davezaristo

Hi,

My slk doesn't have a cd changer and i want the mp3 capibility. What is the best way to go? Get a new head unit or just get the mb factory chgr and forget the mp3 function? I've talked to various places about getting the head unit and everywhere seems to have a different opinion about it. Some say it is just a swap btw the factory deck and the aftermkt deck, some say it needs a capacitor ($159) since the bose speakers are low ohm ones and they will blow with an aftermkt deck, some say it isn't doable at all with an aftermkt deck...(this is based on me telling them i want to keep everything factory including the bose speakers and subs)....I know the factory way is the guarantee to work way..however, for the money, i think going aftermkt may not be a bad idea. Any comments or input about this? What have you guys done and any results especially with the direct deck swap and not putting in a capacitor btw the deck and the bose spkrs?

Serhanium

You can check out the audio electronics forum..I m sure you gonna have a satisfactory answer there.
As for mp3 - I bought a JVC radio - Cd-mp3 player and threw away all cd boxes...There are also CD-mp3 changers in the market which means hundreds of trax..
In my opinion Bose is the best for the rear,if i were you i would never touch it.I only changed the door speakers with a stronger one and installed an amplificator.

Good luck!

Brian_R170

I think the absolute easiest way to add MP3 capability would be to install an RF-modulated MP3 changer.

A 2nd fairly easy option would be to replace the head unit with an MP3 head unit. You will need an adapter cable/connector, which is readiliy available since it's the same as some late-model VWs. You won't have any problem with the Bose speakers if you keep the Bose amplifier.

davezaristo

Hmm...as for the bose speakers, my local stereo shop was telling me that an aftermkt deck can blow them since they are 1.2 ohm compare to 4 ohm which most other factory system use. Is that true or are they just trying to lure me into changing my speakers?

Brian_R170

It's true (I don't know the exact impedence of the speakers), but the speakers are connected to the Bose amplifier, not the head unit.

BTW, if you're going to go through the trouble of bypassing the Bose amplifier and driving the speakers directly from the head unit, you might as well just replace the speakers.

davezaristo

Actually, what i really want to do is keep it simple and keep all the bose components and i don't want anything to blow if i put in an aftermkt headunit. My GOAL is to retain the quaility of the stock bose system and be able to listen to cds and hopefully mp3 as well since i feel that it makes no sense to put a bad *** system in a slk since the sound gets all distorted when the top is down.

Brian_R170

So there's really no problem. Just buy a head unit, VW adapter cable, and go.

MB230

I have installed a Kenwood KDC-MPV619 mp3 deck in my SLK. Just used a late model VW radio adaptor. It will be a simple plug and play afterwards. Which means if you have the key to remove the MB head unit, you can swap the head units as often as you like, very easily.

But I ended up keeping the originally MB head unit, since it looks the best with the rest of the console. And also, I got sick and tired of having to remove the face plate every time I got out of the car.

The VW adaptor is about $50 Canadian. Oh.. you would also need an antenna adaptor.

Good luck

sandrogrima

MB230,

Did you notice any sound quality difference (better/worse) with the aftermarket head-unit? I want to replacee mine but not if there's sound degradation.

I have finally found a unit that I think will look great in the console. It is a Clarion PorAudio DXZ835MP
(see attched photo) and it's black with adjustable color display/buttons with 720 different colors---one of them should match the orange in the original receiver.

Thanks in advance,
Sandro.

Derek2003

I notice an improvement after changing the factory deck in sound quality. It seems to produce a cleaner sound.

sandrogrima

Did you use the speaker output on the unit or pre-amp?

Derek2003

I use spk output because the factory bose amp did not have input for pre-out. Installation like the other users mentioned already is pretty easy.

Jminer

I talked to several reputable audio specialty stores before turning a screw on my SLK, and most tried to discourage me from doing anything myself, touting the fiber-optic cabling as overly complicated & beyond the "average" person's comprehension. That's all a load of crap. It's true, fiber optic cabling does connect the factory CD changer (or phone) to the factory head unit, but that's where it ends. The wiring to the head unit, the amplifier, and the speakers is regular old wiring, just like we've seen forever. I just used a late-model VW wiring adaptor & a European antenna adapter along with a nice Alpine head unit to begin with. It drove the factory amp/speaker system with no trouble for 6 months. Just changing the head unit made the factory system sound absolutely pathetic. Then I swapped the factory amp for a decent Alpine 4-channel amp of moderate wattage (75 watt per channel max) The sound improvement was even more surprising with this upgrade; I was hearing instruments in songs that I didn't even know were there before. I'm replacing the factory speakers next, and expect another vast improvement. I don't think most people realize just how poorly even the best factory systems compare to what's readily (and affordably) availalble in the aftermarket.

sandrogrima

Well, I removed the head-unit and used an MP3 player to test the VW harness, etc. All worked without a problem. I've ordered the Clarion receiver and I will install this weekend. Based on the results I will decide whether or not to replace the amps/speakers. I'm pretty happy with the factory sound in my 2002 SLK. If the sound is the same or better I may just leave it alone. I installed a really nice system with separate amps for each driver in my 99 expedition and it sound a lot better than the stock SLK Bose system. But of course I had a lot more room in the expy to mount all that stuff! :-)

By the way, where are the factory amp(s) located? How easy are they to get to?

