bclark

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There was been quite alot of discussion/debate over at BW about those rear
center console speakers. Defendants of the system as it is claimed that
the sound should replicate that of a concert hall; ie, projecting from
the front "stage" with rear speakers providing subtle sound reflection.
Others pointed out that not all recorded music is formatted for surround and
thus may not activate the full system. I don't know about all of it;
like Realife I'm enjoying the h--- out of cranking my iPOD through
the HC system; makes the Monday a.m. commute not half bad.

bejak

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You are correct DansSlk. I have two small speakers behind the seats next to the seat belt openings. I have not noticed them before. They are working very well. Thank's for the tips!

/Bengt

Zut

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I have the HK Logic-7 unit. Here, it comes with the Comand/Navigation option. It cost me 4205$ and to be perfectly honest, I can't hear the difference between this sound system and the regular unit.

DansSlk

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Any time i am glad to be of help.

Cheers
Dan

JBSSLK55AMG

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HK Logic 7 with Command/Nav.

The Logic 7 sounds sweet to me, top up or down, CDs or Sirius. Then again, my wife says that as loud as I play music in the car, how could I tell?

mcat

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The is no option for Comand without HK7

dedra

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I phoned the good people of Alpine to ask about hifi upgrade.
I said should i get an audio shop to install the HK Logic 7.
After they had stopped laughing!!!! They said the Hk system a load of *******. Bose systems are marginally better and the Lexus system is the best of a bad bunch. What the did say however was that the MB basic installation is about the best OE system in any car (other than Lexus) and that the only upgrade is additional amp and some better speakers but those in the SLK are custom fit so there may need to be some radical surgery to the door panels which im not prepared to allow so i will go for a booster amp in the boot (trunk) and maybe a bass bin somewhere and save a wad of cash

dedra

alroumi

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"There was been quite alot of discussion/debate over at BW about those rear
center console speakers. Defendants of the system as it is claimed that
the sound should replicate that of a concert hall; ie, projecting from
the front "stage" with rear speakers providing subtle sound reflection"

Ive noticed what you said today when I was hearing the new Song of Sean Paul

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06 Kleemann Designo Mocha Black SLK55 AMG
06 Porsche Cayenne S
07 Jaguar XKR Coupe'

I use the Torque and keep the HP for my Steak Sauce!

mtiede

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Maybe the Alpine people were spouting a load of *******.

I suspect their opinions might be biased. Before doing any change to the audio system, YOU should decide how it sounds and whether YOU will like it.

There are many audio tastes. I think the HK system is quite nice. Certainly nice enough for a car running on the highway with the top down with road noise. I think it is far better than is required in a convertible. Admittedly, I liked the Bose system in my SLK320 slightly better, but the HK is respectable.

I personally don't like the large boomy speakers that people turn up loud so that others will notice their car's unnatural musical noises. Just because it goes loud doesn't make it a good sound system, IMHO.

Go to a dealer and listen to the sound. I have an audio test CD from Denon that I always take to the dealers, plug into the car and test the sound system that way. In addition to testing things such as phase, frequency range, balance and the like, it contains music from a wide range of types. Piano music, operatic stage performance, Nancy Wilson, jazz quartet, etc. That gives you a really good feel for what the sound system is like.

So find yourself a test CD and decide for yourself. I wouldn't recommend determining how they sound from speaker systems on a wall in a store though. Acoustics will change a great deal based on its surroundings. A large echoy room will sound far different than a convertible car with everything else remaining the same.

On the boomy noise note, I was quite surprised one day when my wife was waiting for me in the car with the top down and listening to music that, as I approached the car, I could barely hear the music. But once in the car, the sound was quite loud enough. I like that the music doesn't have to be listened to by others that don't want to hear.

