My Burmester upgrade process
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Joined: Nov 2015
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From: Newcastle, WA
2019 S63 4Matic+, 2018 E400 Cabrio, wardens car.
The beauty of the JL Audio VXi Amps is that they include all of the tuning SW, EQ and any other needed signal processing SW to perfect the sound. They are expensive but they are the last amps you will ever need to buy.
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 159
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From: NORTHERN NJ
2018 S560 4matic Sedan. Official member of the 18" RIM CREW.
Thanks to COVID, I spend most of my working hours in my home office, where I have my stereo--a mid 5-figure rig with Vandersteen speakers and Ayre electronics. I get to listen to it most of the day when I'm not on calls and I really, really enjoy it. But for some reason, the second I sit in my car my perfectionist audio compulsions slip away and I am way more focused on enjoying the drive. I consider that a blessing, as it looks like I am saving a few thousand bucks (which I can spend on records, or a new cable LOL).
Last edited by PatentLawyer; Jan 25, 2021 at 09:32 AM. Reason: typo
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 159
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From: NORTHERN NJ
2018 S560 4matic Sedan. Official member of the 18" RIM CREW.
Ha! Well, in fairness, I have two two-year old wardens that sometimes interfere with hi-fi usage, so it's not always a party here either. 
Thread Starter
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From: Maryland
2024 S580
Standard Burmester is 9 channels, 2 subs, 6 mids/tweets and 1 center channel. You need a min of 8 channels of amplification to get away from the factory amp. I went with the NAVTV Zen box and it works great. Does not mess with BT Phone Audio or Nav Audio and offers Toslink and RCA outputs as well. I wanted something that was reversible, cut no wires, and was flexible enough to follow me to my next car. When I remove all of the crap I installed when I sell my car, I can sell the NAVTV box and recoup most of my money for it. The rest I can use again.
I think this approach makes sense. i'm going to have my dashcam installed at another shop next week (the shop I talked to about the audio wont install your own equipment) and I will ask their opinion too so that I have two opinions.
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Joined: Sep 2020
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From: Los Angeles
Panamera, '63 Impala
Just one comment, BT Audio is way more compressed than CD sound. What I listen to is as uncompressed as you can get which is lossless audio over USB. They do seem to use some trickery that makes BT streaming sound warmer.
Your settings are similar to mine. Mine is +6 treble, -2 mids and +10 bass with balance at 0. Surround on, sound leveling off (this makes a big difference). I played around with +1 fader and went back to 0. I also have it sounding decent but it still needs low end and depth which the sub should provide. As was also described to me the sub will let me back off on the bass in the equalizer which will keep the OEM system from straining.
Another thing which is very real is you are becoming used to the Burmester and forgetting how great your other audio systems sounded lol.
Your settings are similar to mine. Mine is +6 treble, -2 mids and +10 bass with balance at 0. Surround on, sound leveling off (this makes a big difference). I played around with +1 fader and went back to 0. I also have it sounding decent but it still needs low end and depth which the sub should provide. As was also described to me the sub will let me back off on the bass in the equalizer which will keep the OEM system from straining.
Another thing which is very real is you are becoming used to the Burmester and forgetting how great your other audio systems sounded lol.
I was tinkering with the standard Burmeister in my car and I came up with settings that seem to be acceptable for now. Surround turned on, EQ set to +3 treble, +2 mids, and +8 bass with the balance set to +1. This gives a fairly decent full sound with tight bass that doesn't overwhelm like the ridiculous booming you hear in many hoopties. I also figured out that these settings have to be set up for all sources individually, such as BT streamed, Sat, and HD FM radio. Streaming BT audio sounds the best by far, followed by CDs, then Sat radio, then HD FM. The B&O in my GL550 followed that same pattern of quality as the least compressed signals give the best sound.
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From: Venice Florida
2018 S560
Ya, with the non 3D if you like Bass at all you really gotta have that up to at least 8 and in my Wagon I turn the sound focus to front and that makes the front bass speakers produce more bass too. I always turn on the Surround, I think it sounds terrible with the surround on, not the way the recordings were meant to be heard, you pretty much loose the left and right channel effect and everything is all mixed together and Murky. On my 3D audio in my S560 there is a over abundance of bass and anything more than 4 or 5 on the bass setting is too much. I run it mostly towards flat on everything and in the Live setting which I think sounds best. The 3D setting I think sound horrible, kinda strange whereas the unit is called the 3D system. I'm kinda a perfectionist with sound systems. I'm very happy with the 3D audio and even happy enough with the regular system in my 2019 E450 Wagon to the point where I don't feel it necessary to change anything with that one.
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 141
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From: Portland, Maine
2020 S560 sedan, 2018 Volvo v90 Cross Country
Ive subscribed to this thread, I have been wanting to add a subwoofer at a minimum to my S since I bought it. Talking to the audio place today I bought a 12" sub from JL, am using a Pioneer 500w RMS mono block class D that I had from another project and I bought the JL LOC. All told 410.00 plus install which won't be much. I plan on putting amp, LOC, fuse block etc all in behind the panel against rear seat firewall. Of course the speaker in a ported enclosure will be in the trunk strapped down. I will definitely post pics. I won't get to it till like the 8th of February because of business.
