Tried to do a search in the audio forum. But just kept coming across things with aftermarket headunits. Is there any do's and don't to improve the sound with the factory headunit? Any suggested setups for an 03 cls?

 

btw I have looked at the audio faq

 

you can fiddle the EQ settings for your liking. for example i have mine on full bass and +1 in treble.
if your not into upgrading the headunit, upgrade your speakers. or if you need bass, add sub or subs to the system.
just make sure your speakers are working properly. I was rolling around with a bad one cause by my amp for a while. and after its fixed, it sounds much better.

 

yup add a sub, 2 - 12's or 2 - 10's or .... 1 JL W7! That will make your woman cream her paints!! Trust me =)~

 

Any isssues with adding component speakers? I thought I read in some threads when ppl have changed their speakers they got a static or hiss and also had issues with the coulume being equalized between the speakers.

 

If you have a CL there's no sound factory eq. That's in the TL only.

avincar( i think that's spelled right) made some good replacement speakers. Not sure if they are still around. For just upgrading the speakers & using the stock amp, this will either work or will not. It depends on the speakers you get. The problem is you don't know until you try a set. The factory amp see's a different ohm load then aftermarket speakers & as a result will not sound good. But again some speakers are different.
A better option would be to add a small sub & then adjust the bass/treble & sub level to your tastes.
Some people including me have used the infinity basslink sub system. Just for some low end. It's very easy to install & use & sounds good.

 

I guess my next question is would it just be a good idea to replace the stock amp if I am going to replace the speakers?

 

You can. You would need to run new speaker cables & get an adapter to interface the amp to the stock HU.
What exactly do you want? What kind of sound? How much $ you want to spend?

Besides lacking some bass the stock system isn't that bad.

 

I was just throwing around some ideas on what I may want to do with the tax rebate. Car is completely stock.

 

while were on the same topic... i havent gotten a chance to get back there yet but im assuming one would just use the existing speaker wire running from the factory amp to the speaker (if u are replacing the amp) correct?

What else is connected back there?
-gauge power wire? (im assuming that at the absolute most its something like 10or 12awg even lower?)

Should have a remote wire already back there correct?

Whats the best (not neccessarily easiest) route along the car to run all your crap front to back?

Lastly, how much bulk does the stock amp and mounting location have... is there enough room back (in the stock location) there to run a decent sized amp? Keeping in mind a bracket will most likely have to be made to mount aftermarket...

 

I was in the same boat as Fuzzy and installed a basslink in the trunk. It added the low end that the factory system is seriously lacking. It sounded good, and it could get pretty loud if you so desiered. It's easy to install and small enough not to impede much on the trunk space. I'm now in the process of replacing the front speakers and adding a small 10" sub with a new amp. I'll be using the stock HU and may in the future add an equilizer to the setup. Replacing the HU would be the easiest way to integrate a new sound system, but I wasn't happy with any aftermarket HU to integrate well with the rest of the interior and appear stock.

 

You would need to run a new power wire from the battery to your new amp. Size is really dependant on how many watts/amps your amp will be putting out. Check out this site, which has more information than you could possibly want to know. You'll need new speaker wire, if you're adding new speakers and an amp. I ran each run of speaker wire along each side of the car, and the power wire along the diver's side (sperated from the speaker wire about 4 inches). Spliced into the HU outputs and the remote wire at the stock amp's harness. The stock amp is roughly 6 inches by 8 inches, and there's not much room for anything else where the amp in mounted, which is inbetween the location of the jack and the passenger rear wheel well. You may be able to fit a small amp there, though I'm sure it would be challenging. Possibly cut out the jack's mounting bracket and relocate the jack?

 

Yah, im only asking because i know i can get away with 8awg power wire, but i dont think theres a shot in hell theres 8awg back there and while 10 or 12 might even be ok, id rather overdo it than underdo it (in case i want to run something bigger in the future)

But just recant, you ran new speaker wire? Like through the door jams and everything? In the past ive always used the stock wiring and just spliced the new speakers in... From what ive seen this is pretty much common practice as existing wire should be thick enough to handle what a smaller amp can throw through it.

Regarding the factory location it looks like ill have to mount the new amp somewhere else in the trunk.

Edit: The site you listed also confirms that more than 16awg isnt needed, what size is the stock speaker wire?

 

Anyone have any experience with the Alpine LAT subwoofer?

 

Either 8awg or 4awg is what you'll need more than likely, depending on how many watts you're looking at. Either of which will be easy enough to run as it's flexible and small enough to fit where you want it to go. I ran 1/0awg, just because, and it's really a PITA. I used 12awg shielded speaker wire, just because I found a good deal on it. 16awg is usually enough for a set of components. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the stock wiring is more along the lines of 20awg, which may not be thick enough, depending on the length and how many watts being pushed through the wire.

 

Whats the best way to get power wire through firewall on 01 CLs?

 

you should see a hole or opening that is weather guarded on the driver side

 

just a plug or does it have wires through it already?

 

for the OP, to upgrade your factory system sound without doing crazy aftermarket speaker swaps/adding subs/what-not....just add the JL Cleansweep to the factory Bose system.

here's the link:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136441D...=jl+cleansweep

 

Do you really think the factory Bose system is detailed enough to notice a diff with that cleansweep? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the stock system after adding a 10 inch sub. Mids and highs are fine once I turn the bass on the HU down. Of course they are no Focal's.

I've read that the factory speakers are 1 ohm. That means if the factory amp is 25 watts to that speaker at 1 ohm, then a 4 ohm speaker (aftermarket speaker) will only get 2 to 3 watts of power and therefore sound like doo doo! I'm going to check my rear speakers tomarrow to see what the resitance really is. I'll let ya know.

 

So were you able to test it yesterday??