Has anyone upgraded the audio system that came with your GLK? I'm guessing those who selected the HK option probably haven't, but for those who just have Audio 20, what have you done?

I've tinkered around with mine and finally have it sounding "good enough." Well, I will probably install an equalizer like the Audio Control LQ-1, but for now it is good. For any of you who don't want an aftermarket look but want better sound, here's what is new in my 2013 GLK 4-MATIC:

Front speakers are Sundown Audio 6.5 components. I like them because they are made with a paper/wool blend and produce a warmer sound than the Infinity Kappa's I first tried on the advice of folks in the C-class forum. The tweeters are silk domes, so they don't pierce you ear drums like I experienced on the Kappas. An adapter ring and some dynamat are needed to seal them in.

The rear speakers are the woofers from the Kappa speakers I replaced. I am using the engineering menu in the stock HU to cut frequencies over 4KHz, since there are no tweeters. I don't like a lot of treble coming from the rear speakers; I use them for fill.

The stock head unit puts out decent power, but not enough for beefier speakers. I am using the Alpine KTP-445U amplifier, and it fits easily under the dash on the driver side. It puts out 45 watts per channel, which is adequate. I can turn up the music to almost uncomfortable levels without distortion, and while I would prefer an amp that puts out 100 watts per channel, the small size of this one is a major plus. No special wiring harness needed!

Lastly, I had a 10 inch JL Audio subwoofer mounted in a custom enclosure in the back. The amp is a digital Alpine PDX M6, which runs cool and is installed in the fender behind the sub enclosure. The enclosure is not perfect, as I can only open the hatch about 4 inches. If I want to access the spare I have to pull the door all the way out and set it off to the side. But 4 inches is enough to reach in there and pull out jumper cables, and this beats having a bulky subwoofer box in the back, taking up half the storage space. Oh yeah - no panels were cut. The piece with the netting was taken out, and the 12 volt receptacle was moved to the other side behind a panel. If I ever trade this in, I can remove the sub enclosure and sell it separately, and the car will look stock again.

I'm pleased with the sound, and nothing looks out of place except the subwoofer, and it isnt too crazy. I think an equalizer will make it even better (the parametric EQ in the engineering menu will not save my custom settings for some reason). My next installs will probably be a this and a dash cam.

I hope others will share their setups and post photos!

 

nicely done! The sub looks very well blended into the rear space

The key to any upgrade is a DSP to maintain the voltages of the stock head unit into the separate amps etc that you choose From there you can choose the control you have over the separate amps/crossovers and drivers

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the HK audio and won't be upgrading it. They put a "sub" package in the area by the spare tire that is well thought out.

Enjoy your new set up, the GLK has a nice low sound floor, its well built, so it is a good candidate for a quality sound system.