futuresupers

Preparing to purchase a new GLC. Finally was able to find one with all packages I want except it is lacking the Burmester sound system. Does anyone here have any feedback on the standard sound system. Clearly the Burmester will be higher quality and better sound but I am just wondering if anyone with the standard sound system could give me any reviews or feedback. Thank you

fabbrisd1

1) "Standard" is good/acceptable.

2) Burmester is excellent-to-exceptional

If you want a GLC exactly with what you want- order a new 2017 now for end-August delivery

futuresupers

Thank you for the input!

MITCH1975

Burmester is worth every penny. Get it the way you want it.

Acapulco Bill

Yes, for $850 it seems quite the bargain! Not necessary to purchase either the Premium or Multimedia package.

Jason Zhang

standard sound system works but its no different from a prius sound system and the burmester sounds like you are sitting in a S class its night and day really. i was given a c300 loaner by the dealer with the standard speakers and it made me really miss my glc.

JEVA

I haven't used the std system but I think the Burmester sounds nice but I wouldn't say exceptional. On par with some of the other premium options with the lower end model luxury brand cars. Doesn't compare to the premium systems in say the E class or 7 Series.

fabbrisd1

Burmester sounds great - most prefer over the earlier Harman Kardon - I personally consider both "equal" with more "open sound field" for Birmester - note, especially the Burmester prefroms best with "good" dynamic source material (as compared to some/most SIRIUS stations) and can be impressive.

CA_GLC

I really don't mind the base stereo set-up. Not sure it is really worth waiting 3 months for the Burmeister unless you have extra vehicle(s). I needed new car asap so didn't really have a choice.

daffy1

I upgraded to Burmiester on its looks alone.

futuresupers

Thanks for the input!

B2FiNiTY

The regular is just alright. Not unhappy with it but also not amazed by it. Good enough for a SUV.

Acapulco Bill

Went over to the MB dealer where we leased a GLC just to check out the Burmester, this was in a new W205 C-Class Coupe with the "88" trim (pricey at $63,000). Took an original CD generally agreed upon by audio professionals as one of the very, very best (BTW not Pink Floyd's"Dark Side Of The Moon", which is another sonic milestone).

With Surround OFF, tone controls centered: The sound was... unexpectedly congested, strident highs, undynamic bass, compressed midrange. After about 15 seconds I attributed this due to a lack of "breaking in" the system, typically 30 hours of use for car audio. The dealer agreed to provide me with a loaner with the Burmester system that had been used for a while - he will call me when one's available.

In the meantime, since our GLC with the stock system is still new, later I will evaluate this when broken-in. Please just get the Burmester option for those buying one new. Many in the W205 C Class forum have said it is excellent, although it is not available as a stand-alone option, only comes with the COMAND-Nav premium entertainment package.

CA_GLC

Wondering if some sound proofing dynamat would help at all? MBZ might have already soundproofed as is. Doesn't seem worth it to get Burmeister unless you can wait many months for special order or have extra $ to burn a whole in your wallet.

Acapulco Bill

I put Dynamat in my C Class trunk, and under the rear seat. The difference in road noise reduction was worth it. May not be worthwhile in the GLC, in the front seats at least not a lot of road noise. I will have to ride in the back seat on a concrete highway and see if Dynamite is warranted. Run-flats are always noisier.

You should do it yourself, however a full installation will add 50 lbs. of constant weight to the vehicle.

BmwGLC300

Get it or you will regret

Standard: 6 Speakers
Burmester: 14 Speakers

screw991le

I judge my cars audio by the way I like it, not a test disc, not with surround of and such. The way I want to drive it around every day, with the crisp clean bass hits and the ear piercing highs.

Don't let someone else tell you what is best. You may not like the $10k option of 19 speakers, sound canceling, acoustic sound panels, etc. Pay for what you like and YOU like to listen too. Don't let a demo test disc make your decision for you or even a self proclaimed sound expert.

Bring a few of your fav's in a good range. Like for me I have tastes from the Foreigner, STYX, to Metallica, G&N, Pantara to old school rap (89' and prior is old school

Be your own judge.

