Benzonline

Hello all!.......

I would like to know everyones opinion the the W140 11 speaker stereos. I heard it once and was amazed at how well it sounds. How come something like this was never in a w126 and then all of a sudden in 92 it they put a fantastic stereo in their S-class?

How much difference is it between the early 140 stereo and the 95+ 140 stereo? Which is better?

Bernanke

W140 sound system is probably the best stock sound system i've ever heard (12 speaker bose option). the only weakness is the head unit, that thing is just not nearly as good as an aftermarket headunit. hope that helps

kkwhung

Can't say about the early cars, but for some odd reasons, the two W140 S500 (95 and 97) we had had quite a few problems with the system. The speakers crackles and have a LOT of static that the dealer never really managed to fix (they even said they had an audio shop guy look over the problem). I think they just turned up the volume so they claimed they can't hear them...

Bernanke

well i have a 93 300SE . the speakers themselves are amazing, getting that kind of sound out of such a crummy headunit is amaizing. The headunit and the early amps were weaknesses. Mine made hissing and loud crackling (bad amp) so I will replace with aftermarket amp thats even better than bose one for 1/5 the price. anyways i'll let u know how it turns out

Benzonline

wow wish to have the system......

rdanz

I have the system in my 94 and its fantastic, anywhere you sit in the car it sounds the same. Anytime someone new gets in my car they always remark at how great the sound is and how the car rides like a dream.

///S320

Same thing. Mine is a 96, and its super. I wish there was a track repeat button and a volume control display. Other than that, sound quality is 5 star. I love the way sound fades when you shut the system down or turn it on.

My above comments were about the CD replay. I think radio reception is average.

Bernanke

aftermarket head unit is the way to go guys. It will make it sound like you redid the entire stereo system including speakers. hope that helps

Benzonline

ya but the stock look in the 140 is amazing.

Bernanke

its a tape player for god sakes hehe

I'm replacing mine with the JVC MP3 CD player, it is absolutely amazing and the sound quality is rediculous. its the best of all the MP3 cd players. anyways hope that helps.

Benzonline

I have the Pioneer MP3 system in my w126 and I know what you mean but afterall it didnt come with a Bose Beta system so it needed work.

dtkw

I think the Bose in my coupe is good enough for me since I have to wear hearing aids to hear better anyway. Lost some of it during Desert Storm.

JAM

I was never a fan of Bose, but the system in my W140 is fantastic. Sometimes I wish it had more high-end, but all in all, it sounds great. Very smooth mids, and nice deep bass.

Yeah, you can probably get even better performance with another head unit and amp, but I think the OEM look is great in W140.

Interestingly, I have the Bose system in my new C240 4Matic, and it is probably one of the worst systems I've had. The Bose audio in my 95 C280 will run circles around the new C's Bose.

dtkw

Perhaps because the W140 has double panel windows and better insulation then the C-Class?

JAM

I'm sure the double pane glass and added insulation helps, but even at a standstill, the new C Bose system is terrible. MB ought to be ashamed, especially since my 95 C280 sounds better, but then again, my 95 was a better car from the start.... Better quality of materials and better workmanship....

Bernanke

ya my bose system in my infinity QX4 kinda sucks too.

BUT my W140 bose system is DEFINATELY the best stock sound system EVER (even better than new S-classes, i have one so i'd know). With aftermarket amp and headunit it will sound that much better. thanks and ttyl

JAM

Now that's shocking that the new S does not sound as good as the old one....

Can you elaborate on the specific differences in sound quality between the new S and the old S?

Thanks!

Bernanke

sure, heres why. The new S does have a very good sound system but the majority of that is b/c of the headunit and the various sound features that it has. the new S just does NOT have bass, its that simple.

the W140 has heart pounding bass, its absolutely rediculous, thats what 4 subwoofers do (i believe four 8 inch) and this is all with a crappy *** bekkers headunit. If you put aftermarket headunit it would blow away the new S even more. i guess they just "don't make them like they used to".

that doesnt mean new S sucks, by no means. its just in terms of bass it just can't even compete. treble new S might have the advantage b/c of the Various sound harmonics and driver optimized settings and blah blah.

i just love W140 speakers, headunit and amp or just even headunit will make HUGE difference.

MB AMG

The stereo in my '92 600SEL is great! I love the sound quality especially the bass. The only thing I don't like about it is that mine doesn't have a CD player and that sucks.

JAM

Can you take a picture and posit it? Yes, the facotry unit is just a tape player, but there is something to be said for preserving the factory look.

A friend of mine put an awesome sounding Alpine system into his SL500, and it sounded amazing, but the head unit just looked way too aftermarket.

Bernanke

yes true stock looks good but then again the other side to that is it looks so old and out dated. plus if you upgrade headunit it will literally sound like you spend $1000's in stereo upgrades, thats how big of an upgrade it is, noteven includingaftermarket amp.

Benzonline

how come Mercedes all of a sudden in 92 had killer stereos in the cars? or mostly......the S class?

Bernanke

very good question, i read the manual and it said "Bose engineers spent months developing the stereo system specifically for the S-class benz" . its a special bose system called "Bose-Beta" i guess thats why it sounds so good.

Benzonline

I guess they realized they were "at the bottom" when it came to the stereo department.

Germanmarque

Becker actually released an in dash signgle CD with am and fm radio. This unit was a plug and play allegedly designed for late 80-99 Mercedes. It apparently worked in the W140 with the Bose amp and all speakers, however not the trunk stacker.

Becker has since released a number of in dash CD players that are in keeping with the appearance of Merc radio's the current Traffic Pro and Mexico series. Apparently these units can be fitted to the W140 series with "some modification". Do any members have any knowledge or experience with fitting these Becker units and if so, what model will fit with what modifications?