jfpearsonjr

I want to replace the radio in my wife's 2003 CLK 500 with a unit that has Sirius satellite radio. Her car does NOT have a navigation unit. Can anyone recommend a radio?

I done a little reading on this forum about issues with certain Bose components, so I plan to have it professionally installed. Any words of wisdom or advice is greatly appreciated.

sweet jones

Look into the Dynavin units. I have thought about purchasing one myself but haven't really looked into it yet.

jfpearsonjr

Thanks, but these units won't fit her car. She doesn't have a nav system.

Rudeney

The only complication with Bose is that there are is no analog audio wiring in the dash - it uses fiber optic to send to the amp in the trunk, then it's analog from there to the speakers. Also, most people are not happy with the sound of the Bose speakers without the special equalization provided by the OEM radio and amp, so they replace them. I put a Pioneer AVIC in the C240 (non-Bose) and it has it all - Bluetooth, iPod, Sirius, NAV, etc. I like it, but it's not as polished as some system. My advice is to really play with them in the display to make sure it works way you want.

sweet jones

I don't have the nav system either. I have heard a lot of good things about the people who have used them in the E46 forums. This thread should give you some more information.

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...tion-w209.html

jfpearsonjr

Thanks guys. I do understand the Bose equalizer issue. I owned a pair of Bose 901's and Bose 6.2's for over 25 years for my home stereo. Great sounding speakers, but because of the equalizer I had to have separate amps driving each pair.

The fiber optic "thing" was news to me, so I went to a professional installation shop for advice. They recommended an Alpine replacement, but to the Bose "issue," this would require new speakers as well. I'm also curious as to how they would connect the Alpine unit to the CD player in the glove box.

I looked into the Dynavin system; it doesn't appear to have Sirius satellite radio, which is the main reason I'm trying to replace her existing radio.

Nero Tenebre

Did you pioneer AVIC have the fiber optic out to the OEM amp or did you replace the amp and speakers too?

Rudeney

You won't be able to use the CD changer with an aftermarket system. Bu then, why would you want it? Use an iPod or thumbdrive to store much more music with faster access with an good aftermarket system.

Rudeney

My C240 doesn't have the Bose option, so there was no issues with the fiber. I used a kit that plugged into the existing speaker wiring and used the built-in amp of the AVIC to drive the factory speakers (but then they rotted and I replaced them with some mid-priced Pioneer speakers). IO did install a subwoofer and amp in the trunk (we went way overboard - a Pioneer 12-inch in an enclosure and a 1200w Pyramid amp). Yes, the kid's car is rockin'.