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Could I change all of the speakers besides the 8 inch subs and 8 x 12 then use line high to low adapters? I'd lose "Logic 7" doing that?
I thought the S Class is only a 7 channel amp? That implies that some of the speakers are running in parallel. If that's the case how did you come up with 12 channels?
My main goal is to change the speakers and make the entire system louder while keeping OEM features such as steering buttons.
No, you're correct, there are eight channels in total but every individual speaker gets its own line coming off the amp. So left front door tweeter for example has its own channel. There are no external crossovers for the front door 3 ways or rear door two ways. Everything is getting crossed over in the amp/gateway.
There is a program from Europe called Amerisoft that allows me to download any thing from Youtube or anything that I want. I usually download Videos and it allows me to convert any format to MP3 as I watch videos on DVD's while driving. The program allows you to have what ever form or definition you desire. I have been as high as 2,400x 1200 resolution but the monitor will only go to 1080. As for the sound it allow you to decompress it to what is call "Loosy" Which is a non decompressed music. The sound is unreal and totally pure. It allows you about 10 different options taking the video or music from the internet and upscaling it. Try the program, you will love it.
There is a program from Europe called Amerisoft that allows me to download any thing from Youtube or anything that I want. I usually download Videos and it allows me to convert any format to MP3 as I watch videos on DVD's while driving. The program allows you to have what ever form or definition you desire. I have been as high as 2,400x 1200 resolution but the monitor will only go to 1080. As for the sound it allow you to decompress it to what is call "Loosy" Which is a non decompressed music. The sound is unreal and totally pure. It allows you about 10 different options taking the video or music from the internet and upscaling it. Try the program, you will love it.
I believe COMAND's native resolutionin the W221 is limited to 800 x 600, which would make sense since the highest res it needed to support was DVD. DVD tops out at 720 x 480. So you can save some file size on your DVD rips. A full on 4k file burned to a DVD plays back at 720 x 480 no matter what.
Upconverting applies to video, but not audio, and it's a process that can make a lower resolution video source look better on a higher res monitor.
For example, if you have an HD TV at 1080p, and you play a lower res DVD through an upconverter, the upconverter will add the extra scanning lines by "guessing" what would be there based on what already is there. It's not really HD but it's cleaner looking. Basically no system can add back in digital information that isn't already there in the first place. So for example if you have an MP3 ripped at 128kb/sec and you re-rip it at 256kb, you'll get a larger file size but zero increase in quality.
In the car, the screen resolution is capped at 800 horizontal scan lines. You can feed it full on upconverted 4K but all you'll ever see is 800. You'll get much bigger file sizes but no improvement in quality so save the space and rip from Your Tube at no greater than 720p. (For the stuff you play in the car.)
"Lossless" and "Lossy" refer to the transcoding method used to rip audio. Lossless rips are bit-for-bit identical to the source material. Lossy rips use an algorithim to strip out musical data that would be masked by other musical data. Lossy is compressed, lossless is uncompressed.
Again, all roads lead back to the quality of the original source material. If you rip a CD lossless (FLAC or ALAC) you'll get CD quality playback. If you re-rip or re-encode a 256kb MP3 using lossless, you still get a 265kb MP3.
I did try the Amerisoft converter, downloading a 4k music video in full 4k quality. While the resulting video file was massive, the audio was still at a relatively low quality 125kb/sec. To test this yourself, download a 4k file onto your computer, then go to the file itself and right click, and select Properties, then Details and scroll down to the audio section.
Try ripping the same music video to DVD using both the highest quality original 4k source material on YouTube, and then rip the same at 720 and see if you see or hear a difference.
Thank you but information that is basically lost in translation to me. All I know is the system when audio and video are burned to the highest form both resolution and sound are as good as my ears can hear without any distortion or abrasive sounds. As I said before not being able to compare a W221 against my W216 I don't have any idea how they compare. I do know it sound excellent for my taste. I have my treble on the highest setting as well as my bass. I love it. Again, not as loud as I would like but clear just the same. The best would be the B&O as they are known for being the FINEST of any electronics on any market in any form. The CL should have had the B&O as standard equipment on the facelift. Thank you for your knowledge. Yes, I do wish the resolution of the monitor was that of the new S Class's but oh well, Id rather have a better looking car than a higher res screen and sound system.
