Audio advice please

[St3veP]

Hi guys. New owner here. Just posted in the welcome section.

Wonder if i could have your thoughts please.

I have an E270 2004 W211. It appears to have the Audio 20 set up with a single cd slot below the display and a built in cradle in the armrest. I have given my VIN to the company that deal with Viseoo and they say i need toe mbu 3000 (if that helps you all).

Anyway what i am after is the following:
I want a bluetooth connection that i can use for calls as well as streaming music from my Galaxy s7 Edge. I would rather, if possible take out the fitted holder in the armrest. I'm not interested in SatNav as i use my phone for this. As a single working dad with 4 teenagers living at home cost has to be a consideration for me.

From the searches i have done it seems i have the following options.
To replace with an Audio 20 from 2009 onwards. These units are going for a lot at the moment so cost is a little prohibitive.
To put in an aftermarket head unit. This seems to be the most complicated option.
To remove the current stereo and solder an aux adaptor into it and then use a bluetooth adaptor through this port
I'm fairly ok with tools so would be happy to have a go myself.
For those of you that have experience in the Audio side of the car what are your views and advice as to the best way forward please?

Thanks, Steve

 

[AMGeed]

Have you checked if there is an aux socket already in the glove compartment?

Easy to miss as they are so small, you can plug your phone into the socket using a 3.5mm jackphone cable. Something like this 3.5mm Jack Plug To Plug Male Braided Aux Cable Lead For Headphone Car Stereo MP3 | eBay

 

[Coruscator]

ViseeO would be a good way to go guy, if you already have the UHI connection
in your armrest.

The ViseeO device will connect to your phone via bluetooth each time you turn the key,
as long as you have your bluetooth switched on, on your phone.

If you go this way you will be able to use the steering wheel controls and the
intrgated microphone/speakers in your car to make/receive calls.

I put a ViseeO in my dads 2007 E320 and it worked a charm. I just had to
unplug the old nokia phone cradle and replace it with the ViseeO. It plugs
straight into the UHI connector.

A quick look on the Viseeo website here will put you on the right track:

ViseeO Store - The Official Online Store for ViseeO - Free Worldwide Shipping | Viseeostore

Then you can do what AMGeed is suggesting and plug in via your AUX jack in the
glovebox to play your music.

 

[St3veP]

Unfortunately the Viseo0 doesn't stream music otherwise it would have been the ideal choice.

 

[Coruscator]

Unfortunately the Viseo0 doesn't stream music otherwise it would have been the ideal choice.

Are you sure?

When I read it yeaterday I didn't notice this:

'The ViseeO MB-3 also features advanced A2DP technology allowing wireless music streaming from any Bluetooth A2DP enabled device.'


Here: ViseeO MB-3 | Bluetooth Adapter with iPod/iPhone/MP3 Integration for Mercedes-Benz | Viseeostore




After reading that I googled this:
​

What is "A2DP"?

The Advanced Audio Distribution Profile is a Bluetooth profile that allows for
the wireless transmission of stereo audio from an A2DP source (typically a
phone or computer) to an A2DP receiver (a set of Bluetooth headphones or
stereo system). Such devices typically also support the AVRCP profile as
well in order to allow for track selection and such. A common misconception
is that A2DP support is available on all Bluetooth 2.0 devices, which is not
the case, and that A2DP is only available on Bluetooth 2.0 devices, which
is also not true. A2DP support can exist in older versions of Bluetooth, it
just was not commonly supported.

Here: What is A2DP? - Definition


I would presume that your Galaxy s7 Edge is A2DP compatible but you'd need
to check the generation of your phone to see if it is. :0)


Grrr, I wish my car had the nokia phone cradle pre-installed now, like you have.

Hmmm, I feel a new thread coming on. :0)

 

[St3veP]

Now that's interesting. I emailed Command Online with my VIN and my phone model. This was the reply

Yes it works for the Samsung range but it is for phone calls only.

If it does stream then that would be much the best option I reckon

 

[Coruscator]

Now that's interesting. I emailed Command Online with my VIN and my phone model. This was the reply

Yes it works for the Samsung range but it is for phone calls only.

If it does stream then that would be much the best option I reckon

I'd send an email to viseeo, if I were you.

Just had a look at Command online and they don't yet offer the ViseeO MB-3.

They do however sell the MB-4 which doesn't offer music streaming.
Maybe this is why they told you that it wasn't possible.

Worth mentioning that the MB-3 has only recently been released, probably
to fill the gap where music streaming is desired.

This is from the ViseeO website:

The ViseeO MB-3 is the latest Bluetooth/Music integration product for your
UHI/MHI equipped Mercedes-Benz.
The MB-3 has many new features including the new Parrot Bluetooth chip.
Parrot are the industry leading manufacturer of Bluetooth hands free
technology, and by using the Parrot Bluetooth chipset the MB-3 allows for
increased compatibility with a wider range of Bluetooth enabled phones.

