Poor installer/installation

[Guest mbc230avg]

Upgraded my speakers + added amp + stepdown unit in my w204 last year.

Initially, the sound is better than stock but there are a couple of problems with the set-up that surfaced:

1. wheezing sound when engine is revved

2. static interference when lights and brakes are on

3. popping sound when audio system is switched off

4. poor bass

5. poor vocals

6. lost the front centre speaker imaging

7. sound stage imaging tend to be towards the left

Ever since then, being back to installer to rectify too many times to no avail. Thinking of just uninstalling the whole set-up!

Anyone has encountered such problems and grateful if can share the rectification steps? Sigh! So much problems after wanting better sound quality.

[Guest kepiting1sg]

mbc230avg wrote:

Upgraded my speakers + added amp + stepdown unit in my w204 last year.

Initially, the sound is better than stock but there are a couple of problems with the set-up that surfaced:

1. wheezing sound when engine is revved

2. static interference when lights and brakes are on

3. popping sound when audio system is switched off

4. poor bass

5. poor vocals

6. lost the front centre speaker imaging

7. sound stage imaging tend to be towards the left

Ever since then, being back to installer to rectify too many times to no avail. Thinking of just uninstalling the whole set-up!

Anyone has encountered such problems and grateful if can share the rectification steps? Sigh! So much problems after wanting better sound quality.

IMHO

In common jargon - aeroplane sound!

There are signal inteference in your system and it takes time to isolate the cause of the problem. The time taken also depend "how complicated" your system is!

The easiest will be a 2 way passive system - very straight forward to check all the wires, cables, amps, speakers, etc.

U may need to take out the system and slowly put it back part by part to see where the problem originate.

Can be cables, can be amp, can be grounding.

Go to a "reliable" installer and let him sought things out for you!

[Guest mbc230avg]

Thanks for advice. Went to the installer on the advice on sales personnel and that installer has the same W204. Guess, both of these are not reliable. Already spent quite some time e.g. leaving the car the whole day, but yet the problem surfaced time and again. To rub salt into the wound was the innuendo that u spent only this sum (which is more than $2k), one can't expect it to be so much better than stock, and of course the suggestion to spend even more!

[Guest kepiting1sg]

mbc230avg wrote:

Thanks for advice. Went to the installer on the advice on sales personnel and that installer has the same W204. Guess, both of these are not reliable. Already spent quite some time e.g. leaving the car the whole day, but yet the problem surfaced time and again. To rub salt into the wound was the innuendo that u spent only this sum (which is more than $2k), one can't expect it to be so much better than stock, and of course the suggestion to spend even more!

Sigh!!!!.....Nowadays installers is all abt $$$....where got passion!

Where are U located?

In the west?

[g8crasher]

Wah lau eh. It's certainly not about the money. Don't people take pride in their work anymore ? Whether you spend $500 or $5000 surely a minimum standard is expected mah. No professionalism at all. Tsk tsk.

I have had some previous installers promise the world and I only found out about the quality of the install after ripping the audio equipment out myself. Pls follow Unker Batams advice - one time Swee Swee hoot with the right installer then no need to worry

[Guest kepiting1sg]

g8crasher wrote:

Wah lau eh. It's certainly not about the money. Don't people take pride in their work anymore ? Whether you spend $500 or $5000 surely a minimum standard is expected mah. No professionalism at all. Tsk tsk.

I have had some previous installers promise the world and I only found out about the quality of the install after ripping the audio equipment out myself. Pls follow Unker Batams advice - one time Swee Swee hoot with the right installer then no need to worry

Fully agree with U Leon, be it a $500, $5000 or even >$50000 job must give the standard & professionalism.

Just this morning, I got a 2nd customer audit after their 1st audit was only a few mths back.

They asked me with my team of Mgrs - "what % of our volume & sales are from their products?"

Replied the 2 nicely mannered China ladies from a well known large MNC whom I dined with last nite.

"Dear Ladies, your products are occupying <1% of our total sales volume & $$$!"

Told them we hope to do more business with them and all customers are important to us!...be it big or small....大 小同 吃...including them....muahahaha!:Cry:

bro mbcavg230, find a "decent" installer who is willing to go out & rectified your system and not sell U some thing new or add a noise suppressor to your ICE system. There's something in the chain of your ICE system that is causing the interference. It might take time to troubleshoot! Like I say again, if it's a simple system, it's easy to isolate the cause of the problem.

If U can't find 1, see if I can help U to get 1 that will not hurt your pocket hopefully.