Thank you but information that is basically lost in translation to me. All I know is the system when audio and video are burned to the highest form both resolution and sound are as good as my ears can hear without any distortion or abrasive sounds. As I said before not being able to compare a W221 against my W216 I don't have any idea how they compare. I do know it sound excellent for my taste. I have my treble on the highest setting as well as my bass. I love it. Again, not as loud as I would like but clear just the same. The best would be the B&O as they are known for being the FINEST of any electronics on any market in any form. The CL should have had the B&O as standard equipment on the facelift. Thank you for your knowledge. Yes, I do wish the resolution of the monitor was that of the new S Class's but oh well, Id rather have a better looking car than a higher res screen and sound system.
The B&O should have been standard in a car of the 221's caliber, and definitely in the 216. I believe both cars got the same H/K hardware and speaker arrays, the only difference being that in the 216 the rear 2 ways are in the front (and only) doors, while in the 221 they're in the rear doors, but pushed all the way forward so essentially the same position as the 216.
Consider swapping out just the 4" mid and factory tweeter in the front of your doors, and the 6.5" woofer and tweeters in the back of your doors. It would make quite a difference in quality.
So ignoring all the tech gobbledygook my point was that you could step down the resolution of your downloads, and get more material on a single DVD without losing any discernible quality in the car.
Thank you for your very knowledge information. I will do that as I don't get as much content on my DVD's as I think I should as for changing any of the speakers, Ill have to wait until the car comes out of warranty in 3 years before I start messing with any of the components. All I need is to give them a chance to void my warranty. I am already running a HUGE risk with updating the ECM. Lets hope I don't have engine or transmission problems before the warranty expires or Im up the creek without a paddle, so to speak. If changing the speakers will give me more VOLUME I am very much for it, if it changes the sound quality, that I have no issue with. I have moved the surround system to push the front speakers more than to the rear. That setting alone gave me the extra bump in quality of volume. On my W215 I actually was able to add two additional amps, keep the factory phone and have everything work as it originally did but with 1,200 watts and a 12" subwoofer in the trunk without disabling the factory Bose system. I did change out speakers to some high end with crossovers and spent about 12K on the entire thing. I even put an extra tweeter in the coat hooks which I made speaker grilles from door grilles, so they looked like factory and you couldn't see them. It was so amazing the clarity and the lack of distortion was unreal. The original Bose system was anemic at best. When I was done, you could hear me a block away but it was Ghetto. I loved it but it was a little over the top. Visually you couldn't tell and the amps were built to the rear seat back (in the trunk and a wood board covered in the original trunk material was placed over all the components. When I sold the car the people loved the sound system so much they paid me exactly what I paid to put the system in. So, those days are gone and I will just have to live with what I have until my warranty runs out. I was young when I did the change over and didn't realize I could have been in a lot of trouble with the warranty if something had happened. I really appreciate all your help and will wait until the warranty is up to mess with the sound system. Before the car was only 125K, this is a 187K so I don't want to mess with something and find out I've screwed myself. BTW, your knowledge on this subject is amazing. Come and do mine for me! Southern California weather is wonderful and you know how to remove all the interior body trim. Ps good luck on that rear leather package tray, Im scared to even begin to tackle that.
Last edited by 2014CL600; Jun 6, 2015 at 01:08 PM.
No, you're correct, there are eight channels in total but every individual speaker gets its own line coming off the amp. So left front door tweeter for example has its own channel. There are no external crossovers for the front door 3 ways or rear door two ways. Everything is getting crossed over in the amp/gateway.
How does each individual speaker get it's on channel on the amp when using a 8 channel amp? How would you control the left/right & front/rear audio settings? That's the part I'm failing to understand.
How does each individual speaker get it's on channel on the amp when using a 8 channel amp? How would you control the left/right & front/rear audio settings? That's the part I'm failing to understand.
I may be wrong, but here's the schematic. Once I started digging into that I abandoned the idea of an amp change, but post whatever you come up with. It's not just an amp. It's the integrated hub of the car's entire infotainment system. All of the individual components (all audio, navi, speech recognition, teleaid, satellite,terrain radio) are all connected in a fiber optic loop with the Becker Gateway (amp) serving as a master controller, a DSP processor, as well as providing simple amplification.
My understanding is that the master controller in the Gateway distributes amplified signal to the speakers and can apportion signal based on inputs it receives from COMAND. So if you fade front, the Gateway "knows" and apportions more signal to the front, etc. It just seemed way too complicated and integrated to start hacking into for me, but I have seen a few 221s on here with full on aftermarket amps and speakers, but they're rare and I'm not sure how much OEM integration they retained. It seemed like they were gut jobs.
