Re: c320 bose stereo question

Hello,

> I have a friend who wants to make his stereo similar to the one in his >parents C320 (they have the bose), so how many watts does the benz stereo >have?

C'mon. The Bose system in the C320 (or in most cars) is tuned for the car but, otherwise, consists of rather ordinary stuff. The number of watts is also irrelevant unless his room is the size of the C320.

Find a decent stereo shop or buy a Bose box.

Kal

Reply to
Kalman Rubinson
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He wants to put it into his mitsubishi. Richard

Reply to
marlinspike

Agreed.

How can anyone estimate this by ear without knowing the gain of the source components and the sensitivity of the speakers?

Kal

Reply to
Kalman Rubinson

Oh. Well, I doubt if the customized MB-Bose system will transfer. What you need to do set up a system with flexible crossovers and an eq which you could tune. Or just get a good system and forget about emulating the MB-Bose (which is fine but not outstanding).

Kal

Reply to
Kalman Rubinson

Reply to
marlinspike

Seat of the pants only :^).

I've been installling & switching compoent stereos in out out of the families Benz's, Beemers and Volvo for a while and gave up the signal generators and o'scopes and any pretense of the engineering behind it long ago. The manufacturer equipment specs are all over the map and unless buying really high $ components you can't come up with an apples to apples comparison anyway.

Play various Autosound CD test tracks, slowly crank the volume up and listen for the distortion.

Reply to
Scott D

OK. Especially since the wattage numbers are somewhat mushy themselves.

Kal

Reply to
Kalman Rubinson

Well as usual you get what you pay for. But money is not everything - even big buck components will sound terrible if not properly matched, filtered and installed. Yes he could get nice sound for $500 if he does his homework, shops smart, and matches up the components carefully. eBay auctions are a good source. Refurbished or leftover rockford-fosgate component sets sound great and are reasonably price. Used amps are available.

Look around on the Crutchfield site for their "Car Stereo Installation" guide. It is a good primer.

Do not bother with rear speakers. Put a good component set in the front and sub(s) in the rear or trunk.

He may be able to use existing CD deck (output types will determine amp inputs he'll need). If getting a new CD/receiver unit, buy good name brand but save money by skipping fancy features. CD/receiver power is not important if he runs amps. Two sets of preamp outputs - one set to feed front amp and one set for sub amp.

I think the bass in my e320's Bose is it's weak point but is still pretty darn good considering the rather small subs mounted in the rear deck. He does not need an equalizer for good bass. And he can get by without an active crossover if he buys a component set for the front (passive crossover included) and gets a sub amp with low pass filter in it. Just be sure only the really low frequencies get to the subs otherwise the bass will be poor. Try to find a sub amp with both a gain control and low frequency boost. Avoid temptation to get a lower power sub amp and crank up the gain, as it will cause distortion. Do not scrimp on the subs. 8" MTX, rockfords, xplod etc can be found used or clearance for around $50. Get a nice solid box (or go for a high power Bazooka tube if space is a problem).

Try to look at RMS wattage numbers when buying components, not peak watts. RMS will give a more realistic matching of power handling.

He can get a lot fancier and more precise later about frequency crossovers, speaker placement, amp input levels, proper gain setting, speaker phasing etc. But heck he has to start somewhere!

.................Scott D

Reply to
Scott D

Making a system like the Bose is a step backwards in car audio. It is far easier to put together a much better sounding , and much more reliable system. The Bose system uses speakers with impedances that no aftermarket speaker has. When the speaker fails, only an absurdly expensive Bose speaker, often part of an amplifier pod, must be replaced from the dealer. Coaxial, four ohm speakers and a CD head unit which can control a CD changer costs less and sounds better especially when using a four channel amplifier. Considering that most developed nations of the world have been listening to music from CD for twenty years, what is a Mercedes-Benz doing with an antiquated cassette deck in the dash? P.

Reply to
pkmaven

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