Stereo Upgrade
05-10-2009, 08:54 AM
#1
Stereo Upgrade
After having found pretty much no information on the net about installs in a CLK i decided to just go ahead and take a load of pictures of mine and how it all went. I just did a rough write up on the UK forum and i thought i'd share it with you guys as well, hopefully it helps some one out there!!
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/elect...o-upgrade.html
Happy reading, feedback/comments/suggestions welcome!
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/elect...o-upgrade.html
Happy reading, feedback/comments/suggestions welcome!
The following 2 users liked this post by v12:
Ken Hanson (09-13-2022),
supamoto (11-08-2017)
05-10-2009, 04:26 PM
#3
Have been promising a few members pictures and updates of what i'm actually up to with my CLK at the moment.
Started with the intention of doing a rough "How-to" for installing a stereo in an MB, but kept forgetting to take vital pictures!
All the basic rules apply to any MB.
My goals are simple :
-Must look stock or as close as possible in the interior, and as far as possible in the boot.
-Can't be overly complicated with multiple amplifiers etc - (this can easily destroy good sound by over doing things)
-Reversible if the need ever arises.
-All work done by myself to keep the costs right down.
I am very busy at work at the moment, so have been spending an hour or two after work, 3 days a week for the last 2 doing this.
This has all been done on a tight budget using second hand equipment, but any car stereo enthusiast will know, the final sound is 80% down to the quality of installation and 20% the equipment.
Here's the equipment that is going in :
Pioneer F900 BT as the source unit, this features sat nav, bluetooth, dvd etc. RRP £1500, got it second hand for £500, admittedly here i could have gone for something a lot chaper and got just as good sound quality.
Hifonics Olympus Amplifier driving all speakers RRP £800, bought for £120
For thos of you that want the specs, this will be feeding 2 x 125w RMS @ 4 Ohm to the front speakers and 500w RMS to the subs @ 2 ohm bridged.
A/D/S 364 / 641 component speakers - RRP £800ish, oldest component in the system, absolutely love these speakers (especially the silky tweeter), and picked a set up for £80 from E Bay!!
Sub Woofers - 2 x Elemental Designs EHQS 12", These subs are designed for running infinite baffle, which basically means running free air, sealed to the rear shelf and using the boot as the box. This provides arguably the best sound quality of any sub enclosure, but is damn difficult to get right! Important point is to simply the seal the boot from the cabin completely.
We'll see how this goes. Although these subs will only be receiving a maximum of 500 watts between the two of them, that will be far beyond my needs and i doubt i will ever use 200watts between the two of them.
Ok, let's start with some pictures!
First 2 show that you need to really strip back the interior to get some good space to work with and to get to all the original wiring channels and ducting.
Last pics shows where to run the power cable through. Everyone told me the cable had to run across the engine bay and through the fusebox and over the pedals, but after lifting the battery out you can clearly see the ducting that allows the cable to go through.
My big 0awg power cable wouldn't fit through, so i ran 3 x 4awg runs through the rubber block and conected them through a fused block to the 0awg cable to run the length of the car.
So we have the power cable running down the passenger side and the signal RCA cables running down the right hand side to prevent any interference.
Once all the cable has been run it was time to fit the speakers.
I had the intention of just making some MDF baffles but once i took the door panels off and saw the original pods i decided to reuse these and just cut the old speakers out of the plastic surround. They were quite weak and flexible after removing the speakers so i reinforced them on the inside with Body filler, which stiffened them up perfectly.
A neat rubber gasket and 8 screws holding every speaker into these pods competed that.
You can see how good the fitment is of standard 6.5inch speakers.
All fitted back on the doors, luckily the tweeters were almost a direct swap, just a little dremeling and they popped in.
The front mids are playing everything from 80hz upwards, the rear mid-basses are just reinforcing the difficult frequencies between 80hz-200hz
Next was to mount the amplifier.