There is a program from Europe called Amerisoft that allows me to download any thing from Youtube or anything that I want. I usually download Videos and it allows me to convert any format to MP3 as I watch videos on DVD's while driving. The program allows you to have what ever form or definition you desire. I have been as high as 2,400x 1200 resolution but the monitor will only go to 1080. As for the sound it allow you to decompress it to what is call "Loosy" Which is a non decompressed music. The sound is unreal and totally pure. It allows you about 10 different options taking the video or music from the internet and upscaling it. Try the program, you will love it.
I'm ordering four of the Goldwood speakers from the link right now. I will install in the front doors like you have shown BUT ...
You said its 4" in the rear deck right? or 6.5"? and you're not sure if the depth will work? if I'm understanding correctly. Do you plan on giving it a go? If so, let us know if it works or not. And add some pictures in!
4" in the rear deck, but I've already done mine using a different 4" (sorry didn't get pics) and I can't verify 100%. I'm 95% sure the Goldwoods will drop in. 6.5" in the rear doors.
I'd suggest doing the front doors first since they play more prominently and access is easier. The rear deck 4" are just surrounds and are more labor intensive to get to.
And get pics since you'll be the first to do these. I discovered them only after I had a $750 set of Focals installed in my front doors.
The 8 inch subwoofer has a mounting depth of 3.69” could this fit? The Hertz 6.5" has a mounting death of 2.75" and a total depth of 3.11".
I'm leaning towards the Hertz because of the amazing SQ but would the CDT fit on the front doors?
I've had CDT Audio in my other car and you really don't need a subwoofer running some of their drivers...
I think with some modifications to the front door speaker modules you could get a conventional 8" woofer in there. You'd have to build up the woofer mount outward toward the cabin to create the extra clearance but I don't know how much room in there is to play with in total. The mids and tweets shouldn't be a problem. Both of those sets are fairly power hungry though so you'd want more amplification than stock or I think they'd be disappointing. Even the Prima we were discussing in the other thread might not be enough.
As many of you probably know by now, I'm not impressed with the stock Harman Kardon Logic 7 audio system in the 221. I solved the problem in my own car by replacing most of the cabin speakers at a cost of a couple grand.
But after all was said and done I realized that the front door 4" midrange speakers were the source of a lot of the problems and maybe my set of $750 Focal components was overkill. The issue was that there are very few 4" aftermarket woofers to choose from. The ones I found were either less desirable coaxials (woofer and tweeter in one) or very expensive 2 way components (separate woofer and a tweeter) like the Focals.
A couple weeks ago I was browsing a wholesale speaker component catalog (what can I tell you...I'm not a big sports guy and I need something to read in the crapper when my wife throws away the Victoria's Secret catalogues) and I came across the Goldwood GW-204 4" woofer. Goldwood typically makes 8 ohm drivers for home speaker building, but the 204 is a 4 ohm version, which is the standard for car audio.
As you can see, the Goldwood is quite a bit heftier than the stock Harman 4", with a huge shielded magnet and motor assembly. Some of that heft is actually the shielding but overall it's quite a bit more robust. But the best part is that the speaker cone on the Goldwood is conventional treated paper while the Harman is a plastic coated aluminum material Harman calls "Alumaprene". The metal cone material is why the Harman system sounds as thin and harsh as it does. There are five 4" Alumaprene speakers, and two 6.5" Alumaprene speakers in the W221.
I went ahead and ordered one and did a quick A/B listening test, adding a 1" silk dome tweeter to replicate the set-up in the front doors of the 221. My concern was that the much heartier Goldwood would be a power hog, but it was fine, taking only a little more volume than the Harman. It sounds warm, full and even develops a bit of midbass where the Harman bottoms out and distorts. Paired with the tweeter it sounded great. I wouldn't hesitate to install the Goldwoods in my car.
Mounting wise I tested the depth in my spare 221 front door module and it's fine. The Goldwoods (and every replacement 4" including my Focals) have a square 4 hole mount, where the stock speaker is a 3 hole triangular mount. You'd need to Dremmel off two of the mounting ears, like so:
Goldwood on left.
Now the price. Understand that Goldwood has no marketing expense at all. They don't have the hype of a name like "Bose" or "Harman/Kardon" where they could charge exorbitant prices for otherwise cheaply made components.
The Goldwoods are $22.56. For a pair. If you want to buy four and replace the two surround speakers on the rear deck, the per unit price drops to $10.19.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
