superangrypenguin

A good friend of mine had let me know that there apparently is some buzz going around the internet wrt S class owners who paid for the Bumester 3d audio upgrade. Apparently some owners have expressed these general sentiments.

1) If comparing the sound quality of the stock Burmester system vs the 3d one, it pretty much is the same, with the exception of the 3d "signal profiles" or w/e you call it
2) The 3d system apparently lacks mid end depth (E.g. may sound a bit hollow)

Any of you agree with this? I couldn't find anything myself but he knows his stuff, and his dealer knows their stuff too, so just looking for some of your opinions. To me, it's a no brainer option to buy the upgraded system, but he made me think twice, and he is someone who only buys fully specced Benzes. According to him it's not worth the money, so thought I'd get some additional perspectives here.Danke

Streamliner

superpop

The problem with most OEM sound systems is that they are lipstick on a pig. This is true with the Burmester system as well, and for most of the population they sound great, but if you turn them up the sound becomes unstable and distorted and then the nannies kick in and roll the bass off. Burmester is a great system and nice up to about 65% of its dynamic range. Luckily it is fairly easy to fix with technology. I would keep the 6K and invest around 2K in a nice subwoofer set up. You can get a couple of 10 inch subs and a line level amp that will really bring the sound to life. The spare tire well, or what is left of it makes a great place to put the amp and you can have a box built that does not take up a ton of space and can be easily removed when more space is needed. That is the route I am taking and will report back on the differences.

hyperion667

One of the best things about my S is the 3D sound........I'm no audiophile either, but I am a musician of many years and enjoy my music.......it sounds great to me, and the low end is fantastic........but hey.........I'm just one dude.

superangrypenguin

Is the reason you're loving the sound because of the digital profiles that you may be applying to the music thus giving you a sound you prefer?

Jason B

Carfan500

But the lights! Have you seen the beautiful rotating tweeters with lights? And four(!) speakers in the ceiling?
Kidding aside, i love the looks, but the sound is also good. I am the kind of person who brings my own cd/dvd when testing A/V things. I like to do testing with material i know well. I tested several cars before buying, but had no option to try the facelift. I have heard better, but not in a car. But the looks alone, is a great luxury for me.


Lipstick on a pig? Please, there is no better original stereo on the market.

While you are not wrong on the fix, i dont think many S-class customers will do anything like this. Some may buy the aftermarket rotating tweeters, but not many owners will do more.

I agree with this statement.

quantira2

something about the 3D system that completes the audio/visual experience in the car.
After all driving pleasure is defined by our senses, audio, visual and touch ... 3D burmester not only heightens the audio experience but also completes the visual beauty of the car.

It was the first option I checked when spec'ed my car... and for 2018/// they have added 2 additional speakers to the ceiling..

Quadrobenz

We have the 3D system in the S65, best OE sound system I have ever heard. We also ordered it in our 2018 E63S. It sounds almost as good there. I think the main difference might be the smaller cabin volume.
One important point, to appreciate the 3D system a high resolution input is needed, not Sirius radio. In the S I use either CD's or an iPhone with CD's ripped with the Lossless setting in iTunes. When switching back to Sirius the difference in quality is apparent.
I just ordered a new SL yesterday, unfortunately there is no Burmester 3D option. Just the B&O BeoSound system.

Jason B

Yea, that w221 system kicked butt for it's time, and still has darn good sound.

Now, I've only seen the 3D system like in one w222, and I've seen A LOT of these cars, and quite a few friends of mine have them. I bet only 10% of w222 have that 3D option.

hyperion667

hmmm, perhaps smaller cabin size would have an effect.....in my S there are barely any 'hard' surfaces for sound to bounce off of........my CLS is another story completely..........the low end is awful, then again it's just the stock system......I've been contemplating adding a sub for some more feel.

hyperion667

That's hilarious!

Carfan500

Carfan500

Look at the speakers in the video.

superpop

How the speakers look has nothing to do with the way they sound. The grills are very nice. I stand by my contention that this system sounds great at lower volumes but as soon as you turn it up the bass rolls off and the sound becomes brassy and too bright irregardless of settings. This car needs a proper sub to really make the best of the system. I am not a fan of subs in the rear wells on the side as they typically create more of a rattle than anything else and they are permanent. What I am doing is grabbing the sub signal off the Burmester amp in the trunk and feeding it into an AudioControl signal processor/800W amp. AudioControl is known for correcting this bass roll off on factory systems and restoring it to a certain extent. The box will be removable when I need the space and will make my trunk about 12" less deep against the rear seats when it is in place. 90% of the time it will stay in place as I should still have a pretty big trunk along with access to the lower area. I can take it with me if I sell the car and it will reside in tandem with the installed system so I can turn the EQ bass down and really use the existing speakers for high and mid range. When the sub box is removed it will simply revert to the factory system.

coolcamden

superangrypenguin

So it seems to me a lot of people here like the looks. To me it's not a reason to buy the upgrade then.

