gamjccdad

Did not replace it, just adjusted tone settings and it seems to provide adequate sound for now. Question though, I chased down that web site and the Rainbow "drop-ins" only seem to be for a sedan? They had nothing for the front or rear door speakers we have in the Wagon. Also how are the speakers "divided" in the front of the wagon? Are the door speakers woofers and the dash mid-tweeters?

Chappy

I'm learning it's more complicated (as usual) - my 300CE ended up costing me a grand to get completely re-wired...evidently, on our wagons the front speaker and front door subs are in parallel and use 2ohms each...most every speaker I've seen is 4ohms. So, how would that affect the sound if it didn't have enough "juice" to power the replacement speakers (kwontumspeed gave me the heads up about this).

Honestly - I don't want to deal with ordering the wrong speakers and having the hassle of installing them, find they don't work properly, then removing them and begging for a refund.

I have W124 factory electrical wiring and repair diagrams for all W124 cars, but only up through 1992, so I don't have any data for my '95 kombi. PLUS, there were different radios offered in the wagon for '95/'95....one was the "Premium" sound and the other apparently did not come with the front door subs, so the 2ohm issue wasn't a factor on those systems.

I'm not ready to drop coin on a whole new stereo just yet. So, I'm still in the same boat you are.

gamjccdad

I was afraid of that, I had heard that replacing factory speakers was not easy, that is why I was excited about the direct replacements, but ohm matching is a serious issue. 2 Ohms is usually for Subs, are you sure all 4 in the front are running 2? If that is the case, you would probably have to replace the entire system, head unit, amp, etc.

I think what I have now may be good enough for a while

Chappy

I'm still learning....

gamjccdad

follow this link: http://www.whatpa.co.uk/MatchingOhms.asp

According to this we could put in 4 ohm speakers but it we would lose 30% of the power of the amp. Which they say will reduced "perceived" loudness by 15%.

However if you go the other way higher ohm amp in to lower ohm rated speakers, you will damage the speakers.

I wonder if anyone has done this?

Chappy

I just talked with a former Rainbow dealer in Massachusetts (they're still listed on distinctusa.com website).

The guy basically said there should be no problem with running 4ohm speakers up front.

Still not sure where to turn - I called the MB electonics guru that all the dealerships use....he does great custom work too. He did suggested upgrading the head unit and Blaupunkt apparently offers several plug and play units for our cars. The upside to that is the newer units have things like MP3 plug-ins and bluetooth capability (which I have no need for). I don't even own an i-Pod, but might get interested in one if I could play it in the car.

Decisions, decisions....

danholm

Chappy,

Have you checked with SW Stereo? He advertises in The Star. I got some MB Quarts for the front dash in my 91' Kombi. They sound great. Minimal tin snip action on the opening. I didn't pay attention to the ohms, and havent had a problem.

danholm

fyi

http://swstereo.com/

danholm

Put this in my 95' Kombi. Fits like stock and looks nice in the 124's. Sounds a lot better than original, and has a aux input for Ipod or sat reciever. Being able to play mp3 cd's is a bonus.

http://www.swstereo.com/stdetail.php?prodID=12

myfirstbenz

I have seen beckers like this before and always wondered what makes them so much better than a good Alpine unit? That is an awfully expensive head unit.

Chappy

Dan,

Thanks for the links! Did you replace the speakers in the rear door armrests? What did you use?

Chappy

Got the Toyo T1Rs installed at Butler this morning....hi-speed on the car balancing and alignment too. Ready for action!

My errand after the tires was to load up the trunk with some firewood and a box of duraflame....the versatility of this kombi continues to amaze me.

myfirstbenz

Kombi's keepin it real...... practical.

Chappy

danholm

What makes it better for me was the no brainer install, and it looks original compared to the Alpine's I saw. It improved the sound. I thought my subs were shot until this radio. It had a thud rather than a boom. I didn't go crazy, just wanted a better unit, and I like it.

danholm

I didn't replace anything other than the head unit in my 95'. The 91' got the new fronts. I'll be doing that to the 95', and check out rear door speakers. Last I remember I could'nt find anything without major surgery. No complaints on the sound however.

