Stock Stereo
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Newbie
Joined: Apr 2003
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Stock Stereo
I'd be interested to hear comments from anyone who has the stock stereo instead of HK. How's the quality? As someone who spends most of his drive time listening to ball games & sportstalk I am certainly no audiophile, however I would still like the option to pop in a music CD now & then and have it still sound good. While the HK option is reasonably priced, I'm concerned with the tech & software bugs that have been mentioned, and to a lesser degree if it's a little over complex for my purposes. Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Member
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 199
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From: CA
W211
I can't comment about how it sounds since I've never heard the stock one but the interface of the HK is the same as the stock one so complexity is a non-issue.
BTW, I've never had any problems with my HK yet and I use it quite a lot.
BTW, I've never had any problems with my HK yet and I use it quite a lot.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,536
Likes: 2
From: Brisbane, Australia
C200K (w204)
I have a E240 which came with stock stereo, all i can say is it's really good, the bass is quite punchy and the tweeter sounds good, much better than the stock on my C
Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 162
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From: Sudan
2003 Toyota Prado
Our old w210 had the premium sound system with the optional bose speakers and a cd changer, it sucked! the system that is, the speakers could not handle any bass at high volumes and was a real waste of money, we opted out of the HK this time as down here you have to order nav to get HK, and we dont use nav here, the stock is better than the bose on the last one, im really imressed, very powerful, havent had to raise the bass level past half and its well enough for me, put in mind that listen to alot of rap, so bass is key and trust me its enough, i also listen to alot of Sade and norah jones, sounds great on the stock, if your skipping the HK cause of complexity dont, its a very simple system to use and apparentyl sounds amazing but i woudlnt know. If as you said you want to listen to a bit of radio and the occasisional music, the standard is quite enough
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 67
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From: Spain
'03 E320 CDI Avantgarde '00 Renault Mégane Coupé 1.6 16v (wife).
The stock APS 20 is good enogh for me. Better than the Pioneer w 6 CD I had in my previous car and incomparable better than the stock Philips (w. 6 cd also) in the Renault.
Clear bass. It has a big subwoofer between the cab and the trunk. Power is enough to hear it at a comfortable level without apreciable distorsion.
Clear bass. It has a big subwoofer between the cab and the trunk. Power is enough to hear it at a comfortable level without apreciable distorsion.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,907
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From: Bay Area
E500 Sport
Unless you order the panorama roof, which includes the stock stereo, My dealer says it is very difficult to order a car without a sunroof/HK package. This is the only way to get a stock stereo. I have heard it would take a lot longer to order a car without a sunroof.
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Super Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 612
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From: Santa Clarita, CA
one of seven
regarding the stock stereo compared to the HK...... what is the total power difference....what is the size of the sub woofer.....if the HK is just extra surround speakers and extra power for those speakers, I need to know. Thanks!
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Member
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 217
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From: Gulf Shores, AL
E500 Sport
The HK System is Soooooo GoooooD and it's dirt cheap when ordered with a "package" option, not sure why anyone would consider anything else, IMHO. Not to mention the resale value would be higher with the HK installed! Mark
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2001
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sl and M-class E320 4Matic SLK350
tbone - are you saying one cannot get the HK upgrade if the car is speced for panoramic roof? This is the first I've heard of this and don't recall the "Make it Yourself" option on the MBUSA website kicking out specs for HK just because a panorama roof was added. What is experience of others? Does the HK require a solid roof for installation of ceiling speakers?
Super Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 612
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From: Santa Clarita, CA
one of seven
I think what Tbone is saying is that the glass sun roof only appears as part of the E2 package, while the HK is orderable as a seperate. I know of at least one E500 fully loaded with the panorama roof and no upgraded stereo which I think was a dealer oversight/mistake unless ordered that way for a buyer that didn't buy. I'm picking up my E500 next week and have checked out many of them over the last 3 weeks and all but one had the HK option. (seems to be popular) my $.02