I originally planned on sitting it on top of the space save spare wheel on a board with some cooling fans but decided against this once i realised i could just about squeeze even this big amp down into the left recess in the boot, it was a little bit like getting a square through a circular hole, but i got it in eventually and bracketed it with a couple of brackets to orginal bolt points. It is now sat solidly and everything wired up! Another advantage of it sitting here is that all the cable can now easily be concealed behind original trim.
Chucked my brothers spare sub in the boot to give it a quick test run and initial listening showed that it is a massive improvement over the original system or any bose or harman kardon upgrades althought the mid-bass is still lacking a little focus in the vocal ranges which is a little annoying, but most likely due to my extra mid-basses that need some tweaking.
A friend watched me put the passenger door panel back on and thought it was so unbelievably quick he timed me taking the drives panel off. 1min 50secs...not bad, not bad...
More pics to come of the infinite baffle set-up and the final trim up as and when i get that sorted.
Was asked about the exact advantages of running infinite baffle and the kind of sound it produces.
Here's a graph to demonstrate the general frequency response of most IB subs.
We're only really interested in the frequencies under 100hz, the front speakers cover the rest easily.
You can see that the Infinite baffle and sealed enclosures are much smoother and less peaky than the ported and that the IB has much better low-end extension than either. This will generally mean lower, smother, cleaner sound which most people prefer.
Some hip-hop junkies do like the peaks of a ported box and these go loud without a lot of power.
Sealed boxes are the hardest to get wrong, but also require by far the most amount of power to get as loud as the others.
Started with the intention of doing a rough "How-to" for installing a stereo in an MB, but kept forgetting to take vital pictures!
All the basic rules apply to any MB.
My goals are simple :
-Must look stock or as close as possible in the interior, and as far as possible in the boot.
-Can't be overly complicated with multiple amplifiers etc - (this can easily destroy good sound by over doing things)
-Reversible if the need ever arises.
-All work done by myself to keep the costs right down.
I am very busy at work at the moment, so have been spending an hour or two after work, 3 days a week for the last 2 doing this.
This has all been done on a tight budget using second hand equipment, but any car stereo enthusiast will know, the final sound is 80% down to the quality of installation and 20% the equipment.
Here's the equipment that is going in :
Pioneer F900 BT as the source unit, this features sat nav, bluetooth, dvd etc. RRP £1500, got it second hand for £500, admittedly here i could have gone for something a lot chaper and got just as good sound quality.
Hifonics Olympus Amplifier driving all speakers RRP £800, bought for £120
For thos of you that want the specs, this will be feeding 2 x 125w RMS @ 4 Ohm to the front speakers and 500w RMS to the subs @ 2 ohm bridged.
A/D/S 364 / 641 component speakers - RRP £800ish, oldest component in the system, absolutely love these speakers (especially the silky tweeter), and picked a set up for £80 from E Bay!!
Sub Woofers - 2 x Elemental Designs EHQS 12", These subs are designed for running infinite baffle, which basically means running free air, sealed to the rear shelf and using the boot as the box. This provides arguably the best sound quality of any sub enclosure, but is damn difficult to get right! Important point is to simply the seal the boot from the cabin completely.
We'll see how this goes. Although these subs will only be receiving a maximum of 500 watts between the two of them, that will be far beyond my needs and i doubt i will ever use 200watts between the two of them.
Ok, let's start with some pictures!
First 2 show that you need to really strip back the interior to get some good space to work with and to get to all the original wiring channels and ducting.
Last pics shows where to run the power cable through. Everyone told me the cable had to run across the engine bay and through the fusebox and over the pedals, but after lifting the battery out you can clearly see the ducting that allows the cable to go through.
My big 0awg power cable wouldn't fit through, so i ran 3 x 4awg runs through the rubber block and conected them through a fused block to the 0awg cable to run the length of the car.
So we have the power cable running down the passenger side and the signal RCA cables running down the right hand side to prevent any interference.
Once all the cable has been run it was time to fit the speakers.
I had the intention of just making some MDF baffles but once i took the door panels off and saw the original pods i decided to reuse these and just cut the old speakers out of the plastic surround. They were quite weak and flexible after removing the speakers so i reinforced them on the inside with Body filler, which stiffened them up perfectly.
