arosamond

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took a test drive in a 2004 slk350 yesterday and the only negative was the quality of sound from the radio. The car was quite a basic spec and didn't have command.
In all fairness I had the top down and could only try it on FM as I didn't have a CD but the sound was way less than I would have expected from even a std unit.

To get to my point I am looking for a car with command as I want an OEM bluetooth integration rather than going down the parrot route and I wondered if this will give me better amplification than the car I test drove which didn't have command.

There doesn't seem to be many cars 04/05 with the HK upgrade included and I'm assuming if I did eventually want to try and upgrade to HK having command would be a better starting point.

Having read as many posts as I could find relating to audio is it really the case that the car I drove would have 9 speakers in as std?

and finally could someone give me an idea of the cost of upgrading to full HK and how involved it would be for a DIY fit

DansSlk

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OK mate, the sound quality between the Audio 20 and the COMAND is similar but the HK upgrade is quite nice.

If you want to do the upgrade COMAND is a must and you have 3 upgrade options for the HK in order from cheapest to most expensive-

1) Change the audio gateway from the standard to the HK model (better amp).
2) Change the gateway and the speakers to the HK versions.
3) Change the gateway and speakers plus add the 2 additional fill speakers.

Option 1 will cost about £600.

Hope this helps

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FallintoCouture

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I thought the SLK moved up to a 350 with the 2005 MY...

UK-C200

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UK vs US model year. "04" in the UK was the "05" for the US. Personally, I'd add an option to Dan's list - which is to replace the A20 headunit with an aftermarket system. The integration is not quite as complete as what you have with all OEM kit, but the sound quality can far exceed what you get even with the HK option. I'd say try to find a 04-07 with COMAND + HK and see what you think of the sound.

arosamond

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Thanks yes it certainly does help. I assume having fitted the gateway that there will be some reprograming require, And I assume that will need to be done at a MB dealership.

Also with the standard audio how are the 7 speakers configured? because it sounded to me like I was only getting any sound from the door speakers.

fleep

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The sound quality isn't actually that bad with the Audio 20 and standard speakers (certainly loud enough for roof down), and the bass is OK, if a bit uncontrolled. Given that there is no sub in the car I think it is OK. I had the SLK32 AMG with Bose, and that was obviously better than the standard Audio 20 setup, but I haven't heard the other HK system to compare. I suspect you could get a better amp than the HK unit for less money too.

I am waiting for my system to be finished then I can give you an indication of what is possible if you want/need to rip all the MB stuff out.

arosamond

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Thanks for that!, I am beginning to wonder whether the issue with the car I test drove was how the unit was setup and the signal quality of the FM station because the sound was actually offensive rather than bad!

DansSlk

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Nope you wont need any programming when you make the change, the MOST network is auto-configuring.

It will log a fault code that says the actual config does not match the stored config but that does not have any effect on the function and they can just change the setting when its in for a service, you don't need to make a service appointment just to have it setup.

Standard speaker config should be balance centered with the fader fixed slightly forward, tweeters only on the rear wall.

Using a FM station to gauge the quality is not great really, use a CD that your used to and try that in the car roof up and down then see what you think. The HK is a decent system but not quite as good as the version offered in 4 seat models because as i say its only got tweeters to work with on the rear wall.

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arosamond

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Hi Dan

I'm hoping to go for a test drive in an SLK350 tomorrow the car has command but no HK or phone prep.
Following on from your post I wondered if you could elaborate further on the costs of all three stages for the HK upgrade an an indication of whether it is a DIY process for someone who is fairly technically adept, although not over familiar with car electrics.
If it is DIY where would be the best place to go for the bits and is there any fitting instructions available.
Also what would be involved in upgrading for Bluetooth phone to work with comand.
The car is a 54 plate but not sure when registered seems very good value at £18.5k with 30k miles and has comand. Just trying to work out what it will cost to spec it up.

Kind regards

Andrew R

fleep

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HI,

As far as I know, the phone prep is mega expensive and a pain in the arse. My 54 plate 350 had the option for phone prep and it was £450, if yours doesn't have it then it will be way more from what I recall.

Swapping out standard AGW for HK version should be plug and play I think. Whether it is worth it is another matter, as you need the HK speakers in order to get the most out of the option. You may be better off going for a better amp and speakers in the doors, and forgetting about the centre speaker and the tweeters behind your head.

MBenzNL do all the retrofit kit, and can install if they are in the area or if you fancy a trip to Holland. I used them on my W203 C270 and Steve did a top job in double quick time.

Here are the prices I was quoted for the upgrades...

Euro comand + regular AGW - Euro 3155
Euro comand + HK sound - Euro 4280
Euro comand + regular AGW + nav.drive - Euro 4490
Euro comand + HK + nav.drive - Euro 5470

So you should be able to work out the prices of the bits.

Hope this helps.

fleep

mtiede

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I would recommend finding an audio system test CD. I have one that checks balance, phase and frequency response as well as a very good variety of music sources such as opera, piano, jazz vocal, and other styles to see how the various tonal qualities do. I bought mine MANY years ago, so I can't recommend where to get one nowadays, but a search of the web may turn something up.

smoothbnzf4n4tc

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Didn't have much time to fiddle with the car in Europe, but I was a bit disappointed with the HK system when I compared it to the C350. The C350s sings, while the SLKs' bass in particular felt somewhat thumpy and a bit uncontrolled. I was using my IPOD however and in the C I was using an mp3 CD, so I don't know if that makes any difference.

I'll fiddle with it more once it gets back. But let me just mention that my benchmark is my B&W system at home which is quite modest. Hence, I'm no audiophile. However, Dan you say only two tweeters in the back and I could definitely feel the lack of high end oomph in the car.

Hope this helps in your decision for an upgrade. I would go aftermarket if I were you.

EDIT: I would definitely try going to a dealer and hearing an HK system yourself, before you commit. I didn't.

DansSlk

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If you want phone prep i would make a point of looking for a car with it already spec'd because you need to remove a lot of parts to install the kit, i seem to have a £500 ish figure for the parts if you do want to install it.

To use a BT phone with the COMAND you need the BT puck.

Options 1 and 2 are fairly DIY,option 2 involves removing the door cards and some trim, basically mate the question you need to ask yourself is are you prepared to remove the seats and seatbelts and re-install them correctly, if you are then you can do lots of stuff DIY and save loads on time cost but if your not then the only audio upgrade you can do DIY is option 1

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