SL 350 sound system - limited quality?

[RattlerRattler]

Hi, I've just bought a 2007 SL350 with (I assume) the stock stereo system (no mention of Bose/HK), but it's not a very good quality sound.

I'm no great expert on stereos, but do appreciate a decent sounding setup, which this isn't, so a few Q's;

- are stock MB systems weak? (or is mine broken?)
- are there any economic upgrades that can provide decent improvements?
- are there limitations because it's an SL? (space?)

Thanks
Tim

 

[richard]

Talk to Alfie at Mercedes Retrofit Specialist - Comand.co.uk

The stock system is basic. There's a lot that can be done, but SL are awkward because of limited space.

We've done loads of SL upgrades now that the early SLs are more affordable and have very out of date audio systems

Richard

 

[Pitts Pilot]

Hi, I've just bought a 2007 SL350 with (I assume) the stock stereo system (no mention of Bose/HK), but it's not a very good quality sound.

I'm no great expert on stereos, but do appreciate a decent sounding setup, which this isn't, so a few Q's;

- are stock MB systems weak? (or is mine broken?)
- are there any economic upgrades that can provide decent improvements?
- are there limitations because it's an SL? (space?)

Thanks
Tim

Hi Tim

The sound system in your SL350 2007, assuming it’s the original MB system is hopeless, not broken, and has IMO one of the most unintuitive head units, ever fitted to a car.

I know this because MY 2007 SL350 had the exact same system as yours, and it sounded PANTS!

The answer to your woes depends on how much you value your In Car Music.
Personally, my preference is to have GREAT music in my car. I’m someone who really enjoys my music and finds that there is a special freedom to turn it up loudly and listen to what I want to that I don’t have at home.


So I am therefore someone who takes my in-car ‘sounds’ seriously and is willing to spend some money getting them right. If you are of a similar mind and your music is important to you, then the following will make perfect sense. Bear in mind, C on L will work to any budget. You don’t have to spend a month’s salary, but if you do it will transform the car.

So, the problem you have with your existing non Bose, non HK, standard MB system is that, to be brutally honest, there is nothing that you will want to keep! It’s old tech and things have moved on light years since it was fitted.


So I went to Comand on Line, experts on ICE who specialise in Mercedes.
They stripped out all the MB kit and installed a completely new system based around the Alpine W928R head unit
(see http://www.alpine.co.uk/p/Products/advanced-navi-station2676/ine-w928r ) which was the largest screen they – or I suspect anyone else at the time – had fitted to a SL. [The 7” screen fits nicely, but the 8” requires some custom work to ‘shoe-horn’ it in to the dashboard – something that C on L are more than capable of].

The all important music source is, in my case, an iPod playing Apple lossless tracks, and which integrates in to the W928R beautifully. There is a back-of-the-unit-USB port that you use to run a USB cable to the ‘between seats storage compartment’. I’ve placed the iPod on a non-slip rubber mat, plugged in the USB cable and 20 pin adapter, and away you go. (I recommend avoiding MP3’s if you can, even at high Bit Rates, as a quality system can tell the difference between them and Apple Lossless....).

An iPod as a source is so convenient. When I need to add or erase a track/album, I just grab the iPod out of the car and hook it up to my PC, etc. Easy!


So if you want a sound system, with an Alpine Head Unit, 700 watt 5 channel amp, sub hidden in the passage foot well, new speakers, custom tweeter pods aiming at your ears, etc, then £3K is the number you have to swallow!
Yes, it’s a wedge of money, but you can always tailor it up or down, (for example I started with a firm budget of £1,500 but things got too ‘exciting’ for me to back down).

So spend what you want to, but I took the view that I was not getting rid of the car anytime soon, so I saw it as a) an investment and b) a way of doubling the sheer enjoyment I get from driving the car. The clarity, crispness and distortion free volume I have access to, particularly with the top down is up there with a decent home audio setup.

I can recommend Comand on Line very highly. They are proactive and problem solving, and if they think changing something won’t improve the sound, they will tell you! (Personal experience- really impressed me). They are also brilliant at coming up with some cunning installations to suit your specific budget. You don’t need to go mad to make a significant sound improvement.

In my case, such was the extent of the ‘re-fit’ that they needed the car for a few days, because an SL is very awkward to work on, everything is a tight squeeze. So its seats, consol, carpets came out, in order to install the kit properly. They simply can’t do that in a single day, so I hired a car and ran round in a Ford Fiesta for a few days! That way C on L could take their time and give me back my SL when the new system was “Ready not rushed”.

If I have not yet given you cause to think that I am completely bonkers, here are a few pictures!

You start with this antique:




The Alpine head unit with split Audio/Nav display
Note that the bottom of the perimeter fasica is missing because there's no room for a 8" in an SL, in theory!!




Great Audio display




Excellent Navigation screen




Custom tweeter pods point at the driver for optimum performance



Hide the sub & box in the passenger foot well!




So that's how I did it, with Comand on Line's considerable help!

Cheers,
Robert

PS. I've got a MB Bose sub and a C on L iPod interface "in2digi" that works well with the MB head unit. PM me if you are interested.

 

[RattlerRattler]

Thanks Robert a lot of info there and it's much appreciated.

However, I doubt that ICE is as important to me as it is to you, but I do want to improve the car's setup, and I feel 3K is too much to spend on the system, but all creidt to you for exercising your wallet to meet your audio desires.

I actually think that my passenger door speaker is diuff anyway as it only makes that fuzzy noise and offers no sound quality (not sure if there's one speaker in there or tweeters?)

