Darkmann

'01E430: Is the MB "Bose" system really a Bose system or is it the speakers only that are Bose?? The system certainly doesn't sound like a Bose to me. Is there something I have to set/reset. Someone mentioned "Ambiance Settings." Will this make it a real Bose, and what the &^%$ is this ambiance thing, anyway? Any comments

STKLAW

I went to a high end audio shop with my 98 E430 with a Bose system and they said that it was all Bose. Had to be for the amps and speakers to work together. He also said that they are just crappy systems--of course he wanted to sell me something else. I am looking at replacing with Nachamichi. Nothing new. Same holes. Won't see anything different other than the Nachamichi head unit. They were going to switch the amps to JBL and the speakers to MB Quart. Cost= appox $2600.

I don't know what they mean by ambience settings. I ask that question on this forum some time ago with no answer. Maybe it's just the bass-treble-fader?

Flashman

The system was designed by BOSE. However, you have to remember that BOSE is an 'audio tuner'. They are contracted by the manufacturer to create an upgraded version of their stereo based on the specifications, timing, and BUDGET provided by the manufacturer.

In the case of the C230 Coupe, it is obvious that Mercedes-Benz gave BOSE a very small budget and some hard limitations (no new speaker positions, same head unit) on what they could do. So like any audio shop, they work with 'what they got'.

I have a friend who was an engineer at BOSE. He told me they had considered a labeling approach so people knew how good a BOSE system was. LEVEL I, II, III, etc. But the manufacturers didn't got for it. I guess that no one wanted to sell a car BOSE system that was only a "Level I"... lol

You have to take a BOSE system for what it is, an "improvement" over the original system. How good an improvement varies from car to car, depending on the manufacturer's investment and interest in that improvement.

MB-BOB

Darkmann, "ambience" on a C-Class is one of four tone level adjustment presets (equalization settings) in the audio system. (Ambience, Driver, Speech and Off). According to the manual (page 174) ambience is supposed to create a three-dimensional sound effect. Speech is optimised for spoken word (not music) and Driver seems to focus the sound levels toward the driver's position in the car.

The thread you referred to concerned someone who was experiencing a "tinny" quality in their Bose music, and sure enough, the Sound preset was set to "Speech."

The presets work, as advertised, but do not offer any customization for personal tastes, as would a separate, multi-band audio equalizer.