I agree. I use DVD audio as a source to listen to music when I care about quality and I see that that's not an option on the w222 post facelift.

Maybe I should just frame my question this way. Is it night and day sound wise between the stock and upgraded sound system?

I have to defer to you guys as there are zero dealers here that have the upgraded system for me to check out

coolcamden

Carfan500

That we can agree on.

Yeah. You make very bold statements, like this lipstick on a pig thing. Let us put things into perspective. This would be similar to saying the world`s best boxer, could have a better left hook. Sure he could, but he is still the world champion, so a decent fighter any way you cut it. You make it sound like the audio system is garbage. Lipstick on a pig? I take offence to that statement.

But having said that, i agree with you, on the bass, it could be better. But it is still the best audio system in a production car.


I also agree with this.


That i can answer clearly, as i have tested several cars. Except for the facelift. And tested it a lot, for several hours in different cars. There is a difference. I would say go for the regular Burmester. It is great. The ones who need the 3D, you know who you are. Of 100 persons, maybe one would ever notice the difference, if not instructed and told what to listen for.

I could not buy the regular Burmester, knowing there is a better version. But NOBODY that will ever sit in my car, would be able to tell the difference, but me.

It was. I would tell most people to just buy the rotating tweeters aftermarket, they add to the sound and looks. They are a bargain.

Wolfman

superpop

Agreed Wolf, I am not looking for a vibrating car but one that rocks the classic rock and old school music. @carfan, I have compared the Burmester to a few Bose and Mark Levinson systems and even the HK in the higher end Beemers and some of them far exceed the quality of the Burmester. Not saying the Burmester is bad, just lacking the dynamic range that a few other OEM systems offer at higher volumes. Because of that, it gets my lipstick on a pig moniker.

superangrypenguin

Definitely appreciate the insight everybody.

I think I do subscribe to some people's thoughts on here that it's hard to not buy an option knowing that there is a better one out there. Maybe I'm not deemed a professional audiophile, but one of the BEST investments I've made was to pay $1000 for the HK system on my W204. Leaps and bounds above the shoddy stock stereo, but that said, I'm getting a clear sense on here that there isn't a night and day diff between the stock audio and the upgraded 3d one for the W222.

I know I'm very picky with sound though. I, for one, absolutely hate the B&O system on the Audi A8. I'm not a "hip hop/RAP" sort of guy, but I don't like the crappy bass on the B&O system. That said, I had the chance to hear it for myself, and on the W222, I can't know what it's like prior to ordering it as no one allegedly orders it for their W222's here. - so again, I want to thank all for your feedback.

That said, is it a fair statement to say the HK systems on the C/E classes is **** poor compared to the Burmester systems?

I'll make this analogy. I used to fly a lot on planes. I loved the QuietComfort Bose headphones. They did the job. That said, would I ever EVER listen to them outside of being on a plane? No - it's beneath me (sound quality wise). So I'm sort of a snob, but I'm not THAT picky....

LOL.

The general consensus I see everywhere on Youtube is "get the 3d system", but yet even on here, it doesn't seem so cut and dry, and that's probably because all of you/we are car enthusiasts!

superpop

Burmester is not bad, but it is not spectacular either. That said it is very hard to create the ideal environment for high fidelity sound in a car. Bose QC headphones sound better than the whir of jet engines and screaming toddlers and they do a decent job of drowning this out just like the S class does a good job of isolating the passengers to a certain degree. I gave up on finding the Burmester HD version in a nice used example as they are incredibly hard to find. Personally I would go with the base version and upgrade a few of the components and add a small subwoofer rather than spend 6K on the HD version.

Wolfman

superangrypenguin

Maybe I'm just ignorant and a noob but having owned several B&O systems, including the Beolab 18 that is one floor down from me right now, I'm surprised that you said this. I haven't had an issue with B&O systems from a bass perspective until listening to it on an A8.