So a few Q's if I can;
- which single component could I change / add that would give me the best bang for buck improvement?
- do I have a sub already?
- on the HK or Bose systems - is the head unit the same as mine (speaker upgrades only?)
- is the head unit really that bad?

My thoughts are that if I could (get away with) just upgrade the door speakers, then this would be sufficient - (match the HK/Bose setup?)

I may well be interested in your Sub, and Ipod i/f, but I know I need to swap the door speaker anyway, so may be looking at a few speakers too?

Thanks
Tim

 

[Pitts Pilot]

Thanks Robert a lot of info there and it's much appreciated.

However, I doubt that ICE is as important to me as it is to you, but I do want to improve the car's setup, and I feel 3K is too much to spend on the system, but all creidt to you for exercising your wallet to meet your audio desires.

I actually think that my passenger door speaker is diuff anyway as it only makes that fuzzy noise and offers no sound quality (not sure if there's one speaker in there or tweeters?)

So a few Q's if I can;
- which single component could I change / add that would give me the best bang for buck improvement?
- do I have a sub already?
- on the HK or Bose systems - is the head unit the same as mine (speaker upgrades only?)
- is the head unit really that bad?

My thoughts are that if I could (get away with) just upgrade the door speakers, then this would be sufficient - (match the HK/Bose setup?)

I may well be interested in your Sub, and Ipod i/f, but I know I need to swap the door speaker anyway, so may be looking at a few speakers too?

Thanks
Tim

Hi Tim

IMO, and subject to Richard's expert views, a simple door speaker upgrade is the first and foremost thing to do. Forget the Bose/HK systems. They have different wiring and components, although they do use the same "NTG1 or 2" head unit as you have.

Speaker-wise you could spend anything from £200 to £400 for a pair of decent 'component' speakers (woofer with separate tweeter). The black door grilles do not detach, so the door panels have to come off. For me, this puts the job squarely in the hands of the professional. This is your main ‘Bang-for-Buck’ upgrade.

As the door panels (both) are coming off, spend as much as you can on your speaker budget . It’s probably going to be a one-off cost during your ownership of the car, so IMO it’s worth doing properly.

Sub woofer-wise; this is personal choice. You don't have one at present, and if you do a lot of motorway driving, then the road and tyre noise at speed will rob your existing music of all its bass, so a sub is great for filling in what's lost and giving the music some 'body'. Not as much Bang-for-Buck as before, but worth consideration. (What does it add in real terms? – well, even my wife noticed the difference, and she’s not interested in car hifi !)

The MB sub hides in the passenger foot well, behind the carpet, and would make a noticeable difference to the sound. [Important Note: The MB sub has its own built-in amplifier. This is essential, as your head unit is not powerful enough to drive it!]. My MB sub is available; price to be agreed!

Notwithstanding the above, one must not forget your music. The MB head unit is an antique, but still a useable one, so you can feed it CDs if you what, or listen to the radio.

Alternatively, there is a clever device called a 'mCar' that interfaces with it and allows you to play your MP3/iPod etc. The music & album names come up on the MB screen for ease of selection, and it provides 'hands free' for your phone too.

See http://www.commandonline.co.uk/mcar_umi.html

I actually started my 'SL audio life' with one of these mCar’s and it worked very well, upgrading my MB NTG1 head unit nicely for my iPod to play music, and handling my phone calls too. For me, this was a real ‘added-valve’ upgrade! (I still have my mCar if you are interested? [The £3K upgrade happened some time after I had taken these first steps...]

Here’s a photo of the MB head unit with some of my iPod music displayed on it



In summary therefore, I think that a mid price pair of component speakers in both doors, and an mCar to make the system (& phone) more user friendly, and you would be done. If you are feeling flush and reckless, treat yourself to the sub too!

Anything more than the above means stripping out the existing system and starting with a clean slate, as I did; and that's not necessary for most peoples' requirements.

I hope the above is of help?

Cheers
Robert

 

[RattlerRattler]

Thanks Robert
I will go down to see Richard and/ or the team. If I'm right that they're in Lightwater, that's great for me as I'm in Camberley. Looks like a pair of speakers at least, and maybe that sub of yours

If my understanding of the speaker door grills is the same as yours, mine do come off, as I've removed the passenger one to check the duff speaker, but I may have misunderstood you.

Many thanks for your thorough response and I will be in touch re that sub I'm sure.

Tim

 

[Pitts Pilot]

Thanks Robert
I will go down to see Richard and/ or the team. If I'm right that they're in Lightwater, that's great for me as I'm in Camberley. Looks like a pair of speakers at least, and maybe that sub of yours

If my understanding of the speaker door grills is the same as yours, mine do come off, as I've removed the passenger one to check the duff speaker, but I may have misunderstood you.

Many thanks for your thorough response and I will be in touch re that sub I'm sure.

Tim

Hi Tim

I had the Bose door speakers and they did not have removable grilles, so I think that is the difference.

If you are thinking of buying my sub and/or mCar, I am happy to sell them to you, rather than stick them on eBay.

Bose Sub and amplifier combined: £150
mCar: £195 complete with a miniature microphone for your 'phone facility
Plus: P & P Signed-For delivery, charged ‘at cost’, to you or direct to Comand on Line.

Let me know if and when you are ready, etc.

Cheers
Robert

 

[mcsolar72]

SL 350 Audio Upgrade

Hi Pitts Pilot,

Just wanted to ask when you changed your head unit, then you still have the steering wheel control? What component is needed for that please?

Cheers

Steve