E55K standard system improvements?

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John

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Is there any kind of improvement which can be made to the 'standard' system in the E55K?

I have 7 speakers (single sub on the parcel shelf) but no Karman Hardon.

I enquired at my trusted ICE place when I first got it but it sounded rather expensive to do anything and it is fibre optic in places.

Has anyone done anything to this system with minimal effort - or is it a pigging nightmare?

It's not bad at all - in fact it is excellent. I would like it to have a bit more oomph.
 
John, am being thick as ever, but how can one tell if it's got Harman Kardon or not. (My passenger front door speaker cover has such a badge on it, but could have been stuck on by anyone.)

Cheers

Tim
 
TDE, when you go into the comand menus there should be a logic7 option on the sound settings.

As for upgrades, sub can be improved upon, rest is not bad, cant take high volumes tho
 
How much do you want to spend? Ballpark?


As little as possible in all honesty - but that doesn't mean I wont spend to get an improvement!

John, am being thick as ever, but how can one tell if it's got Harman Kardon or not. (My passenger front door speaker cover has such a badge on it, but could have been stuck on by anyone.)

I thought I had an Audio 20 system at first - I didn't know the NAV made it a different system...

:doh:

As for upgrades, sub can be improved upon, rest is not bad, cant take high volumes tho

I think that is what is lacking. It works well but clips a bit too early. I'm not into loud music at all, but there is a volume at which it can't go beyond on certain tracks due to clipping.

I don't want to create my own massage seats from 200dB of 20Hz bass...

How can the sub be improved?

I did some digging last night and found someone in the US had removed the stock sub, placed an amp running +/- from the battery in the boot, and taken control from the fuse box and fitted a replacement more powerful sub.

I was hoping I could take control from something in the boot.
 
Cost me less than a Grand to have a 800 watt Pioneer system fitted to mine with new 2 way speakers in all the doors and a Flat Sub in the boot with a remote twiddly thing mounted up front.

Blows ya sox off and gives me Tinnitus at 75% max volume! :eek:


What more can you ask? :D
 
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yep you can take the feed off the existing sub, most people take it out to allow the sound from new sub in the boot to come in.

there loads of options really, but you have to have a budget in mind before working out what to put in!
 
Seems like less than a grand then!

Is your sub in a separate box sinewave?

Can it not be done the other way i.e. the cheapest noticeable improvement would be to add in an amp and larger and or more powerful sub on the shelf which would cost £300 etc.?

I'd like to spend less than £500 but if that is going to yield bugger all improvement - it's either more cash or leave it I guess...
 
less than £300, not sure on the quality of sub you will be getting, remember it would have to be a free air sub and the shelf re-inforced with MDF to make a baffle board, ofr you could make a small enclosure onto your sub.

Heres a thread to get you thinking :)
 
Seems like less than a grand then!

Is your sub in a separate box sinewave?

Can it not be done the other way i.e. the cheapest noticeable improvement would be to add in an amp and larger and or more powerful sub on the shelf which would cost £300 etc.?

I'd like to spend less than £500 but if that is going to yield bugger all improvement - it's either more cash or leave it I guess...

One of these.

Pioneer PRS-D420 4 Channel Class-FD Amplifier - PRS-D420 from Pioneer

From the Audio Gateway in the Boot powering 4 of these in all doors,

DB Audio T-Rex6.1 2-way speakers - TRex6.1 from DB Audio

With this Flat Sub with integral amp on the Boot floor.

Pioneer TS-WX77A Amplified Subwoofer enclosure 200Watts - TS-WX77A from Pioneer


Does me OK! :D
 
One of these.

Pioneer PRS-D420 4 Channel Class-FD Amplifier - PRS-D420 from Pioneer

From the Audio Gateway in the Boot powering 4 of these in all doors,

DB Audio T-Rex6.1 2-way speakers - TRex6.1 from DB Audio

With this Flat Sub with integral amp on the Boot floor.

Pioneer TS-WX77A Amplified Subwoofer enclosure 200Watts - TS-WX77A from Pioneer


Does me OK! :D

That looks quite easy to install.

I still get flashbacks, like you would from 'nam, about running cables front to rear in various cars, and in some tapping into stock wiring, in my youth. I'm not sure the pain has subsided enough for me to do that sort of thing now.

I guess the stock tweeters are still in the A pillars (assuming you have them!)?

Not sure if you did the install or paid a professional but was it a question of swapouts with the speakers and adding the sub - or were numerous replacement cables required to be run?


:thumb:
 
Believe it or not JohnEBoy I'm a qualified Electrician but I couldn't be bothered to do it my self and also wasn't that sure on pin outs from the Audio Gateway in the rear, so that price includes fitting by the Manchester branch of the Car Audio Centre as well as the gear.

Standard E class speakers use adapter plates in the doors which can either be modified (which mine were) or you can obtain after market ones.

The standard Tweeters were left as is, as they reckon the MB ones are OK, same goes for the speaker in the central dash.

Uprated cabling was run to both Amps and other bits and bobs were used, but to be honest I just fecked off in to Manchester for lazy lunch and a spot of shopping and left em to it.

:cool:
 
Lol.

OK, so four hundred bucks or so for labour and six hundred for the gear (assuming you paid the prices now being specified on those web pages).

Did they do any Dynamat-ing in that or do you not suffer from any vibrations?

Shame you don't live daan saaf - would be useful to hear what it sounds like.

I attempted 'some sh*t' in my previous Saab but made it sound worse. I think I went wrong putting in not-expensive-enough speakers.

I've never been in that situation before but that just shows how much car audio has come on since BMW in the 90s using Nokia speakers... WTF?

I'm not sure about pin layouts either - I had to look up the AGW to find out what it was.
 
Didn't have much luck finding a Pin out Diag my self.

I'll be at Silverstone next Sunday at Trax 12 if that's any use to ya?
 
Sinewave you on a stand or just coming down?
 
Didn't have much luck finding a Pin out Diag my self.

I'll be at Silverstone next Sunday at Trax 12 if that's any use to ya?

Hmm, still 3 hours or so oop north for me unfortunately, dag nammit.

Cheers anyway.

It's given me food for thought.

:thumb:
 
Hmm, still 3 hours or so oop north for me unfortunately, dag nammit.

Cheers anyway.

It's given me food for thought.

:thumb:

its about 2 hours for me from Essex, so not round the corner, good day out if you still fancy it, most of the E55 crew will be there!
 
I didn't know there was a day out (I obviously don't look at the Events forum much!).

Damn it, I have something on unfortunately otherwise I would!
 
Are any of you guys going to Trax ; going to Vmax in September?

I'm not sure I am yet as I've not had a response saying that...
 

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