Picked up a 2015 Merc GLK 350 last year. The most basic model, so stereo system seems less than stellar. A bit muddy and sound feels like it's coming from below you. Al & Eds (local car modders with good reviews) took a look and only recommend a subwoofer (in narrow space underneath passenger seat!) and bass adjust knob on dash for $500. Could help free up main door drivers from low end, but not sure it's worth it?
Adding a sub and cutting off those frequencies from the other speakers can make a huge difference. What type of setup does the car have stock? Speaker placement/size
If sound is coming from below you, that’s a problem. Does it not come with a stock two-way component system? Most cars nowadays with halfway decent systems have tweeters in the A pillars or mid/tweeter embedded in the dash.
In many cases the stock radios are sub par and a simple replacement of the head unit takes away some of the mud.
My daughter has an older C280, and a basic Alpine made it listenable.
Replacing the head unit in anything newer than 2008 can be a pain, and the newer the harder it is. Most newer vehicles have a computer inside the head unit that controls many non-drivetrain functions.
Car audio is a whole can of worms waiting to be opened. Tweeters in the A pillar are not necessarily good if placed too far away from the corresponding mid range. Looking at options of a simple head unit upgrade, as others have suggested is probably the first step.
in my 05 300C with 8 interior speakers the best upgrade I made was upgrading the three front 3.5" and the 2 rear 6x9" to Infinity Reference 2Ohm speakers. I chose Infinity because they were the only good 2Ohm speakers I could find to match the factory amplifier. In the stock configuration the "boston accoustics premium" system didnt have a single tweeter, just horrible full range wizzer cones everywhere.
The 6x9s in the front doors are 300hz and down, so no reason to upgrade them, and the third speaker in the back deck is an 8" subwoofer, also no need to upgrade.
Adding the Infinity speakers with actual tweeters was a massive upgrade. I rolled with that for 2+ years before upgrading the head unit and that was only a convenience factor (USB/Bluetooth) upgrade.
More generally, car audio upgrades can be worth it. I used to work at a car audio shop. Biggest change after adding a sub/amp was upgrading the headunit to an Alpine CDA-9887 and running the IMPRINT scan for time alignment and EQ. Car environment is poor with different ear-to-driver distances and horrible reflections, so wouldn't go overboard unless that type of tech is part of the approach. New car = stock Bose.
I can't be sure what's in a basic 2015 model, but it seems like four 6.5" drivers - two in the front doors, two in the back doors. Usually listed as generic Mercedes brand, but could well be Harman Kardon. Is the interface (radio, CD, etc) and amplifier (I assume Class D) usually all one unit?
The older GLK 350s back door drivers were dual sub/mids. I'll ask around and do some research to get the best bang for my buck. I don't want to go nuts and spend any more than $1k. Something that hits more at head level and better separation would be nice. Tweeters in the dash or A frame sound like major modifications, sadly.
I know best buy gets a bad rap for most stuff but their car audio installers are very knowledgeable. I would stop by your local BB and talk to the installer (not the blue shirt, but the geek squad guy in the install area) to find out exactly what speakers you have and what you can do to get the sound you're looking for.
I worked at best buy and trained to be an installer and it was a tough course so they should generally be pretty good. The guy at my store had been in the business for 20+ years.
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