V12
MB Enthusiast
Have been promising a few members pictures and updates of what i'm actually up to with my CLK at the moment.
Started with the intention of doing a rough "How-to" for installing a stereo in an MB, but kept forgetting to take vital pictures!
All the basic rules apply to any MB.
My goals are simple :
-Must look stock or as close as possible in the interior, and as far as possible in the boot.
-Can't be overly complicated with multiple amplifiers etc - (this can easily destroy good sound by over doing things)
-Reversible if the need ever arises.
-All work done by myself to keep the costs right down.
I am very busy at work at the moment, so have been spending an hour or two after work, 3 days a week for the last 2 doing this.
This has all been done on a tight budget using second hand equipment, but any car stereo enthusiast will know, the final sound is 80% down to the quality of installation and 20% the equipment.
Here's the equipment that is going in :
Pioneer F900 BT as the source unit, this features sat nav, bluetooth, dvd etc. RRP £1500, got it second hand for £500, admittedly here i could have gone for something a lot chaper and got just as good sound quality.
Hifonics Olympus Amplifier driving all speakers RRP £800, bought for £120
For thos of you that want the specs, this will be feeding 2 x 125w RMS @ 4 Ohm to the front speakers and 500w RMS to the subs @ 2 ohm bridged.
A/D/S 364 / 641 component speakers - RRP £800ish, oldest component in the system, absolutely love these speakers (especially the silky tweeter), and picked a set up for £80 from E Bay!!
Sub Woofers - 2 x Elemental Designs EHQS 12", These subs are designed for running infinite baffle, which basically means running free air, sealed to the rear shelf and using the boot as the box. This provides arguably the best sound quality of any sub enclosure, but is damn difficult to get right! Important point is to simply the seal the boot from the cabin completely.
We'll see how this goes. Although these subs will only be receiving a maximum of 500 watts between the two of them, that will be far beyond my needs and i doubt i will ever use 200watts between the two of them.
Ok, let's start with some pictures!
First 2 show that you need to really strip back the interior to get some good space to work with and to get to all the original wiring channels and ducting.
Last pics shows where to run the power cable through. Everyone told me the cable had to run across the engine bay and through the fusebox and over the pedals, but after lifting the battery out you can clearly see the ducting that allows the cable to go through.
My big 0awg power cable wouldn't fit through, so i ran 3 x 4awg runs through the rubber block and conected them through a fused block to the 0awg cable to run the length of the car.
So we have the power cable running down the passenger side and the signal RCA cables running down the right hand side to prevent any interference.
Started with the intention of doing a rough "How-to" for installing a stereo in an MB, but kept forgetting to take vital pictures!
All the basic rules apply to any MB.
My goals are simple :
-Must look stock or as close as possible in the interior, and as far as possible in the boot.
-Can't be overly complicated with multiple amplifiers etc - (this can easily destroy good sound by over doing things)
-Reversible if the need ever arises.
-All work done by myself to keep the costs right down.
I am very busy at work at the moment, so have been spending an hour or two after work, 3 days a week for the last 2 doing this.
This has all been done on a tight budget using second hand equipment, but any car stereo enthusiast will know, the final sound is 80% down to the quality of installation and 20% the equipment.
Here's the equipment that is going in :
Pioneer F900 BT as the source unit, this features sat nav, bluetooth, dvd etc. RRP £1500, got it second hand for £500, admittedly here i could have gone for something a lot chaper and got just as good sound quality.
Hifonics Olympus Amplifier driving all speakers RRP £800, bought for £120
For thos of you that want the specs, this will be feeding 2 x 125w RMS @ 4 Ohm to the front speakers and 500w RMS to the subs @ 2 ohm bridged.
A/D/S 364 / 641 component speakers - RRP £800ish, oldest component in the system, absolutely love these speakers (especially the silky tweeter), and picked a set up for £80 from E Bay!!
Sub Woofers - 2 x Elemental Designs EHQS 12", These subs are designed for running infinite baffle, which basically means running free air, sealed to the rear shelf and using the boot as the box. This provides arguably the best sound quality of any sub enclosure, but is damn difficult to get right! Important point is to simply the seal the boot from the cabin completely.
We'll see how this goes. Although these subs will only be receiving a maximum of 500 watts between the two of them, that will be far beyond my needs and i doubt i will ever use 200watts between the two of them.
Ok, let's start with some pictures!
First 2 show that you need to really strip back the interior to get some good space to work with and to get to all the original wiring channels and ducting.
Last pics shows where to run the power cable through. Everyone told me the cable had to run across the engine bay and through the fusebox and over the pedals, but after lifting the battery out you can clearly see the ducting that allows the cable to go through.
My big 0awg power cable wouldn't fit through, so i ran 3 x 4awg runs through the rubber block and conected them through a fused block to the 0awg cable to run the length of the car.
So we have the power cable running down the passenger side and the signal RCA cables running down the right hand side to prevent any interference.
)
