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Aftermarket Radio - best looking ...

17K views 23 replies 19 participants last post by  MonkikiX 
#1 · (Edited)
I've seen a lot of SL's with tacky looking after market radios.
I don't know what it is but most just don't look right to me.

Have you installed or seen a radio installation that you think
looks right for the 107 SL cockpit?

My Kenwood Radio looks OK - but definitely has an "aftermarket-ity" look.

Carl
 

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#2 ·
I bought a Nakamichi MB-VI for my 126. One of the main reasons I chose this unit was the fact that it didn't have that "aftermarket" look. It doesn't hurt that they are one of the best car stereos out there- There are quite a variety of Nakamichi units that look good. Here is a pic of the one I chose.
 

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#21 ·
I was looking at the same head unit a few days ago. I'm also in the same boat...

Either keep the stock radio but send it in to have an AUX line added (and fix the tape player, which overheats and shuts off after a while). It has the right look, but I'm not sure if it would have the right sound even with the line out running through a new amp, sub and speakers.

Or get a new radio that's low key, and run through the same new amp, sub and speakers.

Decisions, decisions...
 
#5 ·
Different story in a W126 though really, as you actually have speakers that sound good, also the asthetic of the car is from a different period.

For me, I love the way a restored Becker Grand Prix 612 looks. Spend $200 on the Soundlabs refurb and AUX input addition, and it's even better.
 
#7 ·
I put a Sony in my SL and it looks kind of garish.

Recently, I bought a low cost Alpine CDE-100 for my 300D. It looks much better and I think it would look fine in the SL. But it's all a matter of taste. A period radio might look better.

The Alpine has a neat feature - it has the normal front jack for an MP3 player, but also has a USB socket. I have been using that with a 4Gb memory stick - more tunes than I need! It also has a MP3 compatible CD player.

Oh, and the good part - It only cost C$69.00

 
#8 ·
Personally, I haven't yet seen an aftermarket radio with looks I like. Most of those I've seen would appear more at home on the Starship Enterprise than in a car from the '70s or '80s. (That said, the Nakamichi pictured above looks "quieter" than most current offerings.)

If I ever do anything about my currently dead Becker, it will be to bring it back to life rather than replace it with a new radio, though I will probably add a jack for my iPod.
 
#10 ·
I pretty much agree with all you've said.

I would be fine with the original Becker, but the PO had already had a new Kenwood, with new Boston Accoustics speakers, and an Alpine power amp. I found the Kenwood to be way too fiddly- I couldn't get the hang of the controls, and it's looks belonged in some kid's Japanese hot rod. The Nakamichi has very intuitive controls, like a good oem stereo should have.
 
#9 ·
I upgraded to a black version of this
.

.
as it has RDS and I can see MP3 song names when on FM broadcast. It fits very well with backlight matching colour, but...

Recently I got fully working 612 for $5 and I remembered how that styling goes perfectly with 107's interior so I am actually going to revert to this (have 2 of them):



Somewhere on the bottom of my priority list is a subwoofer/bass speaker project in passenger footwell with corresponding period correct amplifier by Pioneer (an actual AB class amp). I got all the matching parts but too many partially finished stuff...
 
#15 ·
Like some others, I rarely use the radio in the SL. Usually no longer than 20 minutes and it gets turned off.

I have a 'period correct' aftermarket unit that was installed when the car was new. I can't think of the name right now, but the look fits the car, and it has an AUX input.
 
#17 ·
I have to agree with GMB. I use the radio a whole lot less than when I was younger, and I also like the original look. I paid handsomely to have my Becker Grand Prix refurbished, and my original speakers still sound good enough for the occasional times that the radio is on. When the roof is down (most of the time), who needs a radio anyway?
 
#22 ·
Other than vintage stereos from the era, I think almost everything out there looks cheap and plasticy. Non-stock units from that era that were high-end would be Alpine (alternate choice for Porsche offered by dealers in the 80's), Marantz and possibly Kenwood. Alpine were more numerous than than Marantz due to the price--almost all Marantz car stereos were not--the head units were pre-amps and you still had to buy seperate amplifiers and in some cases, electronic x-overs. But they sure were pretty. Some of the Alpines had aux inputs in the rear, I think most of the Marantz units did.

For a modern unit, this is one of the nicest I have seen:

WTS: Car Audio

And thats actually a really good price for all that gear.
 
#23 ·
I would be looking for something with bluetooth and not just an aux input. bluetooth is the future and it really is nice. You just get into the car and the two units sink up and away you go. If you have a BT enabled cell phone, the stereo instantly becomes a hands free phone. That is truly nice.
 
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