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I have a question about the audio systems in w209

Old Jun 11, 2016 | 03:57 AM
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I have a question about the audio systems in w209

Do all w209 come with BOSE audio?
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Old Jun 11, 2016 | 05:42 AM
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US imports do, other countries its an option. 2005+ cars are Harmon Kardon
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Old Jun 11, 2016 | 07:35 PM
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2005 CLK500
My 2005 CLK500 has Harmon Kardon.
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Old Jun 11, 2016 | 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by JimVonBaden
My 2005 CLK500 has Harmon Kardon.
Is Harmon Kardon like a Mercedes audio brand?
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Old Jun 11, 2016 | 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by BenzAMG99
Is Harmon Kardon like a Mercedes audio brand?
Lol no bro. Harmon is a pretty big audio company that does all sorts of audio equipment such as home pro and auto audio. Benz is just 1 company they do work for.

Harmon owns JBL, Infinity and another audio company that I can't think of..
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Old Jun 11, 2016 | 09:28 PM
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Originally Posted by omega48er
Lol no bro. Harmon is a pretty big audio company that does all sorts of audio equipment such as home pro and auto audio. Benz is just 1 company they do work for.

Harmon owns JBL, Infinity and another audio company that I can't think of..
Oh... Lol. Thanks for the info
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Old Jun 11, 2016 | 09:53 PM
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Harman International makes the following brands: AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®and Revel®.
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Old Jun 11, 2016 | 10:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Rudeney
Harman International makes the following brands: AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®and Revel®.
Okay... But wouldn't all of them have the same audio quality? I'm not a audio type of person, sadly. 😬
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Old Jun 12, 2016 | 10:14 AM
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I'm no audiophile, either. I have a friend who is, and what I think sounds good, he tells me is crap. Of course what he says sounds good does sound good to me, too, but I just can't tell enough difference to want to go spend big money on his stuff.

As for these various Harmon brands, I suspect that they have "quality" differences just like different MBZ models do. For example, put a CLA up against an E-Class and see how they compare. Making a good car audio system is a challenge. It's a tough environment, with temperature, moisture, vibrations, odd surfaces, unusual speaker positions relative to the audience, and then having to play well with the car's electronics.

I've had Bose, HK and standard MBZ (Becker) audio systems. All have sounded fine to me, though I think the best was the Bose system in my ML320. I like the HK in my CLK, but there are times when it seems to lack some "fullness" to its sounds. But then again, I usually listen to Sirius radio, which is not the best source, and then I drive with the top down, which is going to be a huge challenge for any audio system.
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Old Jun 12, 2016 | 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Rudeney
I'm no audiophile, either. I have a friend who is, and what I think sounds good, he tells me is crap. Of course what he says sounds good does sound good to me, too, but I just can't tell enough difference to want to go spend big money on his stuff.

As for these various Harmon brands, I suspect that they have "quality" differences just like different MBZ models do. For example, put a CLA up against an E-Class and see how they compare. Making a good car audio system is a challenge. It's a tough environment, with temperature, moisture, vibrations, odd surfaces, unusual speaker positions relative to the audience, and then having to play well with the car's electronics.

I've had Bose, HK and standard MBZ (Becker) audio systems. All have sounded fine to me, though I think the best was the Bose system in my ML320. I like the HK in my CLK, but there are times when it seems to lack some "fullness" to its sounds. But then again, I usually listen to Sirius radio, which is not the best source, and then I drive with the top down, which is going to be a huge challenge for any audio system.
Yea, totally agree. The best time I've ever had a good sound experience when I heard a BOSE system in a 1997 sl500. O...M....G. It sounded amazing. I just couldn't get enough of it. But yea, some audio systems just don't fit in all types of Mercedes.
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Old Jun 13, 2016 | 04:04 AM
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Mine is standard, non-bose, non-HK. It does have the sub in the rear tray but it runs from the head unit. It sounds pretty good compared to all other cars I have owned.

I am an amateur noob audiophile. I have some nice floorstanders at home with a nice amp and a DAC with stereo headphones for the computer, all good quality, good brands and good reviews but near the lower end of the market. As Rodney pointed out, a car is the worst environment for accurate sound production. Anything in a recent benz is probably going to be reasonable quality but they still have to keep the costs in check and most people (myself included) aren't going to notice much of a difference going from decent "stuff" to absolute premium audio in a car with road noise, engine noise etc.
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Old Aug 29, 2016 | 02:52 PM
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So my 2004 CLK 320 comes with Bose?
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Old Aug 29, 2016 | 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by cdnclk3202004
So my 2004 CLK 320 comes with Bose?
I'm from the USA and my 2004 clk320 has BOSE audio. If you look on the left side of the rear subs you can probably see it says Bose
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Old Aug 29, 2016 | 05:08 PM
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Well I purchased mine in the USA.

I don't have woofers in my car, I assume you can see them from the trunk?

My stereo still sounds nice. ....
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Old Aug 30, 2016 | 03:40 PM
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Woofers would be in the parcel shelf behind the back seats in a coupe. Turn the system on and have a feel on the covers, if there's one you'll feel it. Or look in the boot, there are two plastic caps which should allow you access to what would be the underneath of the sub if it is present.
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