A neat rubber gasket and 8 screws holding every speaker into these pods competed that.
You can see how good the fitment is of standard 6.5inch speakers.
All fitted back on the doors, luckily the tweeters were almost a direct swap, just a little dremeling and they popped in.
The front mids are playing everything from 80hz upwards, the rear mid-basses are just reinforcing the difficult frequencies between 80hz-200hz
Next was to mount the amplifier.
I originally planned on sitting it on top of the space save spare wheel on a board with some cooling fans but decided against this once i realised i could just about squeeze even this big amp down into the left recess in the boot, it was a little bit like getting a square through a circular hole, but i got it in eventually and bracketed it with a couple of brackets to orginal bolt points. It is now sat solidly and everything wired up! Another advantage of it sitting here is that all the cable can now easily be concealed behind original trim.
Chucked my brothers spare sub in the boot to give it a quick test run and initial listening showed that it is a massive improvement over the original system or any bose or harman kardon upgrades althought the mid-bass is still lacking a little focus in the vocal ranges which is a little annoying, but most likely due to my extra mid-basses that need some tweaking.
A friend watched me put the passenger door panel back on and thought it was so unbelievably quick he timed me taking the drives panel off. 1min 50secs...not bad, not bad...
More pics to come of the infinite baffle set-up and the final trim up as and when i get that sorted.
Was asked about the exact advantages of running infinite baffle and the kind of sound it produces.
Here's a graph to demonstrate the general frequency response of most IB subs.
We're only really interested in the frequencies under 100hz, the front speakers cover the rest easily.
You can see that the Infinite baffle and sealed enclosures are much smoother and less peaky than the ported and that the IB has much better low-end extension than either. This will generally mean lower, smother, cleaner sound which most people prefer.
Some hip-hop junkies do like the peaks of a ported box and these go loud without a lot of power.
Sealed boxes are the hardest to get wrong, but also require by far the most amount of power to get as loud as the others.
05-10-2009, 04:27 PM
#4
I went a bit crazy and decided to overdo it and have it right first time than try and fix a bad first attempt.
Name that part of metal!!
After my little re-lapse to my mental self i decided to get on with the baffle board and cut that (easiest job of the whole install)
Fitted the subs in, dropped it in the hole and luckily it went first time with my measurements.
You can see from the pics how unobtrusive the magnets are in the boot, making it almost as useable as any other, even with some serious sound equipment in there.
That was just a test fit, i had to cut loads of little spacer blocks to get the parcel shelf level enough to fit the baffle board.
I gripfilled and screwed all of the spacers so that they were solid, including 2 long ones that run from left to right to make the whole thing even more rigid, than it was from the factory...(wonder if this helps my handling )
Then i used two whole tubes of gripfiull before sitting the board down and about 40 screws from underneath to make sure it is 100% airtight all around.
Sorry i didn't get a picture of it actually fitted, it's dark outside!!
Just need to trim it up, tidy up the boot and install the headunit (currently running off a test unit)
Name that part of metal!!
After my little re-lapse to my mental self i decided to get on with the baffle board and cut that (easiest job of the whole install)
Fitted the subs in, dropped it in the hole and luckily it went first time with my measurements.
You can see from the pics how unobtrusive the magnets are in the boot, making it almost as useable as any other, even with some serious sound equipment in there.
That was just a test fit, i had to cut loads of little spacer blocks to get the parcel shelf level enough to fit the baffle board.
I gripfilled and screwed all of the spacers so that they were solid, including 2 long ones that run from left to right to make the whole thing even more rigid, than it was from the factory...(wonder if this helps my handling )
Then i used two whole tubes of gripfiull before sitting the board down and about 40 screws from underneath to make sure it is 100% airtight all around.
Sorry i didn't get a picture of it actually fitted, it's dark outside!!
Just need to trim it up, tidy up the boot and install the headunit (currently running off a test unit)
05-10-2009, 06:24 PM
#6
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Join Date: Nov 2007
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I drive the racism out of BadDebt. ;)
wow, thats quite the install...i would never have the ***** to chop the rear tray...but i did cut larger holes so some 6x9s with baskets could be dropped in...
im waiting for your final pics...
im waiting for your final pics...
