W204 Audio upgrade.

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johnlewis1964

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2017
Messages
267
Car
2008 C180 Kompressor.
Hi folks new guy again what is a good all round stereo upgrade for my car many thanks.
 
Your best bet is to contact the guys in the link I posted in your other thread about iPod connections.

Whereabouts are you located?
 
johnlewis1964 said:
Hi folks new guy again what is a good all round stereo upgrade for my car many thanks.

Where abouts are you based?
 
Hello johnlewis1964,

Did you find a stereo for your vehicle?
 
No I was hoping to hook up I Pod but I don't want anybody taking of panels and breaking clips lol .
I burned a few cds from I tunes sound is ok but I would upgrade if I find the best all round unit many thanks.
 
It depends on what you are trying to achieve...

You can potentially replace the head unit with something that has more features / better amp etc, but ultimately the 'bottleneck' is the actual speakers.

If yours is a pre-facelift W204, with the pop-up screen, then replacing the head unit will not be easy. And at any rate, my experience is that the factory-fitted Audio20 or COMAND units actually have decent sound, it's the speakers that let the sound system down.

So I think your best bet is to upgrade the standard speakers with something better - comandonline.co.uk fitted excellent Morel speakers to my W204:

https://www.commandonline.co.uk/Morel-Maximo-coaxial-sound-upgrade-kit-inc-Dynamat.html
https://www.commandonline.co.uk/Morel-Maximo-component-sound-upgrade-kit.html

These were professionally fitted by them, including the Dynamat sound insulation, but obviously the door cards had to come off to get the new speakers installed.

And I now have very very good sound with a standard COMAND head unit (no additional amp).

So I would say that if you are looking for a sound upgrade your first port of call should be upgrading the speakers. Possibly adding a flat subwoofer in the boot if you like.

If then you still find the sound quality insufficient... you can add an amp to the existing factory head unit on your car (Audio20 or COMAND).

But I would not change the actual head unit - it will be expensive and wont achieve much without the better speakers.
 
Many thanks for the detailed reply.
 
It depends on what you are trying to achieve...

You can potentially replace the head unit with something that has more features / better amp etc, but ultimately the 'bottleneck' is the actual speakers.

If yours is a pre-facelift W204, with the pop-up screen, then replacing the head unit will not be easy. And at any rate, my experience is that the factory-fitted Audio20 or COMAND units actually have decent sound, it's the speakers that let the sound system down.

So I think your best bet is to upgrade the standard speakers with something better - comandonline.co.uk fitted excellent Morel speakers to my W204:

Morel Maximo Ultra coaxial sound upgrade kit inc Dynamat
Morel Maximo Ultra component sound upgrade kit inc Dynamat

These were professionally fitted by them, including the Dynamat sound insulation, but obviously the door cards had to come off to get the new speakers installed.

And I now have very very good sound with a standard COMAND head unit (no additional amp).

So I would say that if you are looking for a sound upgrade your first port of call should be upgrading the speakers. Possibly adding a flat subwoofer in the boot if you like.

If then you still find the sound quality insufficient... you can add an amp to the existing factory head unit on your car (Audio20 or COMAND).

But I would not change the actual head unit - it will be expensive and wont achieve much without the better speakers.

@markjay Sincerest of apologies for bringing up such an old post, but as I only have 3 posts I am unable to PM you Mark!

Could you offer some more insight into exactly how much different/improved the sound is with the Morel speakers? I'm speaking to Command Online and might potentially do the same thing but i'm just a little skeptical about exactly how much improvement there'll be. I'm not after crazy volume, but I would want a very noticeable improvement in the balance and clarity of the sound. Thank you, and hopefully you see this thread!!
 
@markjay Sincerest of apologies for bringing up such an old post, but as I only have 3 posts I am unable to PM you Mark!

Could you offer some more insight into exactly how much different/improved the sound is with the Morel speakers? I'm speaking to Command Online and might potentially do the same thing but i'm just a little skeptical about exactly how much improvement there'll be. I'm not after crazy volume, but I would want a very noticeable improvement in the balance and clarity of the sound. Thank you, and hopefully you see this thread!!
I am not an audiophile, but the Morel speakers are brilliant, definitely for the money. Crisp and clear sound, far better than the original MB speakers. I had the Audio20 replaced with COMAND NTG4.7 at the same, but still it's a standard factory unit (I.e. no Harman-Kardon option etc) and the sound is very good. I also had a small subwoofer fitted in the boot, it helps with the bass, but the crisp treble is all thanks to the Morel speakers.
 
I am not an audiophile, but the Morel speakers are brilliant, definitely for the money. Crisp and clear sound, far better than the original MB speakers. I had the Audio20 replaced with COMAND NTG4.7 at the same, but still it's a standard factory unit (I.e. no Harman-Kardon option etc) and the sound is very good. I also had a small subwoofer fitted in the boot, it helps with the bass, but the crisp treble is all thanks to the Morel speakers.

Great, thanks for the feedback much appreciated!
 
Considerably cheaper indeed. I've never replaced speakers before, and I guess it's just a huge unknown to me in light of the fact you really cannot "try before you buy" to see if you're happy with them. You spend all that money fitting them to find don't make enough difference/don't sound to your liking and then it's money down the drain.
 
I'm used to this , I've JL Audio TR650 CSi components in an older car , absolutely devine.

I bought some older now discontinued JBL components for a steal of 29.99 a set , added Silent Coat panel damping and I was not disappointed one bit !

In life I search and find the most amazing bang for buck automotive electronics that work well .
 
Appreciate your reply and input, will definitely investigate this all further!
 
Hi R77C where did you get to with the upgrade journey? I'm underwealmed by the non HK command system I have and looking for a straightforward.solution. It sounds like speakers and sub are a good way to go.
 
Hi Tjlazer, in the end I went for some Morel Tempo Ultras, amplified by a Focal Impulse 4.320 and I had my old sub wired in. For reference, you and others might find it useful I am using an Audi fitment B&O subwoofer like this: https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/attachments/3-jpg.59305/

It fits perfectly within the spare wheel (you have to permanently remove the jack/holder) and sounds pretty damn good. Honestly, I've had 8", 10" and two 12" subs in previous cars over the years (I like bass) and this thing compares very well considering it's only a dual-coil 6" woofer. All of the above was installed by Comand Online in Lightwater, and even they were surprised by the sub.

Overall I'm over the moon. Still fiddling with the settings and getting it just right but I know it's only a matter of time. The clarity is like nothing else I've ever heard in a car.
 
Can anyone tell me how you are going about feeding the amp for the speakers, are you tapping off the rear speakers to the amp? I am wanting to install components amped in the front and I have a 12” sub from a previous install.
 

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