W211 saloon sub

[Deleted member 138290]

Not really sure where I should post this ??? Anyway just wondering if anyone knows the RMS and max power output of an 03 w211 saloon subwoofer ?? I’ve just put an aftermarket head unit in and was thinking of upgrading the speakers and sub but not sure if there is a better sub to fit in the frame in the boot ? Lol I’ve also still got no radio channels even with the adaptor I was advised to buy so it’s iPhone tunes atm...

 

[John]

Not really sure where I should post this ??? Anyway just wondering if anyone knows the RMS and max power output of an 03 w211 saloon subwoofer ?? I’ve just put an aftermarket head unit in and was thinking of upgrading the speakers and sub but not sure if there is a better sub to fit in the frame in the boot ? Lol I’ve also still got no radio channels even with the adaptor I was advised to buy so it’s iPhone tunes atm...

Where you have posted it is spot on. It states the kind of things under each forum.

Do you have Harman Kardon?

The sub that comes with this is a bit shyte from what I remember when reading up on it when I had a W211.

I didn't have Karman Hardon in mine but was happy with quality of what was in it so ended up buying a moderate amp and subwoofer and running it from the high levels to the rear doors.

If you are running new wires, I would run shielded RCAs from the new head unit to the rear.

I created my own custom mount from MDF and bolted it to the parcel shelf underneath where that OEM subwoofer goes.

Make sure you Dynamat everywhere on the parcel shelf though and you might need some foam in between the top parcel shelf cover and the actual metal parcel shelf.

 

[Deleted member 138290]

I have the elegance spec so would imagine my speakers/ sub are the crappiest lol ! My new head unit is 4x55 Sony and tbh it’s not bad all round sound but I would defo like to upgrade a bit. Seen some nice 200rms/ 400 max 3 way 6.5 for £30 was thinking front and rear and then just a better slim sub ? Not bothered about the front tweeters and dash speaker tho tbh not sure the dash one is even powered ? Would be handy if a newer sub would just handle the head unit without more wiring for rca a/ mini amp ?

 

[John]

I think the HK speakers have badges on them to indicate.

The three ways will have tweeters already so you don't need to upgrade those. I'd forget about the centre dash speaker although it will be powered by the standard amp in the car (Audio GateWay if it has one)!

I've had good results from combining both tweeters and coax in the past but then I like top end clarity and a bit of volume there.

You could start with the 3 way speakers and see how you get on. I once fitted a pair of 6 x 9" co-axs into a MK4 Escort parcel shelf and most people thought the car had a subwoofer - and that was running off a fairly decent Kenwood headunit (probably similar output to your one).

When I bought my W211 (E55), it didn't have HK but the research I did into it suggested it had the same speakers albeit was 150w instead of 250w and was missing the subwoofer and two small speakers either side of it.

I did install a subwoofer as above but the system was very good without that so you might find it's enough to just do the replacement speakers front and rear.

Word to the wise though - spend the most you can afford on the speakers if you can (you don't have to go crazy but I'd consider looking well north of £30) - especially if you intend to keep the car. I did a lot of installs into my own cars in the 90s and early 00s so was used to OEM speakers which were utter shyte. Imagine my surprise when I bought some aftermarket speakers (about £30) and installed them in my 2004 Saab 9-5 Aero around 10 years ago, and I did once side first and compared and the new speakers were utter shyte compared to the OEM speakers in it!

If after all that you find you want more lower end, you can install a slim sub as you state. The problem with those and a saloon (especially a W211) is that it's quite hard to get enough bass into the cabin. So you would have to consider installing one in the cabin somewhere.

Also, you wouldn't be able to drive a subwoofer off you headunit and get any kind of sound from it. The headunit cannot deliver anywhere near enough current to drive a subwoofer. Although a subwoofer is really just a woofer cut off at frequencies below your woofers, lower frequencies require the most current from the source.

You could buy an active subwoofer which has an amp built-in. These can sometimes be driven off high-level inputs or you can buy adapters meaning you can use existing speaker wires which you don't need.

If you have to put stuff in the boot, I'd consider going amp and proper subwoofer (you can buy small 8" subs which enough oomph these days).

The bottom line is there are few quick/cheap routes to success with this gig that will sound any good at any decent volume.

What you don't want to do is slowly upgrade in terms of buying lots of kit and then having to either sell it or take a hit.

So in your boat, I would start with the speakers as you can continue to use these no matter what, and even amplify them if volume is lacking (you will distort / clip them if you drive the too hard with not-enough power). Things like slim subs etc... have a word with yourself first and decide if you are really going to be happy with one.

Then take it from there depending on what you find is lacking.

 

[Deleted member 138290]

Yea think I will just upgrade the 4 speakers For now... don’t really want to spend £££s though ? £50 per set would be ideal but like you I’ve done a few installs in my own cars many years ago and have blown speakers/ subs pretty quickly lol.... my 03 w211 doesn’t have amp in the boot just a hole where it would go.... I just had a standard merc headunit originally which did sound quite good tbf but there was no radio stations and no aux/usb etc hence why I got rid... if you can recommend a descent set of speakers and prices and I will start my search, thanks

 

[John]

I tend to stick to what I consider are mainstream brands that I've heard of when choosing stuff for myself... things like Pioneer, JL Audio, Alpine, Infinity, Morel, Genesis and Rockford.

I've used stuff from all of them at one time or another and have never been disappointed.

I'm running Morel and JL Audio stuff at the moment - the Morels tend to be high-end but there's stuff in the JL Audio range that might suit.

I've always found that running high quality smaller speakers and more midrange stuff for the lower end tends to get the best bang for buck.

Coaxials are midrange similarly (separate components are high end) so you are governed somewhat by that (although this may work in your favour if you are happy with just the headunit) but you could consider something like 4 x C1-650x which are around £70 a pair.

You'd need to be sure you can fit them in in terms of diameter as well as depth though - this is where my knowledge is light I'm afraid but I remember shoe-horning in plenty of coax speakers into various E36 3 Series BMW footwells in the past.

These speakers can handle 225w each so 55w from a headunit is a little bit under-powered - so don't drive them too hard as the headunit may well clip sooner than you'd like leading to distortion in the speakers and then you blow them eventually as you fook the voicecoil - as you already know!

But you could try them and see how you get on - you might be happy with the result and not need to go further.

You can always amplify them later on and you've waste nothing - at that stage you might want to consider a subwoofer and going for a 5 channel amp.

 

[Deleted member 138290]

Ok thanks