input signal and 4 ohm speaker outputs might damage a Bose amp.
Lastly, if you do replace the amp and go with a non-Bose unit, you may want to replace ALL the Bose speakers. Bose speakers have been known to fry standard amps (and ruin the speakers).
The input signal for a Bose amp is different than most standard car amps. Bose uses a balanced, differential signal interconnection. Most aftermarket (regular) audio systems use an unbalanced connection. A Bose amp will work with an unbalanced connection, but it won't sound as good. That problem can be overcome with a simple converter box. My PAC box was $14 and out of production. ARTcessories has an inexpensive 12V converter.
The wrong input signal and 4 ohm speaker outputs might damage a Bose amp.
Lastly, if you do replace the amp and go with a non-Bose unit, you may want to replace ALL the Bose speakers. Bose speakers have been known to fry standard amps (and ruin the speakers).
