Pitts Pilot
Active Member
I recently had my in-car Nav/Audio/Telephone upgraded by Comand Online, and quite frankly the new system sounds phenomenal!
The existing MB NTG1 Comand system had previously been upgraded by C.O. with an 'Mcar' unit to provide iPod and Bluetooth functionality to the antediluvian NTG1. It worked really well, but after 6 months the clumsy limitations of even this enhanced NTG1 began to irritate me. (My wife found the NTG1 so UN-intuitive that she gave up on it completely and flatly refused to touch it. I became driver and DJ!).
So I drove over to Comand Online in Lightwater (M3 Junc 3) seeking advice again.
I had existing Bose speakers - bass and mids, so they were retained, but oddly there were no tweeters
So the old Mercedes Comand system, amp, and passenger foot well subwoofer were removed and the following installed:
Shoe-horning in the 8" screen was quite a job. I did the initial work of cutting and enlarging the 7" frame that Alpine sells (they don't do an 8" frame for a SL), and then sanded it down and finished it with spray-on soft rubber 'paint'. This rubber finish feels great to touch and looks good too. So we used it on the custom tweeter pods as well.
View attachment 34038
Job finished. I particularly like using the split screen. It means I can have the Nav map visible, and also see & control the music.
The custom tweeters are mounted in bespoke pods on the front window sails. They are specially directed towards my seating position, so I'm hearing tweeters 'on axis', rather than from down by my knees, and as a result they being a clarity and vibrancy to the music that I've only ever heard on decent home audio systems.
Left & right tweeters pointed at the driver, in custom pods
With the old MB sub removed from the far depths of the passenger foot well we were able to squeeze in a ready-made 8" sub. So no issues with air volume, venting, etc. Install box & Go - perfect! It sounds really punchy and deep, and not boomy or uncontrolled like the MB one. I personally like my bass 'tight', so this really delivers.
Rob at Comand Online did the fitting, including making the custom tweeters pods. It took him a few days, but he's a perfectionist, so I was happy to leave him to it. He did a brilliant job and improvised well, because I believe an 8" screen wedged into an SL is a 'first', so it was a bit of an adventure in uncharted territories!
In the end I have a sound system that I thoroughly enjoy. Sometimes I arrive home and have to stay in the car for a few minutes to finish listening to a track. I can barely drag myself away.
I admit that I am in to my music big time, and I find that the car is often the best place to play it loud and unhindered, it's freedom.
The 8" screen is enormous compared to the MB's 6", and the 928's capabilities are too many to list, yet it's operation is very intuitive. (My wife likes it - so say no more).
The two separate Nav & Audio touch screens
Sound is audiophile quality from either my iPod or CD's. It's really impressive. (I use lossless sound files on an iPod).
So in summary, I'm a happy camper, enjoying my SL even more than before
Thanks once again to the guys at Comand Online
.
The existing MB NTG1 Comand system had previously been upgraded by C.O. with an 'Mcar' unit to provide iPod and Bluetooth functionality to the antediluvian NTG1. It worked really well, but after 6 months the clumsy limitations of even this enhanced NTG1 began to irritate me. (My wife found the NTG1 so UN-intuitive that she gave up on it completely and flatly refused to touch it. I became driver and DJ!).
So I drove over to Comand Online in Lightwater (M3 Junc 3) seeking advice again.
I had existing Bose speakers - bass and mids, so they were retained, but oddly there were no tweeters
So the old Mercedes Comand system, amp, and passenger foot well subwoofer were removed and the following installed:
- Alpine W928R double din head unit with 8" screen. Check out: http://www.alpine.co.uk/p/Products/advanced-navi-station2676/ine-w928r
- JL Audio 700 watt, 5 Ch. Class D System Amplifier
- New power cable & hi-end interconnects
- Special custom made tweeter pods fitted with Morel MT-22 tweeters
- 8" Subwoofer in factory tuned box
Shoe-horning in the 8" screen was quite a job. I did the initial work of cutting and enlarging the 7" frame that Alpine sells (they don't do an 8" frame for a SL), and then sanded it down and finished it with spray-on soft rubber 'paint'. This rubber finish feels great to touch and looks good too. So we used it on the custom tweeter pods as well.
View attachment 34038
Job finished. I particularly like using the split screen. It means I can have the Nav map visible, and also see & control the music.
The custom tweeters are mounted in bespoke pods on the front window sails. They are specially directed towards my seating position, so I'm hearing tweeters 'on axis', rather than from down by my knees, and as a result they being a clarity and vibrancy to the music that I've only ever heard on decent home audio systems.
Left & right tweeters pointed at the driver, in custom pods
With the old MB sub removed from the far depths of the passenger foot well we were able to squeeze in a ready-made 8" sub. So no issues with air volume, venting, etc. Install box & Go - perfect! It sounds really punchy and deep, and not boomy or uncontrolled like the MB one. I personally like my bass 'tight', so this really delivers.
Rob at Comand Online did the fitting, including making the custom tweeters pods. It took him a few days, but he's a perfectionist, so I was happy to leave him to it. He did a brilliant job and improvised well, because I believe an 8" screen wedged into an SL is a 'first', so it was a bit of an adventure in uncharted territories!
In the end I have a sound system that I thoroughly enjoy. Sometimes I arrive home and have to stay in the car for a few minutes to finish listening to a track. I can barely drag myself away.
I admit that I am in to my music big time, and I find that the car is often the best place to play it loud and unhindered, it's freedom.
The 8" screen is enormous compared to the MB's 6", and the 928's capabilities are too many to list, yet it's operation is very intuitive. (My wife likes it - so say no more).
The two separate Nav & Audio touch screens
Sound is audiophile quality from either my iPod or CD's. It's really impressive. (I use lossless sound files on an iPod).
So in summary, I'm a happy camper, enjoying my SL even more than before
Thanks once again to the guys at Comand Online
.
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