I checked with SW and they have an aux adapter for the Becker Monza in my 95'. It's $20. The Becker has an aux setting so will be simple to switch to sat tuner or Ipod. Won't power the ipod of course, and sat can be powered through 12v cig lighter.

Chappy

"Honestly - I don't want to deal with ordering the wrong speakers and having the hassle of installing them, find they don't work properly, then removing them and begging for a refund."

Decided not to take my own advice....lol.

I'm gambling that the rainbows will fit and ordered a pair of SL120s for the fronts and SL100s for the rear doors. Should have them this weekend.

danholm

I talked to Stafan at SW Stereo. I guess the MB Quarts for the front dash have gone up in price, so I'm going to swap the units from my 91 into my 95, as I'm giving the 91 to my father and he won't notice the difference. I'm having SW check on rear door speakers. Chappy, let me know how the Rainbow's work out. Have you ever done dash speakers in a 124? Do you know the trick to getting the grill off?

Chappy

I have MB Quarts in the front and rear speakers on my 300CE - but had them professionally installed.

There is a tutorial on m e r c e d e s s h o p dot com on how to replace the W124 speakers. Also, 2phast has some great info in his website.

I just hope these suckers fit....crossing fingers.

gamjccdad

Awaiting your results

$569 for a head unit is a little aggressive in my opinion, and I am very partial to keeping the stock head unit look. Why is eveything always a compromise?

Chappy

This was posted by "Bob" from Omaha on another forum regarding the Rainbow speakers:

"Here is the answer I have been looking for. I had been trying to find the Rainbow IQ 120 CX for the front speaker replacement on my 1995 E420 with little luck. Thanks to anthonyb I searched for the SL 120 speaker instead and found them at a few places, but noticed that the part numbers were slightly different. The following email was sent to Rainbow support in Germany:

Your IQ 120 CX is shown as a replacement for the original front speakers. This is part number 231182. This Rainbow speaker is hard to find in the USA but I have been told by another Mercedes owner that the SL 120, part number 231142 from your Sound Line (coax) is the same speaker. Are they the same or if not, will the SL 120 work in my 1995 E420?

The answer:

It is right that #231182 and #231142 are the same speakers but the IQ 120 CX Front set (#231182) includes cables adapters to connect the rainbow speakers directly to your Mercedes cable harness. If you are fine with cutting the original cables then you can also buy #231142.

If you are interested in rear speakers as well then you need to order #231193 as this set includes also the mechanical adapters to install the speakers in the rear of your W124.

For dealer information or ordering the speakers directly by mail-order please contact our USA distributor Distinct USA in Chino, CA. Their website is www.distinctusa.com and e-Mail is info@distinctusa.com"

Looks like I ordered the correct size. I'll follow up when the speakers come in.

Chappy

....on a side note, I was playing around with installing my V1 in the kombi using the cig lighter and just hiding all the cords....

I must have done something....all my dash lights are out now.

Chappy

Fuses were fine....I just ended up jiggling the odometer/reset/dimmer knob and the lights flickered back on. Looks like I'll need a new rheostat at some point down the road.

danholm

Yes it is on the high side compared to Sony's and the like. I actually paid $490. Still high. At the time (about three years ago) the only other options were units with flashing displays and all that. I too am partial to the stock look. This Becker looks original in the car. The finish and buttons match quite well with the other dash controls. Besides, in Europe these are very common in older MB's. The radios we have in US versions are not common in home market MB's. Also the connections were a standard plug and play fit, including the CD changer. Install time and labor cost was saved over an alternative.

danholm

If I correctly recall, the original dash speakers were fitted without screws. They would snap in. When I did my MB Quarts I had to drill holes, as they didn't have the snap fit. I'll be anxious to see how your Rainbows fit. If they fit as factory, I'll forget swapping from the 91' and go with them.

Did you order rear armrest speakers as well? SW has some I'm thinking of getting. The factory front doors sound as if they are sub's. I got MB Quarts for this location, however they are two way, and I'm a little relunctant to install because of crossover issues and all. Stephan from SW, said they will work fine, so I dunno....