Harman Kardon Option

FrancoisG said:

A must as far as I am concerned...

Harman Kardon Mercedes CL-Class

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The best part of Premium 1 package. I wish they sold it as stand-alone option. The system absolutely rocks.

scott said:

The best part of Premium 1 package. I wish they sold it as stand-alone option. The system absolutely rocks.

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They do here in the Netherlands.
I've ordered just the HK audio with the default Audio 20 set. It was an extra of €800,-.

I have it, the sound rocks!!!

Do you need to play a DVD to hear in 5.1? If you play the radio or XM SAT - will it play in 5.1?

Have it also.. as a little audio freak a must say its way overpriced..

Had a premium OEM sound install in my honda (free at sport pack) and it has even more bass then I have now..

doorpanels are giving cracking sound etc..

not happy with it

In fact I have also a Mini Cooper S with Harman Kardon in it and its totally different.. way more bass.
In the CLA you even don't have a subwoofer.

There is a subwoofer, but you can't hear it. It's in the back somewhere.

I'm sure you can change the equalizer settings to match your taste of music?!
Mercedes-Benz or Harman Kardon might not be as youthful as the music taste of the CLA audience....

Yves said:

Have it also.. as a little audio freak a must say its way overpriced..

Had a premium OEM sound install in my honda (free at sport pack) and it has even more bass then I have now..

doorpanels are giving cracking sound etc..

not happy with it

In fact I have also a Mini Cooper S with Harman Kardon in it and its totally different.. way more bass.
In the CLA you even don't have a subwoofer.

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The Harman Kardon on my 2012 250 C Coupe is at best fair. It has clear crackling at high pitch from the most important center dash speaker
and the damn dealer had the gall to tell me initially I had the volume up too high. The Bose system in my 2001 was far superior. Plays the same song at the same volume and the clarity
is at least one cut above. Hence I am skipping the option all together on my CLA45 and see how bad is the standard system

Dont forget to enable Logic 7 in the sound settings of your stereo if you have Harman Kardon, it makes a lot of difference, I forgot it in the begining as I did not know about it.

NBert said:

Dont forget to enable Logic 7 in the sound settings of your stereo if you have Harman Kardon, it makes a lot of difference, I forgot it in the begining as I did not know about it.

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It's on all the time unless you make an effort to turn off the Logic 7. Does make a big difference. I am assuming the base sound is like that. Yike !

I had a 2005 SLK350 with the premium Harmon Kardon stereo and hated it. There was barely any sound from the rear speakers and the system had no front-rear fader control to correct the situation. The dealer said that was normal for the SLK. This time, when I ordered my CLA, I didn't want to be disappointed again so I went with the standard audio system. If I find that I need to improve the sound of this one, I'll simply swap out the speakers for better ones. I remember my mother once owning a Toyota Supra with a very expensive Infinity stereo in it. When I changed out one of her blown speakers for her, I discovered that the factory had installed what was literally nothing more than a cheap $20 speaker.

outsider said:

It's on all the time unless you make an effort to turn off the Logic 7. Does make a big difference. I am assuming the base sound is like that. Yike !

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Well on my car is was turned off when I got it.

dougm said:

I had a 2005 SLK350 with the premium Harmon Kardon stereo and hated it. There was barely any sound from the rear speakers and the system had no front-rear fader control to correct the situation. The dealer said that was normal for the SLK.

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Not having a fader function on your radio (even in a 2 seater) is kind of unforgivable on any car today; let alone on a car costing as much as an SLK. If you want to check whether the CLA's radio has one you can download the owner's manual from the MBUSA website.

-Eric

I cannot wait to hear what this system sounds like.

More info from the UK CLA Brochure.

Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system
(optional). With its subwoofer, 9-channel DSP amplifier and Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS technology, this high- performance 450-watt 11-speaker system delivers a truly first-class audio experience. Its surround sound can be optimised for the front, rear or middle of the cabin or for the entire interior.

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After initially reading this thread I thought the exclusion of a subwoofer would have been a terrible oversight.

I sat in a CLA45 AMG with HK system at the US Open this month, it sounded pretty good, and did have EQ and Fader controls....

I've only drove BMW 328 with HK and Infiniti G37 with Bose and I'd say HK was better.

I heard many HK 7.1 systems in MB, BMW and others, none of them have Time Alignment, cross over points, or Left & Right Equalizer...

Tonality is very good!

But there is no Sound Stage! or center Image.

Tracks specially created for 7.1 have good special 3D effects... but when you play regular music (CDs or Radio) the magic is gone!

Nothing wrong with NK, but it's not a true Audiophile system with a Front Stage.

D.

I just purchased the new CLA... regular speakers and its absolutely horribel... I cant stand the cracking in the speakers!