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Car Forum / Mercedes-Benz Cars / March 2005stereo and speakers
I am thinking about getting a Nakamichi CD 400 for my 1985 380SE. How do I know if it will fit? Would I be wise to get a crutchfield wiring harness? Any other recommendations for subdued looking head units? Also, for all you W126 owners (with the 4 speaker set ups), what speakers do you use? It appears that the dashboard ones are 3.5 inch and the rears are 4x6, but it also appears that not every 3.5 inch and 4 x 6 will fit. Why is this and how do I know what will fit? Anybody have any recommendations? I think my cut off would be $100/pair, but it looks like in these sizes that buys you as good as it gets. Oh, and what cables should I be looking to replace to make the most of the upgrades (all I really want to do is gain an in-dash CD player, but I figure I might as well upgrade the speakers while I'm at it) Thanks, Richard Also, can someone tell me what I would need to do to install the nakamichi cd 400? I'd like to keep the original fader functional and at first I'm not going to replace the speakers or wiring so I'd like to hook those in. Thanks, Richard >I am thinking about getting a Nakamichi CD 400 for my 1985 380SE. How do I >know if it will fit? Would I be wise to get a crutchfield wiring harness? [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Thanks, > Richard Any DIN head unit will fit... so no problem. As for speaker wiring, using factory fader is not possible... too much load. You need to run a short piece of speaker wire to the fader and hook it up to matching speaker wire in the car... each speaker has different color andpattern so it is pretty easy to tell. I used scotch splice into existing wires so I don't cut them. You must leave fader disconnected from the speaker harness below it. As for speakers that will fit in directly, you need the 4x6 speakers that has only 4 round bumpout for mounting... not the one that looks like a rectangle plate... the one with rectangle plates will never fit the front speaker holes. > You need to run a short > piece of speaker wire to the fader and hook it up to matching speaker wire > in the car... each speaker has different color andpattern so it is pretty > easy to tell. I used scotch splice into existing wires so I don't cut > them. > You must leave fader disconnected from the speaker harness below it. Hmm, I'm gonna ask you for more detail on this in about two weeks when I get my new head unit. Also, so is it a good idea to get the crutchfield wiring harness for my head unit? Also, even if I keep the stock speakers I can't use the stock fader? > As for speakers that will fit in directly, you need the 4x6 speakers that I thought in the dashboard I have to use 3.5inch diameter ones and in the back speaker boxes I use 4x6, is this not right? Thanks, Richard > > You need to run a short > > piece of speaker wire to the fader and hook it up to matching speaker wire [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > my new head unit. Also, so is it a good idea to get the crutchfield wiring > harness for my head unit? No need for wiring harness... very simple wiring. > Also, even if I keep the stock speakers I can't use the stock fader? Nope you can't, I did this and the head units flashed on and off. > > As for speakers that will fit in directly, you need the 4x6 speakers that > > I thought in the dashboard I have to use 3.5inch diameter ones and in the > back speaker boxes I use 4x6, is this not right? > Thanks, > Richard Nope. they are all 4x6 speakers. take out the two screws that hold the front cover and take a peek. >> my new head unit. Also, so is it a good idea to get the crutchfield >> wiring >> harness for my head unit? > > No need for wiring harness... very simple wiring. I see, I guess I'll find out what it entails when I get it. > Nope. they are all 4x6 speakers. take out the two screws that hold the > front cover and take a peek. I wonder what the heck the crutchfield what fits my car thing is talking about then. Richard You will be much happier if you set up a complete aftermarket system with external amplifier... I personally used component 4" speakers in front and built a plate to cover the remainder of the hole. Rear... I kept 4x6 size speaker but a two way.. I also added a 10" sealed subwoofer box in the trunk and removed the medical tray so the bass comes inside the car. Or you can mount a 8" free air subwoofer in that hole from underneath with a plywood platform. I ran all new speaker wires to the front... power wire to trunk to power up an amp... including RCA's Which amp? Any 5 or 6 channel amps will do...goodies are old amps... like A/D/S, the old PPI ( pricy though)... it really doesn't matter... I even put in a cheap 5 channel Soundstream 35W x 4 and 75W x 1 sub... it sounds decent. component front is the most important speaker of all... I'm not looking to make a great sound system in my car since, well, I just don't think that's what cars are for (they aren't very good acoustically anyways), I just am tired of using a cd to tape adapter and want an in dash cd player, and if after putting in a new head unit I can make noticeable improvements with less than $200 for speakers I figure I might as well. What speakers do you like that are less than $100/pair Tiger? Also, since I don't want to mess with the factory wiring, I think I will go with the crutchfield harness. What type of solder should I use? I know how to solder, but I never know which solder to use. Thanks, Richard > You will be much happier if you set up a complete aftermarket system with > external amplifier... I personally used component 4" speakers in front and [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > component front is the most important speaker of all... Also, do you think I'll see substantial gains in sound by replacing my stock head unit with a nakamichi cd 400 (I've already decided to do this whether or not it improves sound since it's the only decent looking head unit that has in dash CD), replacing the front speakers with alpine sps-080a's (I know I could go to 4x6, but I'm lazy and crutchfield makes this very easy for the front) and kenwood kfc-x468c's in the back? And doing nothing else (other than maybe, and that's a very weak maybe, wiring). Thanks, Richard > I'm not looking to make a great sound system in my car since, well, I just > don't think that's what cars are for (they aren't very good acoustically [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] >> >> component front is the most important speaker of all... "Also, do you think I'll see substantial gains in sound by replacing my stock head unit with a nakamichi cd 400 (I've already decided to do this whether or not it improves sound since it's the only decent looking head unit that has in dash CD), replacing the front speakers with alpine sps-080a's (I know I could go to 4x6, but I'm lazy and crutchfield makes this very easy for the front) and kenwood kfc-x468c's in the back? And doing nothing else (other than maybe, and that's a very weak maybe, wiring). Thanks, Richard " The one thing that is for sure is that speakers are going to make a bigger difference in how good it sounds than the head unit. That's true for any stereo system and even more so for a car, where speaker size and space are limited. I'd spend the most time researching what speakers are available that can be worked into the spaces available. Another consideration is adding a sub woofer, which can make a dramatic difference in bass, provided you have a place to put it. > The one thing that is for sure is that speakers are going to make a > bigger difference in how good it sounds than the head unit. Yeah I know. I really didn't start out on this intending to improve sound, I was just tired of using a portable cd player with a tape adapter so I wanted to get a head unit with an in-dash cd player (my 1985 becker won't accept a trunk mounted changer, and if I'm going to buy a new head unit I want the CD in dash). Then I looked at speaker prices and found that the most expensive speakers that fit the stock mounts are under $100/pair I decided I might as well do that to. > Another consideration is adding a sub woofer, which can make a dramatic > difference in bass, provided you have a place to put it. I'm not adding in a sub, plus I don't even like my music to be real bassy. But even if I did, under no circumstances would I install a sub. Richard |
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