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 141
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From: Portland, Maine
2020 S560 sedan, 2018 Volvo v90 Cross Country
I didn't want it all in one in case I did the separate amps, equalizer and all that stuff. This is a good place to start for me instead of about 3k more with Audison or the JL Vx amp/equalizer way. I did go with a 12" sub, I have a ten" in another vehicle and I thought, why not just go big
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From: Portland, Maine
2020 S560 sedan, 2018 Volvo v90 Cross Country
Thread Starter
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From: Maryland
2024 S580
Makes sense, Im going to go over all of it with them again tomorrow when I drop it off and make sure were making the right move and that we will have the flexibility of expanding if I decide that I want to do that.
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From: Venice Florida
2018 S560
Ya, I'd think you want a more clean signal going to all the speakers for improved vocals, guitar sounds etc. I do notice a difference first hand when I drive my Wagon vs the 3D S560 as a lot of days I'll drive both vehicles back to back. As far as I know the 2019 E450 has the same Command system as the S560 with the Premium package Surround system. I do always leave the surround off as it only seems to make the sound less focused and more murky. To me the clarity of the vocals and highs are the best thing about the 3D audio, although I do have all the bass I can possibly use from the sub in the trunk without turning up the bass eq anymore than 3 or 4. I remember on my 2017 S550 If I had the bass cranked up to 9 or 10 and cranked the volume loud the bass would start to distort.
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From: Maryland
2024 S580
Had a good talk with the installer when I dropped it off. He has done a couple W222s and he feels confident I will be happy with this setup based on what I listen to and what I had before and that I was happy with that. Next step would be a new amp and DSP/LOC along with perhaps replacing a couple of the speakers (perhaps the front door speakers) and re-tuning the system with the new AMP and DSP.
The highs sound pretty good to me and the vocals sound good, the issue is the depth and bass and the distortion I hear at times he feels is because I have the bass turned up so high and am using the surround mode to get depth which the sub will provide so those things can back down and be turned off.
I have an Altima from Enterprise and the system has better depth. That aint right lol
The highs sound pretty good to me and the vocals sound good, the issue is the depth and bass and the distortion I hear at times he feels is because I have the bass turned up so high and am using the surround mode to get depth which the sub will provide so those things can back down and be turned off.
I have an Altima from Enterprise and the system has better depth. That aint right lol
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 141
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From: Portland, Maine
2020 S560 sedan, 2018 Volvo v90 Cross Country
Had a good talk with the installer when I dropped it off. He has done a couple W222s and he feels confident I will be happy with this setup based on what I listen to and what I had before and that I was happy with that. Next step would be a new amp and DSP/LOC along with perhaps replacing a couple of the speakers (perhaps the front door speakers) and re-tuning the system with the new AMP and DSP.
The highs sound pretty good to me and the vocals sound good, the issue is the depth and bass and the distortion I hear at times he feels is because I have the bass turned up so high and am using the surround mode to get depth which the sub will provide so those things can back down and be turned off.
I have an Altima from Enterprise and the system has better depth. That aint right lol
The highs sound pretty good to me and the vocals sound good, the issue is the depth and bass and the distortion I hear at times he feels is because I have the bass turned up so high and am using the surround mode to get depth which the sub will provide so those things can back down and be turned off.
I have an Altima from Enterprise and the system has better depth. That aint right lol
Thread Starter
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From: Maryland
2024 S580
At the shop now to pick it up. Not thrilled so far. Power trunk isn’t working, they’re trying to figure that out now.
The additional bass is very subtle. In order to really have any impact it needs to be turned up all the way and I still have to run the equalizer at 7 8 9 bass in order to really feel/hear anything. And that’s sitting still in a parking lot. Not really thrilled with the feedback I’m getting from the shop.
We’ll see how this winds up and how I feel about it.
The additional bass is very subtle. In order to really have any impact it needs to be turned up all the way and I still have to run the equalizer at 7 8 9 bass in order to really feel/hear anything. And that’s sitting still in a parking lot. Not really thrilled with the feedback I’m getting from the shop.
We’ll see how this winds up and how I feel about it.
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Joined: Sep 2020
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From: Los Angeles
Panamera, '63 Impala
At the shop now to pick it up. Not thrilled so far. Power trunk isn’t working, they’re trying to figure that out now.
The additional bass is very subtle. In order to really have any impact it needs to be turned up all the way and I still have to run the equalizer at 7 8 9 bass in order to really feel/hear anything. And that’s sitting still in a parking lot. Not really thrilled with the feedback I’m getting from the shop.
We’ll see how this winds up and how I feel about it.
The additional bass is very subtle. In order to really have any impact it needs to be turned up all the way and I still have to run the equalizer at 7 8 9 bass in order to really feel/hear anything. And that’s sitting still in a parking lot. Not really thrilled with the feedback I’m getting from the shop.
