The "correct" OEM "stereo" unit for the CE series is the Becker 1432 -- and usually comes outfitted to drive I believe 8 or 10 speaker drivers utilizing two two discrete amplifiers and a two piece head unit / control center. IT comes standard as an AM/FM tuner & cassette player (with BOTH Dolby B & C NR -- which was only sourced on very high end players back then). In addition, one could opt for a trunk mounted CD changer that was operated via the same Becker 1432 head unit. When working right, one would be hard pressed to improve upon the sound of this "component" system. Cassettes recorded on a competent deck rival the sound quality of CDs by a large margin and the system has excellent extension at the frequency extremes.
Once again, I can't begin to recommend Becker Auto Sound enough. They have all the parts and knowledge to keep ANY Mercedes or Porsche based Becker system running true to spec. For those wishing to plug their iPods into the system, Becker Auto Sound has a proprietary modification that they can upgrade your existing unit with, or will exchange yours for one of theirs (except that their unit will be 100% on par with a new device -- including having all potentially leaky caps etc replaced where required...)
BTW, I have no affiliation with these folks other than that I am a very happy and satisfied customer.
Good luck!
Wes
As I mentioned, I had a Becker 1432 from the factory. I'm the original owner, so I know it was just a head unit and cabled back to a tuner/amp combo from Bose. There were also some Alpine head units units sold, but labeled Becker-essentially the same thing.
When I lost the car in the divorce, the ex wanted a CD changer. She went down to some local buffoons and they told her that she'd have to have a different dash unit for a remote CD changer. What they did was to steal the Bose amp/tuner and put a dash unit in-Clarion. They of course lied through the whole process because there was even a cable from the Becker that went to the back specifically for a CD changer. I think the changers were Alpine. So when I got the car back, I discovered all of this Tom foolery. I looked for a replacement tuner/amp, but couldn't find one at the time. I wound up jerking all the speakers (two on the dash, two in the front doors and two in the rear doors) and putting in a whole new system with Neon Boy Racer console unit and crossovers for the dash neodymium tweeters.
The factory speakers in all fairness, were paper cones and have a half-life. The new speakers and tweeters I used are better quality, but I really don't think the sound is any better from what I remember it. I still have the Becker head unit and yes, it has Dolby C which is pretty fantastic....but my cassettes don't leave the house anymore and I don't even want to see a cassette carrying case again.;-) Still....part of me would like to restore the original system, but with newer speakers.....hence the conundrum. As you say, with a mod to play mp3's, it wouldn't be a bad arrangement. But....I was also told that there was some weirdness with the ohm rating of the original speakers and they differ significantly from most speakers today....that with the factory Bose tuner/amp, the sound would not be good with newer style speakers. However, I had conflicting opinions there, so I wouldn't proceed unless I knew the real story.
So....the moral to this story is; unless you want the exaggerated thundering bass of subwoofers, stay the course with the original system or possibly replace the speakers with newer, but same ohm rating. Send the Becker to be fixed and modded to play mp3's by Becker Of North America.
Kevin
Kinda fun when MB savvy friends ride or drive the coupe. Most don't even blink or look twice, but a couple have gotten this slow amused smile as they process the idea that this is a better entertainment system than the factory provided back in 1994 without any obvious visual clue that it's upgraded.