05-11-2009, 10:02 AM
#7
Just about there now...
Managed to cut/tear the original foam padding for the rear shelf to fit around the new baffle board and got it all snug fitting.
Squashed it in as much as i could, just to keep everything nice and tight fitting.
Original parcel shelf back on
I wish...:wallbash:
Couldn't get it to sit down properly and ended up having to make a couple of cuts...
Will get the rear shelf retrimmed in acoustic cloth to let the sound through the rear slot.
Have wired it up now and it sounds...absolutely amazing :bannana: The bass doesn't give you a headache as it isn't boomy or delayed, it's really tight and deep and perfectly compliments the front speakers, had a quick blast on some bass heavy music and it can REALLY shake the mirrors if needs be, but on normal listening it sounds very well balanced.
Going to take the front speakers back out tonight or tomorrow and strengthen the outside of the pod as well as the inside and see if that helps the clarity and focus of the mids, if not i'll just make some plates out of MDF...
At some points when you drive a car around with nothing other than the drivers seat you wonder whether it's worth all the hassle...i just found out that it is
Managed to cut/tear the original foam padding for the rear shelf to fit around the new baffle board and got it all snug fitting.
Squashed it in as much as i could, just to keep everything nice and tight fitting.
Original parcel shelf back on
I wish...:wallbash:
Couldn't get it to sit down properly and ended up having to make a couple of cuts...
Will get the rear shelf retrimmed in acoustic cloth to let the sound through the rear slot.
Have wired it up now and it sounds...absolutely amazing :bannana: The bass doesn't give you a headache as it isn't boomy or delayed, it's really tight and deep and perfectly compliments the front speakers, had a quick blast on some bass heavy music and it can REALLY shake the mirrors if needs be, but on normal listening it sounds very well balanced.
Going to take the front speakers back out tonight or tomorrow and strengthen the outside of the pod as well as the inside and see if that helps the clarity and focus of the mids, if not i'll just make some plates out of MDF...
At some points when you drive a car around with nothing other than the drivers seat you wonder whether it's worth all the hassle...i just found out that it is
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05-12-2009, 02:21 PM
#8
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w209
great install could you post a pic of the head unit installed as i was thinking of getting that unit myself. pioneer are also selling an adaptor which allows you to use your steering wheel controls aswell did you buy that also
05-13-2009, 11:03 AM
#11
http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/2...131/index.html
This type of adapter works on any early cars (pre-facelift)
This type of adapter works on any early cars (pre-facelift)
05-13-2009, 12:28 PM
#12
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w209
this is the link for 03-04 controls
http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/2...N11/specs.html
the others are htere too just search
http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/2...N11/specs.html
the others are htere too just search
05-13-2009, 02:53 PM
#13
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Join Date: Nov 2007
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I drive the racism out of BadDebt. ;)
thanks guys!
just a quick question, would this work with any HU?....i currently have a alpine 7897 HU temporary in place...i want to be able to know if i can use this unit with the new alpine 505?
thanks again.
just a quick question, would this work with any HU?....i currently have a alpine 7897 HU temporary in place...i want to be able to know if i can use this unit with the new alpine 505?
thanks again.
Last edited by Supafly; 05-13-2009 at 02:58 PM.
05-16-2009, 07:15 AM
#15
Here's pics of the headunit in and ready to go!
and here's a pic of the trip to pick it up, after 115 miles, it was still showing 815 miles range, total range of 930 miles on one tank!?!?!
and here's a pic of the trip to pick it up, after 115 miles, it was still showing 815 miles range, total range of 930 miles on one tank!?!?!
05-21-2009, 02:37 PM
#16
I've been slacking and haven't done much over the last week.
Still need to finish the trim to cover the amp, re-strengthen the front speaker pods, re-trim the rear parcel shelf and just found out that the rear shelf needs a little more bracing than previously anticipated.
