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How good is Harman/Kardon and how to recognize if the car has it w/o hearing?
Greetings!
I've posted quite a long thread asking for buying advice and opinions though noone has replied so I'll just split that thread into smaller threads. I'm curious to know how good is the H/K sound system in a CLK? Does anyone have H/K and could compare it to one in the W212 E-Class (that's the only model I heared in real life and could compare sound quality to)?
How does one tell from advertisment pictures if the car has H/K or not (EU spec) besides the rear speaker grill? Am I wrong to assume that if the Command APS unit has the "Sound" option then it has H/K system? H/K Option?
I have the HK system in my 09 CLK cab. To my ears I like the HK, better than a bose. My brother has the Bose in his C250 coupe and I can tell a difference.
But it could be his settings..Im not sure, but most of the 08, 09, cabriolets came with HK system. Sirius sounds pretty good, but the ipod interface looses some of its punch.
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I have the HK system in my 09 CLK cab. To my ears I like the HK, better than a bose. My brother has the Bose in his C250 coupe and I can tell a difference.
But it could be his settings..Im not sure, but most of the 08, 09, cabriolets came with HK system. Sirius sounds pretty good, but the ipod interface looses some of its punch.
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Thank you for the reply! I've heared that most US CLKs came with premium sound system, however I'm in Europe so it's quite rare to see a CLK with H/K option especially in coupes. Though I did find one recently and I'm in a dilema if it's worth sacrificing other options like the sport appearance package and memory seats over that one regular CLK with H/K sound system.
Thank you for the reply! I've heard that most US CLKs came with premium sound system, however I'm in Europe so it's quite rare to see a CLK with H/K option especially in coupes. Though I did find one recently and I'm in a dilema if it's worth sacrificing other options like the sport appearance package and memory seats over that one regular CLK with H/K sound system.
I have been test driving CLK cabriolets. the Harmon system is nice but not that nice. I thought the bass was very boomy and hard sounding. Small speakers can only do so much. It's been a while since I had a Bose system and that did not wow me either. I have a friend with the new Bang and Olufsen in his new A4 and he is downright disappointed, however he said the Audi stock system is absolutely horrible. My point is these sound system upgrades, for me, are underwhelming and you might be better off with aftermarket. That said I am an audiophile so my expectations are probably too high.
I did not critically listen to the Mercedes stock system, which was only in one car that I drove.
I have been test driving CLK cabriolets. the Harmon system is nice but not that nice. I thought the bass was very boomy and hard sounding. Small speakers can only do so much. It's been a while since I had a Bose system and that did not wow me either. I have a friend with the new Bang and Olufsen in his new A4 and he is downright disappointed, however he said the Audi stock system is absolutely horrible. My point is these sound system upgrades, for me, are underwhelming and you might be better off with aftermarket. That said I am an audiophile so my expectations are probably too high.
I did not critically listen to the Mercedes stock system, which was only in one car that I drove.
I've heared Bang and Olufsen in a C-Class coupe. To me it was quite good, to the owner it was really amazing. Though, neither me or him are big audiophiles. I just like crisp and quality sound. After hearing the Logic7 surround sound in the W212 I really did like it so I'm debating if the CLKs with H/K has a similar sounding surround sound. I could go aftermarket, though I'm sure that to get Logic7 like surround sound might be quite a hassle that's why I'd prefer a factory audio system. I'd like to go and check a CLK with H/K system in person, though I can't really tell which ones have them and which ones doesn't besides guessing about that "Sound" option in the headunit.
I have the HK in my 2009 CLK. My 2004 and 2005 CLK’s have Bose. My HK I feel is better.
I must say and this may sound nuts but the only MB’s that had a out of this world sound system I feel was the W140 and W202 Bose. Of course the S Class W222 as well.
My clk500 cab has the HK and it’s pretty nice, nothing too special though. You can tell cause the badge in between the back seats on the bottom
I see. Starting to think it's not worth the hassle of finding one with it at this point.
That badge between the back seat is only on the cabs as far as I'm aware of. However, I'm looking into coupes and the only distinguishable thing that I can see between H/K and regular systems is the sound option in the headunit and the badge on the drivers grill.
Originally Posted by C280 Sport
I have the HK in my 2009 CLK. My 2004 and 2005 CLK’s have Bose. My HK I feel is better.
I must say and this may sound nuts but the only MB’s that had a out of this world sound system I feel was the W140 and W202 Bose. Of course the S Class W222 as well.
I don't think we even had the Bose option in Europe to be honest :/
Oh really? Didn't expect that!
With this HK system, I do not understand why it takes upwards of 7-10 seconds to hear the sound after you turn it on. Are we going backwards with technology, back to the days of vacuum tubes? (YES, I'm impatient)
Really the stock system in Toyota is much better than H/K? Woah this is really unexpected for me. I guess the H/K option won't be the deciding factor after all haha.
I am not kidding. In fact, the sound system in my Lexus SC430 (Mark Levinson) was also inferior to what I had in my Toyota Solara. It just doesn't sound 'crystal clear'. It sounds kinda 'dead'. What can I say, maybe I'm too picky.
I would suggest you don't take anyone's word for it. Why not find some local dealers who are selling the model/year and sound systems you are interested in, and go hear them for yourself!
I am not kidding. In fact, the sound system in my Lexus SC430 (Mark Levinson) was also inferior to what I had in my Toyota Solara. It just doesn't sound 'crystal clear'. It sounds kinda 'dead'. What can I say, maybe I'm too picky.
I would suggest you don't take anyone's word for it. Why not find some local dealers who are selling the model/year and sound systems you are interested in, and go hear them for yourself!
Hehe that's the hard part. In here there is almost no variety of CLKs. At dealers especially. Most of the CLKs are sold by individuals and that H/K option is extremely rare. There is like 15 CLK coupe listings in my country. That's why I'm not sure how to recognize it from pictures. The closest CLK with listed H/K is about 2-3 hour drive from me and at this pandemic situation I'm holding of going to check them out all around so I'm only following advertisments.
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How good is Harman/Kardon and how to recognize if the car has it w/o hearing?
