2025 Non-Burmester speakers - zero bass?

2025 Non-Burmester speakers - zero bass?

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Gatsods

Original Poster:

395 posts

180 months

Thursday 20th March
quotequote all
Hi all,

Just taken receipt of my new company car in the last couple of weeks which is a GLC Premium, Prem+ was outside of the band range and as such wasn’t an option.

Great car so far, hybrid works very well with a long range on it, but one thing I’ve really noticed is how little bass there is from the sound system.

The clarity of voice or of mid/treble in music is all pretty good, but the bass is honestly just altogether nonexistent!

It doesn’t help that I’ve just come out of a Model 3 with the premium interior/better sound system, which is comfortably the best I’ve heard in a car.

I had a W205 C250d Prem+ before the Tesla however, with the full Burmester, and that was also very anaemic when it came to bass.

Is this just an MB thing, or is there a good workaround?

Thanks!

Faszination76

84 posts

56 months

Thursday 20th March
quotequote all
The lower end models get the Burmester system without a sub - all the bass is supposed to be covered by the other speakers.

In prectice, that doesn’t work, I had the same setup in my old C63S premium and was disappointed by the lack of bass. My current E63S (with factory sub) however is on another level - aside from the B&O setup in a previous Audi A5 it’s the best setup I’ve had.

gregpot2000

270 posts

156 months

Thursday 20th March
quotequote all
Just bought a 2021 E class Prem Plus after having over 10 years of Audis

And can comfortably say the Burmester is the best sound system I've ever heard in a car. Its actually lower power than B+O I've had in Audis, but with the Audis, the sub was always in the parcel shelf, and any kind of volume had that rattling as well as the door panels.

In the E class, everything is completely solid with no rattles at all no matter how loud it is, a big help I think with this is the clever idea to actually have the subwoofers in the footwell firing into the metal bulkhead. Doesn't rattle at all no matter the volume or lowest of bass.

Completely changed my view on car systems, I always simply thought more power = better. But it's just as important how solid the door cards are, and location of subwoofer to not rattle panels

Gatsods

Original Poster:

395 posts

180 months

Thursday 20th March
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies, both. Crazy that someone signed it off as acceptable without the woofer. It is honestly shocking!

Having posted about it yesterday I did some experiments today, and even with the eq set to +10 (max) for bass, there is nothing!

Actually quite gutted as I like a bassy weight to music, and I’ll have this for four years…

I assume retrofitting the sub isn’t an option but I may mention it.

BEARDYB0Y

121 posts

53 months

Thursday 20th March
quotequote all
As others have said the standard system is pretty pants, even the newer burmester systems are disappointing. Anything released since 2019 or so has been cost cut to the max. Sadly most owners dont realise the quality has reduced or dont care. Reputation now procedes product.

We had a 2016 E class with the burmester system and it was brilliant, it got replaced with a 2020 GLE and then a 2023 GLE and they just didnt have the same quality and power as the E.

One thing to note however, in other countries there is the option of the Burmester "3D" system, an even higher level of audio option... only avalible on the bigger luxury models but if there is now three levels of audio option, no wonder the basic and middle ones are not as good as they could be.

gregpot2000

270 posts

156 months

Friday 21st March
quotequote all
BEARDYB0Y said:
As others have said the standard system is pretty pants, even the newer burmester systems are disappointing. Anything released since 2019 or so has been cost cut to the max. Sadly most owners dont realise the quality has reduced or dont care. Reputation now procedes product.

We had a 2016 E class with the burmester system and it was brilliant, it got replaced with a 2020 GLE and then a 2023 GLE and they just didnt have the same quality and power as the E.

One thing to note however, in other countries there is the option of the Burmester "3D" system, an even higher level of audio option... only avalible on the bigger luxury models but if there is now three levels of audio option, no wonder the basic and middle ones are not as good as they could be.
Interesting to know, as my 2021 is just a facelift of your 2016 so will be the same system I would have thought, interesting that the newer generations after are much worse though