roberto longo

Hey guys,
I really wanted to like the base Burmester sound but something generational has happened between the '17 and '18 models. When I listen to talk radio or tracks like "Golden" by Ruth B. There is a lot of harsh sizzle with the vocals. I've driven in an '18 S class that exhibits the same behavior, so that's why I think it's a generational change. I had a '17 E300 that did not have this issue.

Has anyone replaced the base burmester system with something more balanced? Not even sure where to start. For reference, I have Martin Logan 60XT's at home and enjoy them very much. I also have Kef speakers at my office, but enjoy those less (They are TOO neutral and balanced).

2012 merc amg

Yes agree. I had a 2018 E63 AMG and the burmester system sounded horrible. I traded that for a 2019 E450 problem solved, it sounds great. I heard some rumor after that the factory speakers where getting stolen at VPC and swapped for crappy speakers and whoever did it would pocket the good speakers, I dunno how true this is but it would explain a lot. Assuming your car is still under warrantee you may want to talk with the dealer about trying different speakers like out of a 2019 or something because the difference between my 2019 and my 2018 is night and day. It might be worth it to at least check out your speakers and see what there is in there. I'd have to turn off my sound system in my 2018 at times as it was annoying it sounded so bad. I'm kinda a audiophile myself and also have martin login speakers and my favorite speakers of all time my DCM time window series 7 from the early 90's.

Courthaven

In my 2019, I noticed the problem of crackling when I listen to talk radio so I took it in for them to replace the speakers. The funny thing is, the loaner that I had also had the same problem. When I got my car back it seemed a little better, but then I took off the Automatic Volume Adjustment and that resolved my issue. Of course I will still get some crackling /sizzling when I hear people calling into shows but I think that's unavoidable.

2012 merc amg

Very happy with both sounds systems in my 2019's. My Cabrio sounds amazing, of course it has an extra tweeter on each door over the wagon but also the bass in the Cabrio is amazing, it is thunderous. Must be bigger front bass speakers in the cabrio or something. Perhaps these could be retrofitted into the sedan or the wagon along with the extra door tweeter, I don't know.

roberto longo

Thanks for the replies. I'll try bringing it in under warranty to see if they can do anything about it. FWIW, the problem seems related to treble. By isolating the treble to max and lowering mid/bass to -10 you can really hear the crackle. Conversely, if I reverse that the problem minimizes. I would leave it like that, but now the music sounds like dog-S$#% due to the treble being so low. I'm pretty sure the issue has something to do with the large speaker above the dash, though there are so many speakers in the car that it's difficult to tell.

rustybear3

Agree with 2012 Merc. The Burmester speakers in my 2019 CAB are absolutely magnificent in terms of sound. The bass and treble are spot on, and what's even more amazing, sound just as good with the top down at speeds up to 35 MPH. Have no idea about the crackling sound others have experienced. I have had my volume both soft and loud and have experienced no anomalies. The bass is just great; have to tone it down on equalization so as not to be overpowering.

Lanzz

I get the crackling sound a lot - both in music and phone conversations. In my case, the source is the aluminum speaker grills rattling in the door panel - left rear is the worst, but they all do it. Dealer "can't hear it" so it has persisted for the entire time I have had the car - I think it is a decent system, but let down by beautiful aluminum speaker grills that appear to be poorly "hot glued" into the door.

Courthaven

Did you try turning off the Automatic Volume Adjustment yet?

roberto longo

Yup. Disabled Auto Volume adjustment and surround sound. Was listening to some stand up (Aziz Ansari) today and it was straight painful.

Courthaven

Darn, I was hoping that would work for you. Well, yeah I guess Plan B would be to have them replace that front dash speaker. I noticed most of my problems were on talk channels on Sirius (except for on Howard Stern's channels). Good luck!

adityab

Does anyone have instructions for removing the auto volume adjustment? That option doesn't seem to appear on my 2017 E43

ua549

RTFM

Mr. J

I had a buzzing problem with certain mid-range frequencies, primarily spoken newscasts and certain piano pieces. The center dash speaker was the worst offender. I pulled the grill and applied foam tape to the contact surfaces. The buzzing from this speaker is now gone. I still get a little buzzing from my right door speaker at certain frequencies and volume levels. Unfortunately, the grills on the door speakers are not so easy to remove. You have to pull the whole door card off to access them.

lkfoster

Sirius music is pretty low bit rate to start with which makes the sound quality moderate at best and vocals like the news are horribly down sampled with total cr*p sound quality. Both of which are going to be more and more apparent with better quality sound systems.

Music_Lover

Tried a few different cars when buying my 2018, they all sound different. Found a car with GREAT Burmester sound. Bought that one.

adityab

very weird, i don't have the auto volume option in my menus.

i really wanted to like the burmester system, but it sounds a bit like bose--boomy base, muted/muffled midrange, and decent treble. at least the grilles are pretty, and the rest of the car is so enjoyable!