[Guest BenzModz]

Sorry to hear about your situation. Most people are not aware that the optical system in the Mercedes costs about 700 Million USD to design and engineer. That is why it has none of these problems.

Maybe you will work out all the ground loops and noise filters so that the problem goes away but generally speaking, from experience, there is nothing like OEM.

mbc230avg wrote:

Upgraded my speakers + added amp + stepdown unit in my w204 last year.

Initially, the sound is better than stock but there are a couple of problems with the set-up that surfaced:

1. wheezing sound when engine is revved

2. static interference when lights and brakes are on

3. popping sound when audio system is switched off

4. poor bass

5. poor vocals

6. lost the front centre speaker imaging

7. sound stage imaging tend to be towards the left

Ever since then, being back to installer to rectify too many times to no avail. Thinking of just uninstalling the whole set-up!

Anyone has encountered such problems and grateful if can share the rectification steps? Sigh! So much problems after wanting better sound quality.

[Guest kepiting1sg]

BenzModz wrote:

Sorry to hear about your situation. Most people are not aware that the optical system in the Mercedes costs about 700 Million USD to design and engineer. That is why it has none of these problems.

Maybe you will work out all the ground loops and noise filters so that the problem goes away but generally speaking, from experience, there is nothing like OEM.

IMHO,

Nowadays oem not that bad but for the discerning ears still not good enough.

To some listeners the sound stage has to be wide, deep, focused, eye level, good tonal accuracy and with some deep low Hz. :becky:

My previous W203 has no such wiring problem and I took the W203 oem as an additonal input source to my system.

The Head Unit was >13 years old but when it was new, the system could have easily buy U a half a dozen new Command units.

It was good enough to land me a place in the last Singapore IASCA/SASCA finals.

My supporters!....hehehe! :becky:

[Guest BenzModz]

kepiting1sg wrote:

IMHO,

Nowadays oem not that bad but for the discerning ears still not good enough.

To some listeners the sound stage has to be wide, deep, focused, eye level, good tonal accuracy and with some deep low Hz. :becky:

My previous W203 has no such wiring problem and I took the W203 oem as an additonal input source to my system.

The Head Unit was >13 years old but when it was new, the system could have easily buy U a half a dozen new Command units.

It was good enough to land me a place in the last Singapore IASCA/SASCA finals.

At some point in time you have to wonder if the car is the right place for such ambitions. Once I heard a good audio in a house I gave up trying to do the same in a car.

In any event I would have started with Rainbow speakers. There is a product on the market that converts MOST into Outputs - I worked on this project for some time and I dont know how it turned out.

I would agree that a new headunit is the way to go however I am unimpressed with the acoustics of a car generally. I still like my Harmon Kardon very with Digital TV.

My friend MBenzNL installed the W211 AMG sound system which is completely different to any other sound system from Mercedes. I believe SLS uses it and it comes from B&O

[Guest mbc230avg]

I stay in the North-East and the installer is in the Ubi area. I'm using Rainbow speakers with the germanium tweeters. Just not getting the set-up right to enjoy the speakers, ... yet!

Thanks for the advices. Grateful, if you can pm a good reasonable installer.

[Guest LF918]

U can try Cartoon from New Generation.I used him for quite a while.Pretty good & neat installer.His shop is in Ubi area too!

[Guest SingViet]

LF918 wrote:

U can try Cartoon from New Generation.I used him for quite a while.Pretty good & neat installer.His shop is in Ubi area too!

Hi all. I am presently at New Generation and have just liase with cartoon. Reverse camera and digital tv with interface for $2k. Not sure if I got a good deal. Cartoon's man is now installing for my W212. hope his man do the job well. Will keep fellow bros who are interested posted on the outcome .

[Guest kepiting1sg]

SingViet wrote:

Hi all. I am presently at New Generation and have just liase with cartoon. Reverse camera and digital tv with interface for $2k. Not sure if I got a good deal. Cartoon's man is now installing for my W212. hope his man do the job well. Will keep fellow bros who are interested posted on the outcome .

Welcome to the Forum!

Hope U enjoy your stay here! :welcome:

Did U get an Alpine RC. This cam has very good resolution!

RC can be as low as <$100. The Alpine RC is abt $500.

Dig TV is only about $200+

Did U fix the Garmin GVN53 GPS to your after market media interface?

And if U did - is it by RCA or RGB cable?

RGB will have a better resolution over RCA inputs.

Which Cartoon's man fixing for U?

I always preferred his oldest - Ah Boon!

BTW Cartoon did 4 of my ICE projects on my previous 2 Mercs and which project can takes anything from 3 to 9 months for completion. :Cry: