SL/R231: SL550 back speakers PROBLEM SOLVED!
Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 147
Likes: 3
From: Mount Dora, FL
2013 SL63 AMG
At the risk of flogging a dead horse, I'll relate my experience: my '13 has the B&O upgrade; I took advantage of the 'engineering fix' described above; and by fading the sound back at about -5 I am blown away by the sound fidelity and depth its stage – front to back and side to side. In the interests of full disclosure, I am not an audio engineer (should I need to be?) and I have been to many, many great gigs where I was within shouting distance of the lead singer et al. And, of course, the stage speakers, by implication. (I also turn up the volume on the car to override the sometimes intrusive tinnitus... :-) )
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 475
Likes: 157
From: Philadelphia area
2014 SL65 AMG, 2018 S560
At the risk of flogging a dead horse, I'll relate my experience: my '13 has the B&O upgrade; I took advantage of the 'engineering fix' described above; and by fading the sound back at about -5 I am blown away by the sound fidelity and depth its stage – front to back and side to side. In the interests of full disclosure, I am not an audio engineer (should I need to be?) and I have been to many, many great gigs where I was within shouting distance of the lead singer et al. And, of course, the stage speakers, by implication. (I also turn up the volume on the car to override the sometimes intrusive tinnitus... :-) )
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 763
Likes: 12
From: South Florida
2015 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG S
Hi all, I just picked up a 2017 SL63. Does someone know a good installer in the South Florida area that can upgrade the sound and or amp for the rear speakers. Thank you in advance!
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2024
Posts: 1
Likes: 1
2015 sl550
What has MB done with this sound system?
Just purchased a 2015 SL550 and was appalled at the audio sound. After reading through some of this this thread, I see some comments about how this audio system was calibrated and it's ridiculous. I just threw in a Talking Heads 5.1 DVD Audio disc and OMG!! what a difference. So the system is VERY capable of producing great sound, it's just set up wrong. I'm going to try the deep dive into getting the front back fader to appear first and then I'll look into additional amps, etc. But having heard what is possible, it's very frustrating to know that great sound is there but needs to be unlocked somehow. I'm an audiophile so I have a lot of 5.1 discs, but that's not the point. For 100k+ car it should be kickin' from the get go. No fiddling. My wife's Meridian system in her Jaguar XJR sounds tremendous with a myriad of tuning and sound shaping options. MB REALLY dropped the ball here. No owner should be adding or solving anything!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,125
Likes: 4,353
From: Corona Del Mar, CA
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Just purchased a 2015 SL550 and was appalled at the audio sound. After reading through some of this this thread, I see some comments about how this audio system was calibrated and it's ridiculous. I just threw in a Talking Heads 5.1 DVD Audio disc and OMG!! what a difference. So the system is VERY capable of producing great sound, it's just set up wrong. I'm going to try the deep dive into getting the front back fader to appear first and then I'll look into additional amps, etc. But having heard what is possible, it's very frustrating to know that great sound is there but needs to be unlocked somehow. I'm an audiophile so I have a lot of 5.1 discs, but that's not the point. For 100k+ car it should be kickin' from the get go. No fiddling. My wife's Meridian system in her Jaguar XJR sounds tremendous with a myriad of tuning and sound shaping options. MB REALLY dropped the ball here. No owner should be adding or solving anything!
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 54
Likes: 13
2014 SL 550 Sport Package
I have an HK system in a 2014 and have found some settings that work well for me. First enter the “Engineering Mode” to enable front/rear fade. On Command under Audio/Sound, set base & treble to +5. Enable Surround Sound, then adjust fade toward rear until you like the front/rear balance. Note you have to enable Surround Sound before adjusting Front/rear fade as enabling Surround Sound will reset it.
i listen almost entirely to Apple Music downloaded and these changes made a huge difference to me.
i listen almost entirely to Apple Music downloaded and these changes made a huge difference to me.
Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 152
Likes: 29
From: Central Florida
'13 SL550 Mars Red, Designo White interior, B and O sound
I have the B&O and have stated (way back up there 👆🏼
the exact same results as you. Nice and I'm glad to hear since so many others seem unable to enjoy what is a superb sound from this "rolling concert hall".
the exact same results as you. Nice and I'm glad to hear since so many others seem unable to enjoy what is a superb sound from this "rolling concert hall".
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,122
Likes: 222
From: Milton/Westport, MA USA
me: 2015 SL400 & 2015 ML400; wife: 2022 GLC Coupe; daughter: 2017 GLC SUV
Hey, I was just driving my "winter car", the ML400, and it occurred to me that most of us on this forum have other cars. Now, I've established elsewhere in this thread that my view is that the rear speakers in an SL work as rear speakers should, since all music, whether mono, stereo or surround sound, should come from in front of the listener, but yesterday was the first time, I believe, that I adjusted the fader in a car with a back seat to play only the rear speakers. Guess what? Pretty much the same as the SL, more ambience than anything else....
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
SL550
Thought I'd add my 2 cents to this older discussion.
I have a 2013 SL550 with the HK Logic 7 system and have been disappointed with its sound. It always sounded to me like the front center speaker over powered the stereo effect, so it always sounded like most of the sound was coming from the front (not left or right) of the car.
I made two changes which are discussed in this thread: first, I added the fader control by going into the engineering menu as discussed elsewhere above, and second, I removed the front center speaker. The difference to me is significant. I can now actually hear the rear speakers, and the subwoofer sounds much better (I actually had to turn the subwoofer down to level 1). The sound system now sounds to me like it was meant to sound.
Ii should mention I use an older iPod nano connected to the cable in the center console, with the sound on the iPod turned all the way up (otherwise, it was very hard to hear). Anyway, I'm very happy with the improvement.
I have a 2013 SL550 with the HK Logic 7 system and have been disappointed with its sound. It always sounded to me like the front center speaker over powered the stereo effect, so it always sounded like most of the sound was coming from the front (not left or right) of the car.
I made two changes which are discussed in this thread: first, I added the fader control by going into the engineering menu as discussed elsewhere above, and second, I removed the front center speaker. The difference to me is significant. I can now actually hear the rear speakers, and the subwoofer sounds much better (I actually had to turn the subwoofer down to level 1). The sound system now sounds to me like it was meant to sound.
Ii should mention I use an older iPod nano connected to the cable in the center console, with the sound on the iPod turned all the way up (otherwise, it was very hard to hear). Anyway, I'm very happy with the improvement.