Thanks,
Sandro.

Jminer

The factory Bose amp (there's only one) is located under the dash on the passenger side. It's forward of the passenger footwell (false) floor. Pull back the top of the floor mat & carpeting to reveal a hard foam insulator. Pull that out (no clips or fasteners holding it) and you'll see a white metal plate. Unscrew the three black plastic nuts around it's perimeter, and carefully pull outward (several wire bundles attached to the back of this plate) You'll see the amp screwed to the back of this plate (Black box on the right hand side) If you look inside the amp through the vent holes, you'll notice the case is nearly empty with only a few capacitors & a small printed circuit board. This tells you right away this amp is of poor quality compared to even moderately priced aftermarket amps.

sandrogrima

Well, I just finished installing the Clarion 835 and everything works great. One of the features on this unit is 4volt pre-amp outs so I was able to use the pre-amps to drive the bose amp instead of the speaker outs. I have to think that is a clearer signal since it is not amplified within the receiver. I alos wanted to use my Nomad JukeBox (MP3 portable player with 20GB hard drive) so I wired an RCA to Mini-phono patch cord into the AUX in on the receiver, drilled a small hole at the top/right corner of the pocket under the receiver and pushed the end through it.

I took a couple of pictures -- one with the unit on and one with it off. The one with the unit on was a little tough because of glare but I wanted to show how you can adjust the display/buttons color to match the rest of the instruments.

thanks to everyone for the help/advice. In the future I MAY replace the amp but right now I'm happy with the reults.

CopperDesigno

When i bought my SLK, it had no CD-Changer and it would be over a month to get one. So I went out and bought a Creative Labs Nomad MP3 player, with 128mb memory. It takes on average 30 MP3s and sounds great. I have it going through a $30 RF modulator can be bought at Circuit city or Radio Shack. The combination is great, I set the "0" to the FM station I have the RF modulator set to and the rest is cake. The AAA battery in the Nomad last for about 15 hours and the 2 AAA batteries in the RF modulator lasts longer, they haven't died yet, so I can't give a number. All this was less then $200. The Nomad is the size of a BIC lighter.

Serhanium

The systems you mentioned are all best possible options in SLK's but what bothers me is the acoustic & sound quality compared to other cars. Because of limited interior volume+ opening roof it will be never satisfactory as it is in a saloon, sedan car.
I am sure there are experts & professionals about audio systems and if you have any information about increasing the sound efficiency pls share it here with us.
Speakers with high output levels , strong amplifiers dont solve this problem, i think they look like a guy with very big muscles but without a brain.
In my opinion whatever the result is , even if there is no solution , just sharing ideas &knowledge is great. I had lots of small problems with the car and im grateful for your kind help (Especially thanks to Brian)


Serhan

sandrogrima

You're right, the interior of an SLK is not ideal for sound reproduction...but then can you drive down a windy road, on a warm afternoon, with the top down in sedan? NOT. Like everything else, this car is a compromise. I'm glad I bought it and think it's worth every penny.

Just my $0.02,
Sandro.

WHOISYOURDADDY

Anyone know if there is an aftermarket option for slk 320 that increases the volume as the engine noise increases? It is an interesting feature that I have see on some convertibles.

dc_320

I have a 2001 SLK320 as well (at least until I hit that stupid brick wall) and the sound volume does adjust with the wind noise. In fact it is quite noticeable.

It was purchased in the States...I wonder if that is the difference?

sandrogrima

Ok, so the last time I posted I had just installed the Clarion CD player using the pre-outs to drive the Bose amp. In using the new h/u I noticed that every time I changed a setting (skip/ff/source change/etc.) there was an annoying pop coming out of the speakers. My assumption was that the h/u had a problem. So, I returned the unit and got an identical replacement. The replacement did the exact same thing. Next I changed the wiring to use the speaker level outs and voila, all is well. Somehow when I change a setting, the pre-amp outs are generating a signal that the Bose amp reproduces as a pop. I'm not familiar with electronics to know why so at this point I'm forced to use the speaker level outs. The sound is good but my perception is that it's not quite as clean as using the pre-amp outs.

Can anybody offer an explanation? Even if there's nothing I can do about it, I'd like to know just to satisfy my curiosity.

Thanks,
Sandro.

m444

When the output of an amplifier has a DC offset, which should normally be Zero, is fed into an amplifier with DC isolation coupling caps, there is a risk of getting pops, from rapid charge or discharge of the coupling capacitors, during power up or changing signal sources.

Some products have a mute when the source is changed or on power up, so the DC offset charging the capacitor, does not affect the speaker.

Don

koaea

I've surfed around a bit, and can't find a tech page on access to the stereo. My 1998 slk230 has a JVC Kameleon stereo, but there is a terrible ground loop noise (whinining sound that increases in pitch relative to engine RPM). I suspect that the probem is in the grounding of the head unit, but I'm not sure how to access it. Does the console just pop out, or are there some screws that I haven't yet noticed? I don't want to force it.

thanks in advance.

koaea

Just checking back to see if anyone can help me with some advice on accessing my stereo.

Does the console around the stereo (and heater controls etc.) just pop out?

I'd hate to crack/break/ruin anything!

thanks

Joe