The MB-3 exclusively features music integration with your factory fitted
Mercedes audio system. Using the advanced inbuilt FM transmitter to
transmit audio, the MB-3 can connect to an Apple iPod/iPhone via the
included dock connector lead, or to any MP3 player via the AUX input. This
allows for crystal clear music playback through your original Mercedes
audio system. The ViseeO MB-3 will charge an iPod or iPhone via the 5v
dock cable, so you do not need to worry about battery drain. The
iPod/iPhone/MP3 Player can be stored out of sight in the centre armrest
alongside the ViseeO MB-3.

Here: ViseeO MB-3 | Bluetooth Adapter with iPod/iPhone/MP3 Integration for Mercedes-Benz | Viseeostore


Let me know how you get on. :0)

 

[Coruscator]

As I understand it, the ViseeO MB-3 has an in-built FM transmitter.

So your phone sends the music to the MB-3 via bluetooth then the MB-3
'broadcasts' it on an FM frequency.

You then tune your radio into the FM frequency that the MB-3 is set to, and
away you go, rocking and a-rollng once more. :0)

It looks like thats how it works to me anyway.


God I wish I had a UHI connecton in my car. :0(

 

[Diesel Benz]

As I understand it, the ViseeO MB-3 has an in-built FM transmitter.

So your phone sends the music to the MB-3 via bluetooth then the MB-3
'broadcasts' it on an FM frequency.

You then tune your radio into the FM frequency that the MB-3 is set to, and
away you go, rocking and a-rollng once more. :0)

It looks like thats how it works to me anyway.


God I wish I had a UHI connecton in my car. :0(

If you do not have the UHI kit, don't you anyway have the AUX interface? If not, on an NTG2 head unit it should be easy to retrofit.

Then purchase a bluetooth-to-AUX adapter that receives an audio stream from your device (phone etc.) and plays it via the AUX port.

This is much better than an FM transmitter. Audio bandwidth is limited on an FM radio and you will have to keep tuning the frequency when facing strong local radio transmitters.

 

[Coruscator]

If you do not have the UHI kit, don't you anyway have the AUX interface? If not, on an NTG2 head unit it should be easy to retrofit.

Then purchase a bluetooth-to-AUX adapter that receives an audio stream from your device (phone etc.) and plays it via the AUX port.

This is much better than an FM transmitter. Audio bandwidth is limited on an FM radio and you will have to keep tuning the frequency when facing strong local radio transmitters.

Yeah I fitted my Aux port a while ago now. I use it with a cable to play my
music through my Audio 20. I don't mind plugging in to do this.

What I really want tho is wireless phone integration. But as I don't have
the UHI connection, I'm assuming I also don't have a microphone
pre-installed either. :0(

The holy grail for me would be a comand NGT2 or 2.5 with integrated
bluetooth but i'm not sure if this even exists. Its a bit of a minefield.

I found this on ebay:

Mercedes Comand APS NTG2 W209 CLK CLASS Sat Nav Navigation System DVD V15 2014 | eBay

But I don't think even this has bluetooth. Its just not fair.

Please tell me I'm wrong and I can get the holy grail after all. :0)

Even the 2nd gen Audio 20 with the colour screen and the cd slot above
the display has built-in bluetooth but was never designed to fit my CLK as
the car was superseded by the gorgeous E-class coupe.

Why? Why god? Why do you mock me so? :0)

 

[richard]

Just had a look at Command online and they don't yet offer the ViseeO MB-3.

Comand Online didn't offer you the MB-3 because it was discontinued a few months ago. We used to sell it of course. It retransmits the music over FM, so you have to tune in the radio. It was OK but not brilliant.

The W211 Audio-20 (NTG1) does not support AUX in. Not sure what you could solder into it to get an AUX input.

The W211 NTG2.5 Audio-20 (i.e facelift) supports Bluetooth and AUX, but 95% sure it doesn't support Bluetooth Audio Streaming.

If you change to something other than Mercedes head unit you'll lose most of the info display on the centre cluster relating to Audio, and steering wheel buttons won't work unless you pay for a steering wheel interface.

You need an adapter kit to plug in a NTG2.5 into a NTG1 car, don't think you can ignore that or you'll blow something up.

The easiest option is the W211 NTG2.5 ...

Richard

 

[jdrrco]

I have a Viseeo MB4 for sale if you're interested. Bluetooths the phone only. PM if you want to know more.

 

[St3veP]

Thanks but the mb4 won't fit.

I've decided that I'm going to go away from the Mercedes offerings and install a pure android head unit. For me it will be a cheaper way to go. Given that my current radio has the optical fittings how difficult will this be?

I'm not bothered about losing the steering wheel controls as I can always add that in at a later date

 

[St3veP]

Thanks but the mb4 won't fit.

I've decided that I'm going to go away from the Mercedes offerings and install a pure android head unit. For me it will be a cheaper way to go. Given that my current radio has the optical fittings how difficult will this be?

I'm not bothered about losing the steering wheel controls as I can always add that in at a later date

Does anyone who had our is currently doing this have any advice? I'm going to get one that is canbus compatible but what about the MOST optical system?
I'm also proboscis going the ebay or AliExpress error to buy. Never had any issues before. Again any advice welcome please