Upgrading sound on a W123 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Zerohour3k · #1 10-12-2007, 08:29 AM

Okay, here goes..

I'm currently driving around in a 1983 300D, and am looking to upgrade the sound on the car. I suppose I'll start with a little background as to what the car currently has:

*Blaupunkt MP46 head unit
*Two 4" aftermarket speakers in the front, which don't sound half bad. I haven't had a chance to take the grilles off and find out which brand, however.
*Two unknown speakers in the back which put out next to no sound. Not sure if they're blown or simply not hooked up properly, but if I crank the stereo.. the front speakers are blaring loud, and the back ones both put out hardly anything.
*Original factory grilles, no amplifier or subs.

What I'm looking for, is a sound system that has very good bass, but won't cost me an arm and a leg. The factory grilles must fit over the rear and front speakers, since I don't want to ruin the "stock" look of my car with ricer-esque speaker grilles with "Type R" written all over them. I don't want to hook up an amp right now, if I can help it.. but I will be buying an amp in the future. (Reccomendations for an inexpensive amp would be greatly appreciated, too!)

So, keeping these things in mind, what would be a good choice for an upgrade in my car? To reiterate:

*Good bass reproduction. Current speakers can hardly be "felt" at all.
*Original "factory" look, using the OEM grilles if possible (espically for the front)
*Non-amped system, but with room to add an amp later (or now, if the price is right!)
*Total cost at ~$300 or less. Preferably less, but I know that sound comes at a price.

Thanks, guys!

speakerboy · #2 10-13-2007, 02:32 PM

The W123 will fit 4" up in the dash and 5 1/4" in the rear deck. In order for a speaker to fit nicely in the front, the tweeter must not protrude very far out, or the grille will not fit. Also, the holes are aligned like on a regular 4", as it has the euro 4" pattern. Not to worry, a regular 4" will fit with a little trimming to the metal mounting ring on the speaker.

Does your car have the "fade" wheel in the center console? If so, that could be your issue with the rear speakers to begin with. The stock grilles in the rear should fit on top of any speakers that you put in.

Any "bass" that you get from this system will almost certainly be rom the rear speakers, as a 4" cone simply can not move enough air. The only true way to add bass is to add a subwoofer in your trnk, but I have a feeling you don't want to do that.

For speaker ideas, check out Sound Domain. They are factory authorized to sell anything that they have, they are scheaper than Crutchfield, and right now if you type "BLOWOUT" into the coupon code slot, you get an extra 15% off!

rg2098 · #3 10-13-2007, 08:57 PM

Heres my advice / current set-up;

Becker 780 in the dash. It uses the factory connectors for all W123's, but it was a late 80's model with better internals.

Pioneer speakers work great in the W123, 4" in the front under the factory grills, and 5.25" in the rear.

The sound is more then adequate. There is some bass, but remember, your biggest speaker is 5.25", it's simply a small speaker.

I am very happy with that set-up in mine.

KAdams4458 · #4 10-14-2007, 04:10 AM

For future reference, I noticed the other day that Pioneer has a 10" low profile sub that is only 3 inches deep. They're a little spendy, but a single one would add the lows needed to fill out four small speakers running off of the head unit. I also suspect it could be made to fit in the rear parcel shelf without seeming overly obnoxious. Couple it with a small single channel amp, and you might be on to something. You'll be well over $300, though.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-ifY1RsEzlgw/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?search=pioneer+shallow&i=130TSS2541

vipercrazy · #5 10-16-2007, 06:13 PM

i have low profile 5x7's with a 6x8 case for the rear, they fit fairly well but the screws that hold it in place are a little too long to sit flush, its not the speakers fault. ive also reupholstered it with black leather, that carpet was annoying

xtreme barton · #6 10-16-2007, 08:39 PM

i just slapped a new cd deck in my 300se .. what a difference from the crappy stock.. new speakers too ..

i even custom made a new shifter plate and took out the ridiculous fader and buttons .. new chrome stainless steel plate only holding the window switches .. looks great

tapping a new cd player in isnt hard at all

Hit Man X · #7 10-17-2007, 02:36 AM

You will not get any decent sound from a head unit, end of story. They lack audible range, clarity, and power.

Find a small 25-40x4 amplifier and enjoy the fidelity. Kicker, Alpine, and Precision Power can be had for steals if you can shop around. They can be had for $70 or less shipped (used) and all you need is 8awg wiring to the amp, it does not draw much current. If my math is right, it'd pull 26 amps at FULL power (max volume on the HU and max gain on the amplifier). A TRUE 40 watts will make your head hurt with the right drivers. You'll be around $110 installed for a small, CLEAN, quality amplifier INSTALLED.

4" and 5.25" speakers are cheap, look on ebay. Less than $75 for a pair of decent quality ones (Alpine, Pioneer, etc). I stuffed a 6.5" in the rear of my 240D, just needs a bit of trimming. 1.25" in diameter does not sound like a large gain, but the difference in surface area is vast and will help the midbass. It's good to around 50Hz. After that it's just distortion. Cross the 4" around 100-150Hz, see what works best for YOUR combination.

You're now at sub $200... I just sold an extra HU I had that used three sets of 4v preouts, internal X-over, HD radio, MP3, etc for $60 shipped. It was some Kenwood KDC-MP9xxx or something.

There you have it. Fantastic sound, on a budget.