Burmester Subwoofer and rotating Tweeter Upgrade!
 

I have a 2015 S550 with the standard Burmester audio system. It's a decent system but seriously lacks low end bass/depth.

After exhaustive search online, I didn't find any relevant info about how to incorporate an aftermarket subwoofer in a W222 so I'll share my personal experience.

Specifically, I wasn't sure if there were things like ANC/VNC that would be an issue for factory signal input to the sub, if auto start/stop would cause problems, how to deal with sealed trunk issue.

Options proposed by other places included remove rear deck speakers and mount two 8" subs, fiberglass a single 10" into one of the rear trunk storage area (the area with a small net on both sides), do a custom sealed box in the trunk.

My goals were in the order of importance

1. Sound quality
2. Be able to keep and complement factory midbass/subwoofer driver in the front footwell
3. Preserve some usable trunk space
4. Look good
5. Cost


No major reputable installers in my area recalled doing a W222 aftermarket sub addition so it was learn as we go to address these concerns.
I visited several dealers and fortunately found someone who gave me comfort that the job would be done right doing it in stages to check and to be sure the final outcome would be good.

The plan we devised
1. JL slash 500/1 mono amp ( I had it from my old car)
2. One JL 8W7AE 8" subwoofer in a custom sealed enclosure to keep dimensions acceptable.
3. Audiocontrol LC2i, take speaker level output from factory subwoofer wires at the factory amplifier
4. Mount everything in the trunk
5. Port the trunk by cutting the metal divider at the armrest, this will double as a ski pass thru!

We made a modification to the original plan after I expressed my desire for the system to work well with the existing front factory "subwoofers" . The plan was modified by going with a new JL VXI 600/1 amp that incorporates DSP, that would allow time alignment to allow the trunk woofer to work well with the existing factory front subs without getting weird phase cancellation. We also added corresponding bass knob for the VXI.

Here's the final product!


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...0f0fce9bf2.jpg
8" JL W7 sub in a sealed box
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...4359cdbea6.jpg
JL VXI DSP Amp and LC2I in trunk well
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...9ebf143093.jpg
New ski pass!


Result!

Factory Signal. No ANC signal issues to deal with in my 2015, newer W222 may have ANC that may need to be defeated.
Auto/start stop: No issues, it works just fine without effect on sound/car function.
Sound: AMAZING! I had doubts that a single 8" would do much but honestly it's near the loudness of 2 10" I had before but sounds way cleaner and more musical. W7 has a huge excursion and it's quite an impressive sub. Installer did DSP time correction and had couple modes programmed that I could control at the bass knob, without time correction, bass was notably weaker and not as clean. With DSB/time correction done, huge improvement and the bass from that trunk sub was so rich and felt it was emanating just like the factory subs, just way beefier and cleaner. I could not tell the subwoofer was in the trunk.

As cherry on top, I got a copy Burmester 3D rotating tweeters off Aliexpress, had doubts about their sound quality but it actually sounds great, pretty much factory but perhaps a little brighter.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...c434b73f8c.jpg
Tweet tweet!


Overall very satisfied, I gained a ski pass, outstanding sound improvement, and kept reasonable trunk space.

If anyone needs an installer recommendation in the Seattle/Bellevue area pm me!

very interesting. I doubt to many people have put subs in a w222.

Great Job--especially on the tweeters!

Outstanding and very industrious OP. Can you provide a link to the Ali tweeters?

http://s.aliexpress.com/Fv6rAjey

That looks great OP. I'm thinking about removing the fridge and adding a sub too. Definitely going to try and copy you

Very nice!

Am I correct that the Audiocontrol LC2i is taking the "Post-amp" wires that would have gone to the front underdash speakers and splitting them to both the existing front speakers and the new subwoofer?

Correct
The front midbass/subs are still being fed power from the factory amp. Signal is just taken from "post amp' speaker wires to the LC2i.

Was happy to! Good meeting you also.
It's amazing what a well integrated subwoofer install can do to enhance the factory system.

At normal lower volumes the Burmister is probably fine but if you want to listen to it a little louder this car needs more bass. I suspect that the Germans assume that 60 year old geezers are the target demographic for this car and that they would be fine with the standard set-up. I am not necessarily looking for window rattle bass but I do like clean crisp sound and when I turn it up I want no distortion. You cannot get this in this car without more air movement. The subs in this car are crammed in the firewall and are probably more suitable as a mid bass driver.

I did this last year when I got my 15" s550. No custom enclosure (standard bandpass box)though as the next owner may not want a JL 12'W3 in the trunk. I have the Burmester 3D and the guys at Sound of trisate in WIlmington DE did a great job. They used the same "line level converter" I think it is in the pic above. Not sure exactly how it's wired but it sounds incredible. For those questioning the addition of another sub in these cars here is the main benefit. Having an additional sub allows the system bass setting to be backed way down. You can drive the mids and factory subs a lot harder distortion/clipping free by backing the factory bass down to -3 -4 -5. My source is a Samsung tab running android + Neutron player. Neutron has over a dozen EQ's and settings that any audiofile can get lost in. At my age (48) it's not about the bass thump anymore, it's about full rich sound. The trunk is rattle free and some dynamat on the license plate brought it to a standstill. I use to mix live sound for churches/small venues and I've been "tuning" car audio since Run DMC dropped their 1st album. This is 1 of the best sounding systems I've ever had. The 12' W3 is from my old Range Rover and is "overkill". I have to run the JL mono amp at the lowest settings. So anyone who may consider this project.... 8' sub should suffice, 10' max.

Now back to why I popped in, can anyone direct me to a thread discussing multi-contour seats not functioning? No active bolsters, no massage, no lumbar. both front seats. I know I know.. "the bass rattled something loose".. haha ;)

Your enclosure looks great by the way. I may consider it now that I see how it looks.

How much did this whole thing cost you? I want to do the same exact thing in adding a sub and the upgraded tweeters.

Here is a thread on mine, similar to the one mentioned above. I think I was into it for around 3600 bucks OTD.

https://mbworld.org/forums/new-s-cla...2015-s550.html

Who did your install?. Thanks.