Zut

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At first I did criticize the HK system because I couldn't hear the slightest sound coming from the rear speakers. This weekend, for the first time, I really cranked up the volume while playing a high-quality recording on my i-Pod and I was pleasantly surprised. Even at an ear-splitting setting, the system did not shake, vibrate or distort. The bass were deep and rich and the higher notes were crisp and crystal clear. The sounds coming from the rear speakers were not much more noticeable but the effect surely was. These speakers help create an ambience. You are literally engulfed in sound and yet it still seems like the main audio source is in the front. I love that car a little more every day!

bclark

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iPOD thru HK
i'M lovin' IT

RacerCub68

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iPoo'd through the HK and with the top down on and the cruise set at 79 MPH, Bass turned down to half, treble all the way up, volume at max, could barely hear the songs.

I remember driving down Lake Shore Drive in my Fiero GT with the T-Tops off, and 4 lanes away a guy in a BMW Z3 had his system up and I could CLEARLY hear the song. We were both going around 65 MPH.

SLK Stereo is wimpy, wimpy, wimpy!

Harmon Kardon equal CRAP, Bose equal Cool!

VitaminT

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I have the Audio 20. For everyday use it is ok, it doesn't help that it won't read mp3's, no sirius, no iPod hookup, etc, but hey the CD and radio work. If you are not expecting much it is okay.

I would probably look at putting together a system for the SLK but I don't see me keeping the car for a long time and I would imaging that depth for the doors is extremely limited.

One thing I have noticed in the past is that really great aftermarket speakers don't sound that much different at normal listening levels but you drop the top at 80mph and crank the knob and you will hear them really come into their place. Have to have a lot of power though.

Sid

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Look into Hertz speakers by Elettromedia.

http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/default_en.htm

Great speakers. Will fit into our door panels. Put in a nice amp and you'll be rocking.

I'm able to cruise at 80mph with my top down and still be able to hear the music just fine.

clu1234

I have Nav + HK Logic-7. I love my car except for the stereo -- it sounds really bad regardless of type of music, and worst with Sirius Sat radio. Never heard any sound from the "surround" speakers (except when when you mute the sound completely, then you'll hear hiss from those speakers), and the front speakers sound muffled. My girlfriend told me her sister's Civic stock radio sounds better. Sadly, I agree, too. In fact, my Celica, Camry, BMW, Audi - and my last SLK R170 all sounded much better.

mtiede

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Have you perhaps turned it up really loud? Maybe the speakers are ripped?

Although I think the SLK 320 Bose system was slightly better, I think the HK still sounds pretty good.

ellimb

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Hi Folks
Mine is the std. and with a SL short antenae, the reception of the radio is not good. And the speakers are crap !!
I had a Chrysler Crossfire with Infinity sound system including a sub woofer AND it is even more superior to Bose and can rival home units.

mtiede

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The speakers aren't crap. I have heard this a couple of times, but I can only guess that there is either a lot of difference from car to car for some reason or different people's expectations of what a sound system should sound like are different. I personally prefer something that sounds real. Not something that has its bass boosted abnormally or can play at ear-shattering volume.

Though I wouldn't say the HK is the best system in the world, it isn't crap either. I would say it is overpriced.

But to each their own. Anyone caring what their sound system sounds like should hear it for themselves to make their own judgment.

p.s.
I think people who plug their iPod into the aux port have varying experiences too. I think there is some setting in the iPod that basically outputs a flat signal, not amplified and this is the best thing to put into the aux. (though I don't have an iPod myself, I have read about this elsewhere)

alroumi

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I've tried the ipod via the MB kit and all I can say it sounds perfectly clear and not flat, though it could be a bit louder but sounds perfect with the strong bass kicking in on certain songs. I really love the HK system with the Command screen, its easy to use but I wished it has more settings for the sound such as theatre, church, assembly etc

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06 Kleemann Designo Mocha Black SLK55 AMG
06 Porsche Cayenne S
07 Jaguar XKR Coupe'

I use the Torque and keep the HP for my Steak Sauce!

mtiede

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"Flat signal" means it isn't being amplified and doesn't have any part of the audio range boosted above the others. It doesn't mean the sound isn't good. It is just unmodified.