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Burmester y-o-y

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Old Jan 13, 2020 | 06:00 PM
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E43
Burmester y-o-y

Does anyone know whether there have been changes to the burmester surround system over the years? My 2020 e350 loaner sounds far better than my 2017 e43 with the same source and settings. The published specs are the same
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Old Jan 13, 2020 | 06:31 PM
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Yes, you are right. There has been a shortage of speakers so MB sourced some cheap-ish ones. Up to MY 2018, the Burmester sounds terrible.
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Old Jan 13, 2020 | 08:02 PM
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Really?? This is established? Would a simple speaker swap fix the issue, or are the amp etc also different?
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Old Jan 13, 2020 | 08:36 PM
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I'll be doing a speaker swap along with some other modifications in the 1st week of February so I'll make a write-up about it.
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Old Jan 13, 2020 | 08:44 PM
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Oh, so that explains why my 2018 E63 AMG Wagon sound system sounded so bad and then when I got my 2019 E450 Wagon the sound system was night and day better, I always wondered about that, pretty sad 122K dollar car VS a 78K car and the 78K car had better speakers, had I known that then I probably woulda gone after Mercedes. I kept mentioning how crappy the sound system sounded in the AMG and they would not listen, telling me it was normal.
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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 07:25 AM
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interesting.
i was never blown away by the sound (though it's better than the standard system), i guess now i know why.
my main issue though, is that the speakers vibrate in the doors. drives me nuts..

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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Jan AMG
Yes, you are right. There has been a shortage of speakers so MB sourced some cheap-ish ones. Up to MY 2018, the Burmester sounds terrible.
Where is bulletin source that this is indeed a fact that Mercedes has put different speakers in the cars? Do you have part numbers and specifications of the differences?
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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 08:48 AM
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Originally Posted by MikeO3
Where is bulletin source that this is indeed a fact that Mercedes has put different speakers in the cars? Do you have part numbers and specifications of the differences?
They are made by ASK Poland (https://www.askgroup.it) and branded Burmester. It is a joke. I will post photos soon.
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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 08:58 AM
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On the left is the "Burmester" original made by ASK Poland, you can tell it's **** just by the weight and paper membranes. On the right is a normal $100 USD (not high-end!!) quality replacement.

The price of the standard Burmester is partly caused by Aluminium design speaker covers, each piece (I checked front door price) costs $180 USD.

To me, Burmester sounds like a rip-off.


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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 09:10 AM
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Originally Posted by adityab
Really?? This is established? Would a simple speaker swap fix the issue, or are the amp etc also different?
The amplifier is also made by ASK Poland. But a simple speaker + subwoofer swap helps A LOT.
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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 09:20 AM
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Originally Posted by Jan AMG
The amplifier is also made by ASK Poland. But a simple speaker + subwoofer swap helps A LOT.
any recommendations ? I checked crutchfield.com and they say they haven’t investigated what fits my car yet. Not sure where you’re getting the components / dimensions
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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Camaroguy72
any recommendations ? I checked crutchfield.com and they say they haven’t investigated what fits my car yet. Not sure where you’re getting the components / dimensions
I can recommend STEG http://www.steg.audio
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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 09:24 AM
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Exact dimensions: http://www.steg.audio/pages/plug-and-play.html
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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 10:23 AM
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correct the loaner my19 was much better than my 18.....
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Old Jan 14, 2020 | 04:36 PM
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Interesting, thanks. Any idea where to find these in the US? And is anything else needed (amp, harnesses, tuning)?
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Old Jan 19, 2020 | 04:08 AM
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Originally Posted by adityab
Interesting, thanks. Any idea where to find these in the US? And is anything else needed (amp, harnesses, tuning)?
They are straight plug-n-play replacement so you don't need anything else if you want just a simple speaker upgrade, which will be a massive improvement (you'll 60% of the effect).
If you want to take it further, the amp is next, if you want to have it fine-tuned, you use a laptop with a microphone and use an audio tuning software.
The next level (which I recommend doing) is dampening the doors (at least). That way, at higher volume levels, your car won't rattle like a tin can and your music will get more pronunciation (luckily the W213 is pretty solid from the factory!).
The next step for me is replacing speaker covers for custom ones, because I couldn't care less about some dead guy's name, under which Mercedes puts Polish!! paper membrane speakers into our cars and rips off customers.
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Old Jan 19, 2020 | 09:10 PM
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Thanks! Do you know where I can find these? And do the burmester grilles not fit them?
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Old Jan 20, 2020 | 05:02 AM
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Originally Posted by adityab
Thanks! Do you know where I can find these? And do the burmester grilles not fit them?
Simply ordering them online seems like a solution
All grills (even the basic ones) will fit on them, they are a trim part unrelated to the audio system.
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Old Jan 20, 2020 | 04:41 PM
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Does the speaker shortage and subsequent replacement with low quality speakers impact the Burmeister High-end 3D Surround Sound System?
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Old Jan 21, 2020 | 07:30 AM
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I don't think so. My High End Burmester sounds fabulous. The tweeter in this system is a totally different speaker. It is Burmester's ring radiator. Very sweet high end, with the trade-off being they are much more 'directional' than an ordinary diaphragm tweeter. That is the reason why the tweeters rotate out in this sytem, to orient them better to the listener's ear.
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Old Jan 21, 2020 | 01:35 PM
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Originally Posted by grossmsj
I don't think so. My High End Burmester sounds fabulous. The tweeter in this system is a totally different speaker. It is Burmester's ring radiator. Very sweet high end, with the trade-off being they are much more 'directional' than an ordinary diaphragm tweeter. That is the reason why the tweeters rotate out in this sytem, to orient them better to the listener's ear.
But note that this system is not available on wagons.
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Old Jan 21, 2020 | 03:47 PM
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I cant seem to find the STEG units online for sale in the US. Anyone had luck?
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Old Jan 21, 2020 | 04:09 PM
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I can help you with that. PM
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Old Jan 28, 2020 | 12:50 PM
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Great input on the speakers. When I first got my car, I thought the bass was "boomy" and exaggerated. Even the driver's floor, under my left foot vibrated. I just figured that's the sound of the Burmeister system.

Then a had a new E300 service loaner and couldn't believe the improvement. The bass was tight, no vibrating floor, and a great sound. But yes, something was done to improve the sound.

I still wonder whether there is a fix for the vibrating subwoofer.
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