Hello everybody,

i am sorry to post this here again, i know that it has probably been discused here, but i am really confused with every info that i've found so far. I've searched here and over in 203 forums, but i still do not have the right answer.

I am tired of my Comand 2.0 so i am thinking of changing it for something aftermarket or maybe Dynavin. Is it really possible?
I have pre-facelift CLK55 with Comand 2.0 and bose amp in the trunk, that means that i have D2B optics. I understand that when i change the HU i will loose cd changer, tel, but would be possible to use stock speakers with stock amp?
Can i change just the HU?

Any audio guy around here to help? What are my options?

 

if you wanna keep your speakers, you are gonna need a hi/lo converter but i forget if you need a new amp to power it. it would make sense to get a new amp for it tho.

i believe mbworld member marcusF had a good couple comments about keeping old speakers but switching hu.

but just the jist of it, hu and new amps are usually found 4ohm stable. our speakers are 2 ohm stable, which means incompatible without a converter.

aftermarket audio ftw!

 

thanks, but MarcusF has W208, that has slightly different fiber optic system, using fiber only for CDchanger.

Thanks for the info about hi/lo converter.
Can the wiring from the bose amp to the speakers be reused?

Anybody some info about the AMP compatibility with aftermarket?

 

My conclusions while researching audio upgrades for the CLK are pretty simple- either go big or go home.

IE- keep what comes in the vehicle or replace everything.

In my opinion, if you are going to install a new HU, you might as well bypass the Bose amp and install something better. Theoretically, you could keep the speakers (remember they range from .5 ohm to 2ohm), but physically swapping speakers is the easy part, so why not do it right.

 

this is true however i meant that a lot of what he wrote about keeping bose amp and using a new hu is kind of the same where as you would need to use the hi/lo converter and i think you can reuse the speaker wiring.

although, Lex does have a point

completely agree with this statement. there is no point in putting money into an aftermarket hu if your not gonna go with a new amp for the speakers at the very least. but consider at that point, you either go insance and get a nicely installed factory looking subwoofer where is it built in somewhere in the car via fiberglass or where the stock subs are (member v12 has done this...and it was pretty crazy) lol. or you just get a box and put it in your trunk like some of us.

so all in all. go big or stay with stock. i dont think its useful to get an aftermarket hu and no change up everything else.

so if you are considering this, keep in mind that you are gonna end up blowing a good amount of money on a system. so if you are gonna stick with it, at least get the good stuff which is gonna put a hole in your wallet

 

ok Dr. NPZ i ran into the same situation. i wanted to throw some bass in my car so what happened was that i had fiber optics which sucked cause it can get expensive so i installed a double din head unit ALPINE and a 13in jl with a 1000watt ALPINE amp the pro was it sounds sexy i can play cds and my ipod. the down fall is yes i did lose my 6cd changer but you can take it out and sell it, those things are expensive. i also lost the middle speaker by the dash because of all the wiring. and the volume on my steering wheel no biggy because i want an aftermarket one any ways(any one know where i can get one for cheap with a mercedes symbol in the middle). but all in all i love my system.

 

Thanks, and what about wiring? Did you use the old wiring from the bose amp?
The bose is 6channel, right? was the alpine amp 4 channel?

 

+1. I agree with Lex and Brian.

Not sure if the Dr. did it the same as me, but I've done a similar install. Review this thread for more details:
https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...o-install.html

 

+2. Go big or go home. The only reason I haven't done my audio install yet.

 

I love my bose speaker system and would never change it.

I was looking to upgrade the HU and all that a couple of years back. Gave up because it was too much work and recently bought an iPad with all the features in the world plus internet on the go. Cannot get any better than this.

IMO beats anything else out there. For the time being at least, and I don't have to worry about it getting stolen, I just take it out whenever I am not using it in the car.

 

yup the alpine is 4 channel the wiring is the same but i bought new wire to run from my battery to my sub and amp other that that my old bose amp id not on. i wonder where is that thing located huh never really looked for it

 

lol if you look at 2mchar's thread he has a pic of the bose in our cars vs the new speakers he bought. looks like a big difference.

and i'll tell you from my experience, when i swapped mine, the magnet of theback of the bose was tiny compared the magnet on the back of my jl

 

Thanks for your replies guys, i will probably wait and spend the money somewhere else for now on. If my budget will be big enough, then i will be thinking about changing the stereo. However the bose isnt that bad at all.

My buddy, that has an audio shop just told me to wait and try to get some more money for it, since he has some used but still one of the greatest macintosh amps and HU for me That will need some serious loudspeakers

 

i mean honestly, you can only go so far. even if you get top of the line speakers, will you crank it up that much? i thought about it too and ended up with JL speakers that matched up with the power from my amp, even at half way, i think its too loud unless im on the freeway

 

Is there any way to replace only the 2 loudspeakers( Bose ones) keeping all Bose system OEM? I have only one loudspeaker(not sure if this one is working) .Need to decide if I buy one more or if I replace both. Is there any other compatible speaker ( optical fiber wiring) so I just need to replace this loudspeaker pair and keep the OEM Bose system ?

Thanks

 

Some people who are not happy with the stock subwoofer have installed an aftermarket amp with high-level inputs. Just put in between the Bose amp and the speaker. If that doesn't give you good results, replace the speaker with an aftermarket one that fits the housing.

 

The Bose system sounds bad. Bose speakers are also cheaply made. I'm using my 20 year old Soundstream reference amps and it still sounds 10x better. If you go from Bose to clean aftermarket you'll feel like your ears just got unclogged.