We’ll see how this winds up and how I feel about it.
Thread Starter
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From: Maryland
2024 S580
Frustrating thing is I gave them every opportunity to sell me something more powerful, and they talked me out of that and into this.
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 141
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From: Portland, Maine
2020 S560 sedan, 2018 Volvo v90 Cross Country
Well, I went with the separates for that reason, Im thinking 500 watts and an efficient JL 12" will do it, I am figuring out some kind of pass thru opening as well I think that is a critical part of it all. The rear of the cubby is easily cut through, I just have to figure out how to do it cleanly.....I was a fabricator for 40 years, I'm sure I can come up with an attractive, reversible solution. Maybe something from the custom van or boating world......time to don the thinking cap!!!!
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Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Venice Florida
2018 S560
I had a similar experience about 10 years ago when doing a subwoofer on my Chevy Colorado Pickup Truck. Turns out they had the gain loudness control and the knob beside it, think it was crossover turned all the way to min. They might have done this intentionally to allow the sub it's run in period. I took this off one of the reviews for this unit. Also with the Trunk I'm sure the dealer will probably fix u up under warranty as it's a brand new car and probably something really simple, maybe even while you wait. So your not able to open the trunk at all? With my setup on my pickup truck after I turned the knobs halfway up I was very satisfied with the sound. Like you at first I was like why did I have this done?. I was kinda surprised they let it out of the shop like that. Heres the post from the Reviews of this sub. "this product is amazing! the subwoofer is loud and clear. the amp is unbelievably efficient. overall, i find the volume level and clarity to be very satisfying (so satisfying, that i recently bought a second one cause i just can't get enough of this thing). one thing i would caution everyone about is this: there is definitely a break in period of about 30 hours or so. i saw significant volume increases during this 30 hour period. i was told by crutchfield staff to be careful not to max the volume out for at least 15-20 hours and i followed that advise. oh, and i strongly recommend buying the rbc volume control knob as there is so much fluctuation in bass volume levels on all kinds of music. at first i thought to just use the eq, etc controls on my head unit, but i'm so glad i got the rbc knob cause it's very quick and easy and almost zero distraction compared to going into menus in the head unit for adjustments. i would love to see this line of woofers expanded into 15" drivers that will handle more power and have an on board amp that is the same dcd technology but have even more power capability (like 500-600 watts or so). i know the w6 line takes 600 watts and is available in prefab boxes, but they don't have an on board amp. just a suggestion.
Thread Starter
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From: Maryland
2024 S580
SO, I am home. Its about a 45 minute drive from the installer to here, and I will say that my initial impressions weren't fair. It absolutely adds a lot of low end depth, its not in your face but then I didnt want it to be. Right now I'm running the OEM equalizer about 6 for bass which before I was running at 10. I have the sub knob turned up about 70%. I also read those reviews on Crutchfield and will let it all ruminate some and break in. I think if I were to add a pass through (which the shop said they could do no problem) I think that would more than solve the issue, lets just wait and see if that's necessary or not. I really would rather not do that
I will say, the sound isolation of these cars is incredible. I was concerned that it would sound like a riced out civic outside when the audio is running, and you can't hear it. In my Lexus I could stand outside and hear the music, lyrics, etc not with the S560. My license plate rattles a little bit, but thats easily fixed.
Will keep everybody posted
The trunk will open, but when you release it it only opens up about a third of the way. It wont power close at all. Once you close it manually and close it to the latch, it will power pull the trunklid down. Shop said to just send them whatever bill Mercedes charged me and they would reimburse me.
I will say, the sound isolation of these cars is incredible. I was concerned that it would sound like a riced out civic outside when the audio is running, and you can't hear it. In my Lexus I could stand outside and hear the music, lyrics, etc not with the S560. My license plate rattles a little bit, but thats easily fixed.
Will keep everybody posted
The trunk will open, but when you release it it only opens up about a third of the way. It wont power close at all. Once you close it manually and close it to the latch, it will power pull the trunklid down. Shop said to just send them whatever bill Mercedes charged me and they would reimburse me.
Last edited by SW20S; Jan 29, 2021 at 07:31 PM.
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From: Newcastle, WA
2019 S63 4Matic+, 2018 E400 Cabrio, wardens car.
If you have the rear seat package, the pass through is pretty easy but even with the standard rear seat you do have an area behind the armrest that has a door I believe. On my car I have the rear seating package and the shop was able to just cut the back off the little storage compartment behind the armrest and cubby area. I figure when I sell the car I will just install a plastic square with some black carpet attached to it to fill the hole in. No one will notice or be the wiser. If you are worried about it I am guessing you could buy a replacement piece of plastic and install it before you turn the car in. I actually like the passthrough because I can close it and it does not effect the noise in the cabin, but more importantly I can fit a 2X4 or other long object in my car now. No trunk passthrough on these cars is a big miss in my opinion.
