I have the Audio 5 system in my B180CDI.
The radio is good enough for me, since I mostly use my Ipod carkit.
But the rear speakers are beginning to annoy me, they produce a very weak sound.
So I want to change them for something better, maybe the Harman/Kardon ones from the soundsystem.
Has anyone done this ? What speakers can you recommend ?
Hi, my next project is this.. to replace the rear speakers.. I have noticed that they are too small to have good sound even they would be a good model/part/brand... So the first thing is to put bigger diameter which is probably possible by removing the factory plastic base and put the speaker direct, or using a custom one. I think that these speakers are 13cm diameter long instead of front which are 16,5cm and they have much better sound...
I will try all this as soon as i have the time and of course will post many pictures, but if you do this first please let us know and with pictures if possible!
I think that the 13cm is enough for me, I just want different 13 cm ones
But it should be possible to remove the standard speaker, make a bigger opening, maybe fit an MDF panel for extra stiffness and fit a bigger speaker.
I've read that the depth in the door is a problem when fitting speakers...
There are special types with lowest depth that can be fitted but for sure an MDF solution as you said could be better and more economic..
Anyway, one thing is for sure... the original rear speakers suck!! They are very poor quality compared to the front ones... Also another one good project would be a pair of tweeters a little bit higher maybe where the seat belts are coming out as the version with 12 speakers has...
I removed the doorpanels today. I used a small crowbar for this (Stanley Wunderbar) and I didn't even broke a clip. I drilled out the speakers only to find out that I need adapter rings or MDF to fit other speakers.
I'm not in the mood to spend hours making MDF rings so I ordered two adapter rings (14 Euro's) to fit other 13 cm speakers.
Story will continue soon...
BTW, the removal of the doorpanel is quite easy, just use a wide bar and short but hard pulls to loosen the clips.
BTW2, the caraudio-shop recommended Focal Speaker but they charge 100 Euro's ($133) for a pair. Blaupunkt/Sony/etc are much cheaper, say 40 Euro's ($55) a pair. Are focal speakers that much better and will I actually notice the difference when they are fitted in the back ?
Well at least we're on the same page. Yesterday I was trying to post a new topic on door trim change and speaker change. But I'm such a twit on the computer that I couldn't resize the pics. or get the pics. to BenzWorld. I'll try again, bear with me please!
Last edited by Derek Lecours : 10-12-2007 at 11:51 AM.
For those who want to change the trim, it should be easy. The 3 top clips (circled in red) are what hold the aluminum trim in place. The black clips to the left of the previous 3 might also hold the trim. A small pointed knife should easily pop them off.
The steps in removing the door panel is easy. George, you might want to help us here with your great shop photo.
Using a flat blade, you pry the black "door hand-grip" cover off carefully.
The 2 torx screws are now visible and to be removed. These same 2 should be reapplied after with blue loctite to secure them better.
I now apply masking tape on the painted surface all around the door, almost touching the door panel. Slim wedges are helpful in prying the 7 white plastic clips that hold the door trim on. The tape should protect the paint from scuffing as you force the wedges in to pop the clips. The first clip is the hardest, so start at the bottom corners and now the other clips become more visible for the wedge placement.
If a clip stays in the door, then carefully remove it after and reinstall it on the panel before snapping the panel back on.
Unplug the door controls and speaker.
Pull back on the black sleeve on the door release cable and pull the cable up a bit and now release the hook attachment.
Wiggle the door panel up and and it should come off. I hope I didn't forget anything seeing as I did this a while ago!
Check that the door release cable is working properly before you snap the panel back to the door.
Re-installation is the reverse of the above.
Last edited by Derek Lecours : 10-12-2007 at 11:38 AM.
George says that the rear speakers suck. Let's say that the last time I saw magnets that small, they were on my fridge holding my nieces drawings! And adding insult to injury, they've put a capacitor in series with the feed, making it a crappy tweeter at best.
It's amazing how much time and engineering MB put into the rear speakers to purposely make it sound crappy!
You have to drill out the 3 rivets that hold the speaker. I put paper inside the door while drilling so that all rivet pieces are removed and not left to possibly block the drain holes.( I know,I know,I'm too fussy)
The speaker is pried off with a sharp edge and the soft sticky backing stays with the original speaker while removing it.
With a little bit of trimming of the trim panel interior plastic(I'm talking about the door panel and not the black speaker plastic), I was able to fit 6.5" speakers with spacers to duplicate the raised placement, similar to the original speaker location.The white plastic in the pic. above is where I trimmed to make room for the slight increase in speaker size. No metal on the door panel needed trimming. I did drill new holes to hold the new speakers.
The trick is to find 'brand name' speakers that are balanced to the power output of your radio. The sound is better but maybe the fronts need to be changed also. That will be later. To much speaker won't help you if the radio can't drive them!
Solder your splices for a better sound. I know the colours are Pink & Pink/brown and the + is the connection at the top in this pic. ( the capacitor is connected to the + in the pic.)So watch your + & - carefully.
By the way, does anyone know the power output of the Audio 20 radio? The dealer told me it was 130 watts and an ad said it was 100 watts, I wonder which is correct?
Cheers, Derek
Last edited by Derek Lecours : 12-18-2007 at 11:36 AM.
So basically I don't need my adapter rings to fit a 13cm (5.11") speaker.
I should be able to fit a 6" (or 15,3 cm) speaker. Without adapter rings.
Could you post a picture of the new speaker attached to the door ? So I can see how you attached the speaker and the spacers.
How did you construct the spacers ?
I think that the standard spacer ring provides some sort of enclosure to use the door itself to amplify the lower sounds.
I don't have pics. of the new installation yet. You should duplicate the height of the original ring or spacer. I used plywood because that's what I had handy. Yes, it seems that they used the tight enclosed speaker to supposedly improve the sound. Do not enlarge your spacer ring much more than the original diameter of the black plastic. It's still a very tight fit when you trim the white plastic on the door panel but it's out of sight on the inside. I installed the wood ring first and fitted the speaker to the wood after. You have to play for the right fit and I like taking the time to make it fit. The speaker can go deeper into the door 'if you like' because there is no interference when operating the windows. I used long 10/32 bolts secured first backwards pointing out at you with nuts on the outside. This locks the bolts to the metal door panel. Now the wood spacer is slid down the bolts with the nuts buried in the wood. Make sure your bolts are properly aligned with the new speaker holes. Now the speaker is secured to the long bolts pointing towards you. Use a touch of loctite 242 to stop the nuts from coming loose and use flat washers to spread the stress where the speakers are fastened. Something like 6mm bolts or the next size smaller should work fine.
Good luck, Derek
Last edited by Derek Lecours : 10-15-2007 at 08:20 AM.
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