E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

harman kardon stereo abslutly sucks

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Old 05-06-2010, 04:52 PM
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2004 E320
Maybe you need a Software Update! nm

nm
Old 05-10-2010, 03:42 PM
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sorry to hear, H/k sounds great from my experience
Old 07-04-2010, 03:23 PM
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97 SL320 Sport, Black. 2003 Denali XL, 2002 Gmc PU, 84 Mustang race car.
Originally Posted by mike vee
just replace the whole thing man. get a 5 channel amp. i am about to get my full system replacement in about 3 weeks! can't wait!!! Going with Polk all around.
Is it done?

Dan
Old 07-05-2010, 09:00 PM
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Audiophilia is both a blessing and a curse
Old 07-19-2010, 05:11 PM
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thought it was me

I thought it was me, but then my husband who's a mobile DJ got in and IMMEDIATELY said, "what's wrong w/ the radio?" This morning it sounded like someone just got out of bed with frog throat!
Old 06-20-2012, 03:46 AM
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2006 e320 cdi
solution to HK audio problems...

hi there.....im an electrical engineer, but that has nothing to do with the solution to the problem of bad sound from the HK system....

i got my car last week and took a long trip noticing a rasp from somewhere in the front....when the car was parked, it didnt take long to determine that the raspy sound was coming from the front center speaker....

i pulled the cover panel off and found that the cone and spider of the speaker became separated from the frame....heat cooked glue failure....

removing and disconnecting that speaker cleaned up the sound immediately, and im sure replacing it will be another incremental improvement also....lol

if your sub is "poppin" id suspect the same thing has happened to the driver in that position....

the speakers are probably the weakest link in the system being that so many of you are reporting similar problems....but car speakers are subjected to alot of temperature stress, so even the good ones will fail over time...

im gonna replace my center with a small full range driver and not give mb some ridiculous amount of money for another unit that will probably fail eventually also....ill report on my selection when ive made one that sounds reasonably good. Raw drivers in this size range, that are made for hi-fi use range in price from 20-50 dollars....at retail.

Hi end audio has been my hobby for 30 yrs, i own and use tens of thousands of dollars worth of speakers, amps and related gear, and id rate the HK system an 8/10 for audio quality from a factory system....its not worth replacing in my opinion....unless you are just into breaking glass.
Old 06-20-2012, 09:33 AM
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E55, E320 CDI , CLA250, Jag XJ Supersport
Now that I have 2 w211s, one with the HK systemand the other with the standard system, I can honestly say I prefer the standard system which seems to have a much flatter EQ curve. Just as loud, just as much low end. Better stereo separation and good midrange.

The HK has that surround processing which makes some music sound good, but really has scooped mids which totally destroys some types of music. Even when you disable surround, the mids are not as good as the non-premium system. I bought all of Van Halens remastered CDs and they sound like crap through the HK. The guitar just sounds horrible. Much better on the cheaper system.

That's my rant!
Old 06-20-2012, 03:42 PM
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Originally Posted by kena999
hi there.....im an electrical engineer, but that has nothing to do with the solution to the problem of bad sound from the HK system....

i got my car last week and took a long trip noticing a rasp from somewhere in the front....when the car was parked, it didnt take long to determine that the raspy sound was coming from the front center speaker....

i pulled the cover panel off and found that the cone and spider of the speaker became separated from the frame....heat cooked glue failure....

removing and disconnecting that speaker cleaned up the sound immediately, and im sure replacing it will be another incremental improvement also....lol

if your sub is "poppin" id suspect the same thing has happened to the driver in that position....

the speakers are probably the weakest link in the system being that so many of you are reporting similar problems....but car speakers are subjected to alot of temperature stress, so even the good ones will fail over time...

im gonna replace my center with a small full range driver and not give mb some ridiculous amount of money for another unit that will probably fail eventually also....ill report on my selection when ive made one that sounds reasonably good. Raw drivers in this size range, that are made for hi-fi use range in price from 20-50 dollars....at retail.

Hi end audio has been my hobby for 30 yrs, i own and use tens of thousands of dollars worth of speakers, amps and related gear, and id rate the HK system an 8/10 for audio quality from a factory system....its not worth replacing in my opinion....unless you are just into breaking glass.
Please keep us posted with what speakers you end up choosing. Due to the OHM and size requirements, I'm not sure how many good aftermarket solutions others have found. I would be interested in finding a way to swap in good speakers without having to redo my entire car's wiring and amp system!
Old 11-15-2019, 05:07 PM
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1971 280 SL
Agreed. It sounds damn good to me, but I'm not an audio engineer.
Old 11-15-2019, 07:19 PM
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2016 E350 Sport; Mom Wrecked the 2008 E350; sold the 2002 C320
For those of you that care, I replaced the stock head unit with an aftermarket (Kenwood DNX995S) with the HK logic 7 system.
It really brought the sound to life - I really like it. I read a thread some years back about how the stock head unit really throttles the stock amp and I can attest it makes a world of difference. My friends thought I had installed an amp and sub.

It requires an Opti-1 or NAV-TV optical to analog module to make it work with any aftermarket head unit

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