LazyDriver

I loaded my iPhone with music I listen to frequently and tested the two different audio systems (base and Burmester), first sitting in one car, then moving immediately to the second car to make the test more reliable. In my opinion the Burmester is noticeably better; cleaner, deeper and more enveloping with or without surround on. The base system is pretty good though. I find that the Burmester is very sensitive to the type of recording playing. At least in comparison to my 2002 RAV4! I find old mono recordings like the Beatles from the 60s can be a bit harsh in the high end. The Burmester seems to me specifically tuned for classical music. A well-recorded modern classical recording sounds fantastic to me.

I made the Burmester a priority but wanted to keep the overall cost down. I searched around and found a GLC which had only premium package and Burmester (ie, no navigation or anything else), but it was the only one like that which I saw at 5 or 6 dealers.

Toobad

Whether you are settling for the standard system or opting for the Burmester upgrade, the source material should be of paramount importance. Remember the old adage "Garbage in = Garbage out". When creating MP3 files from a CD there is a slight reduction in quality because some information is discarded when each file is created. It is a process of lossy compression. By adjusting the compression rate you can balance the amount of data discarded against the size of file created. Audiophiles prefer FLAC files which are created through a process using lossless compression. Yes, these files may be up to 6 times bigger than an MP3 file but all the data remains intact. Devices which can play this format of file are now being marketed as Hi-Res Audio capable.

The music player in my Sony Xperia phone can handle Hi-res Audio so I have loaded it with lossless files. My COMAND system sees the phone's music player as a Bluetooth audio device and pairs with it accordingly. That way I can enjoy lossless audio through my Burmester sound system with the bonus of navigating through my music on the large 8.3" screen.

Acapulco Bill

@Toobad - Great that your Xperia can decode lossless tunes. But, too bad that there still exists the belief that Bluetooth has anywhere near the in-real-life bandwidth (throughput) to get the full 1100 kbps of AIWW audio into your stereo. Bluetooth under laboratory conditions can transmit up to 780 kbps, but handshaking overhead, device scan and other Bluetooth sources that must be received, evaluated and rejected, cuts actual transmission rates to about half. under 400 kbps in the best of conditions.

Of course, it is always better to start with decoded lossless than MP3 even @ 320kbps. But if you want a quality source, just use your Aux cable. Then, even transferring the information in analog (and I hope the Xperia has a decent D/A convertor chip), the best sound source quality will be insured.

BTW highly recommended is the 6th Gen iPod Classic, has a world-class D/A chipset, the analog output is as good as a high-end CD player. A decoded lossless file will enter the D/A convertor bit-for-bit as the studio-generated CD information, and conversion to analog will be near-perfect. Both the standard headunit and the Burmester only accept analog input (even the CD player is converted to analog) then redigitalized and manipulated for direct feed to their Class D amplifiers.

Wishing all success in their quest for perfectible sound.

JEVA

Current BT is indeed a poor way to transmit music if you want high fidelity. The new BT standard just now coming out will be much better.

zstoja

I tested same song in Audi S6 with Bose, B&O and BMW with HK.

I have Bose in Buick and Bose in Audi A6 2006. The best one is HK, after that my Bose's.

Even Audi Bose is better than Audi B&O.

I heard Burmester, it is similar to B&O.

Burmester and B&O are good for classic music. Not so good for others.

Generaly, I do not like Audi Bose, B&O and Burmester.

I try to find car for plesure, so audio is very important. In that case Audi and Mercedes are left.

cyber3d

From my experience in all likelihood the head unit of the Burmeister system and the standard system is not the determining factor. It is the speaker system including crossover filters and maybe an amp (perhaps the Burmeister also comes with a bigger or additional amp). I've had incredible results with matched amp/speaker/crossover packages on modern (but not premium) stereo head units.

sinatras

the Burmester sold me on this car. it is the number one reason i bought this car. i still can't believe they only charge $850 for it.

Matteus GLC AMG

The reason why it's a seemingly cheap upgrade for a hyper-premium brand such as Burmester is.........that Burmester don't actually make a single component in the system in the C or GLC classes. They simply help 'tune' it, and get paid for lending their name. Very disappointing to be honest. Following link is very informative on this issue:
http://redirect.viglink.com/?format=...rdpress.com%2F