A client from Gilroy recently visited California Car Sounds and Tint to discuss upgrading their 2016 Mercedes-Benz C63 audio system. We had recently worked on his Mercedes, and his wife wanted a similar upgrade in her car. The C63 sedan already had a subwoofer upgrade with a JL Audio amplifier, but they wanted more volume and clarity from the front stage. One of our sales associates had a listen to the vehicle and worked with the client to design a new front stage that would sound amazing.
Factory Audio System Integration
The factory stereo system in this C63 is from the German audio company known as Burmester Audiosysteme. Burmester provides audio for Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Bugatti vehicles. The sound system in this C63 includes an upmixer with a center channel. Having worked with these systems before, we know the importance of maintaining the signal routing features to ensure that both the driver and passenger can enjoy the music.
We used a Mosconi Gladen DSP8TO12 Aerospace digital signal processor (DSP) to extract the audio signal from the factory amplifier and modify it for the new speakers we installed in the vehicle. We mounted the processor on an ABS plastic plate. We used six AudioControl Load Generating Devices (LGDs) to ensure that the factory amplifier wouldn’t be affected negatively by the removal of the speakers.
Front-stage Speakers
Our speaker upgrade plan includes a set of Focal ES 100 K 4-inch component for each door and a third mid and tweeter package for the center channel. Using the same speaker in each position will make tuning the system easier. The 4-inch midrange drivers and the tweeters fit into the factory door locations nicely. We made ABS plastic adapters for the mids and bolted them to the factory speaker locations.
A custom mounting plate for the center channel location locates the tweeter in front of the midrange driver. We trimmed a little plastic out of the dash to make sure everything fit nicely underneath the original grille.
A set of Illusion Audio C-6W mid-bass drivers are assigned to the task of producing the frequencies between the Focal mids and the JL Audio 12W7 subwoofer. Our fabrication team used cast acrylic plastic to create a mounting adapter and spacer for these impressive drivers.
Mercedes-Benz C63 Audio System Amplifiers
As mentioned, the Mercedes already has a JL Audio amplifier for the subwoofer. Finding room for a second amplifier was a challenge. Aaron, our lead technician, spent a significant amount of time rearranging equipment in the battery compartment in the trunk to make everything fit. He started by moving two computers from the rear of the compartment to a panel in front of the battery. Next, he fabricated a steel mounting rack for the JL XD1000/1v2 subwoofer amplifier and the new ARC Audio XDi1200.6 six-channel amp that would power the front stage. The amp rack drops into place at the back of the battery compartment and is held in place with four bolts.
The XDi1200.6 drives the Illusion Audio midbass drivers from one pair of channels, then the Focal and midrange channels from the remaining outputs. We used the passive crossover networks provided with the ES 100 K sets to handle filtering between the midrange and tweeters.
Mercedes-Benz Audio System Tuning
With everything mounted securely in the battery compartment, it was time to tune the system. We set up our RTA microphone in the vehicle and adjusted the output of each amplifier channel to provide smooth and natural frequency response that will blend nicely with the side and rear speakers. Once the calibration process was complete, we wrapped things up with a listening session to make sure everything was perfect.
Another Happy California Car Sounds and Tint Client
After eight days of work, it was time to return this immaculate sedan to the client. He and his wife loved the way their upgraded Mercedes-Benz C63 audio system sounds and were thrilled that we were able to complete the integration process while maintaining the original look and feel of the interior and trunk.
If you are in the San Jose area and want better sound from your luxury vehicle, drop by California Car Sounds and Tint and speak to our team. You can also reach us by e-mail using our online contact form.
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