05-21-2009, 03:11 PM
#17
MBWorld Fanatic!
Mad props to you...anyone who has the skill to DIY gets my 
!
One question...Did you have any rattling coming from the rear deck?
! One question...Did you have any rattling coming from the rear deck?
05-21-2009, 04:45 PM
#18
Did i have rattling before i started or do i now?
No to either question...there is foam padding stuffed everywhere to stop anything moving or vibrating from the bass.
No to either question...there is foam padding stuffed everywhere to stop anything moving or vibrating from the bass.
06-27-2009, 07:05 PM
#19
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2003 CLK55 AMG
The install looks great!!!
Ok... It looks like I might have found the person that can answer my question.
I am thinking about updating only the HU in my 2003 CLK55 AMG and am getting lots of mixed messages regarding the presence of fibre optics in the car. Since you just upgraded all of your system, can you tell me what fiber does or does not exist?
I currently do not have NAV and just have the stereo with changer.
Thanks in advance.
Ok... It looks like I might have found the person that can answer my question.
I am thinking about updating only the HU in my 2003 CLK55 AMG and am getting lots of mixed messages regarding the presence of fibre optics in the car. Since you just upgraded all of your system, can you tell me what fiber does or does not exist?
I currently do not have NAV and just have the stereo with changer.
Thanks in advance.
01-12-2010, 07:02 PM
#21
Have had numerous PM's about whether i actually got the steering wheels controls to work.
Answer is yes, using the above adapter which i got for less than half RRP from e-bay.
That's how it displays in my car. All buttons function perfectly and it was dirt cheap compared to the other options out there.
Answer is yes, using the above adapter which i got for less than half RRP from e-bay.
That's how it displays in my car. All buttons function perfectly and it was dirt cheap compared to the other options out there.
04-02-2010, 09:55 AM
#22
Have been struggling with the mid bass ever since i did the original install.
Finally got round to doing something about it.
Disconnected the second pair of mids ages ago to get some focus on the front end.
Ditched the fibreglass / body filler reinforced pods i originally made and threw some mdf one together for a comparison. Massive difference! I also did an extra layer of sound deadening under the original Mercedes layer and another layer onto the inside of the outer skin.
As you can see from the pics i also completely removed the second pair of mid basses and sealed the hole to really tighten the sound up.
Highly recommend this to any people considering an upgrade. The rear mids are a bit useless as they point straight into my seat anyway.
P.S. I found out my sander was dead and so they look pretty rough from a raw free hand jigsaw cut...but they do the job well and are hidden anyway!
Finally got round to doing something about it.
Disconnected the second pair of mids ages ago to get some focus on the front end.
Ditched the fibreglass / body filler reinforced pods i originally made and threw some mdf one together for a comparison. Massive difference! I also did an extra layer of sound deadening under the original Mercedes layer and another layer onto the inside of the outer skin.
As you can see from the pics i also completely removed the second pair of mid basses and sealed the hole to really tighten the sound up.
Highly recommend this to any people considering an upgrade. The rear mids are a bit useless as they point straight into my seat anyway.
P.S. I found out my sander was dead and so they look pretty rough from a raw free hand jigsaw cut...but they do the job well and are hidden anyway!
04-02-2010, 02:28 PM
#24
MBWorld Fanatic!
lol i used MDF for my rear mids. haha didnt do it for the front BUT what i did was dynamat on the doors. and it has mad a big difference between in sound haha at least i feel like it is.
good job and good right up!
good job and good right up!
04-02-2010, 03:33 PM
#25
Very true, i did originally sound deaden the doors all over, but only with 1 layer. (although i didn't use dynamat as it was so expensive compared to the stuff at my local bodyshop warehouse that feels the same)
The second layer has made a nice difference!
Some people on the audio forum were saying that 4 layers is best with the amount of power i've got running into these front speakers, but i don't think i need more than 2 layers, unless i have a ford!
The second layer has made a nice difference!
Some people on the audio forum were saying that 4 layers is best with the amount of power i've got running into these front speakers, but i don't think i need more than 2 layers, unless i have a ford!
