[W126 Coupe] Becker Radio, iPod, and Cassette Adaptor

[Paul Samarin]

I've "replaced" my 86 SEC with a 90 SL which has the orig Becker.  How  
do I determine whether it can be modified?  I don't see any model  
numbers on the face plate (of course, my eyes ain't so great anymore!)

Paul

On Sep 15, 2006, at 8:21 AM, Steve Nervig wrote:

> I notice that the link didn't come through.
> <http://web.mac.com/dakota/iWeb/Becker/96520529-1761-4093-AAF2 
> -30F3532EA3AF.html>
>
> Steve
>
>
> On Sep 15, 2006, at 8:12 AM, Steve Nervig wrote:
>
>> I suspect that your Becker does not have an Aux Input, but I'm not an  
>> expert. But I think that BeckerNorthAmerica can modify your radio to  
>> accept input directly from the iPod. I have had mine modified this  
>> way. Cost was ~US$100. It is set up so that if the iPod is plugged  
>> into the radio the iPod works when the radio is set to Tape Mode.  
>> Unplug the iPod and the Tape Mode works normally. Becker provides an  
>> adapter and cable and plug which you can place where ever you want,  
>> eg, glove box, console, etc.
>>
>> I've done this installation and have a few photos here.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Steve
>> 1992 300CE Sportline
>>
>>
>> On Sep 15, 2006, at 7:28 AM, Dawid Loubser wrote:
>>
>>> Based on the fact that there is no button on the head unit to  
>>> "select aux input"
>>> or anything along these lines in the user guide, I deduced that  
>>> there is no aux
>>> input, otherwise I would definitely use it. I've never pulled the  
>>> unit out to
>>> look at the back.
>>>
>>> Does any Becker expert know if the model 839 (Mexico Diversity) has  
>>> an aux input?
>>> And how do you select it?
>>>
>>> Dawid
>>>
>>>
>>> On 15 Sep 2006, at 4:20 nm., Shayegan, Richard wrote:
>>>
>>>> Doesn't the 10 speaker system have some aux-in's on the back of the  
>>>> head
>>>> unit? You could always go with something like this
>>>> http://www.logjamelectronics.com/blitzuii.html if it has  
>>>> aux-inputs. It
>>>> pulls from the bottom of the ipod, instead of the headphones, so the
>>>> ipod volume and equalizer have no intereference in the sound, plus  
>>>> it
>>>> gives a better sound to pull from that bottom port rather than the
>>>> headphone plug. I was going to do an install in my car, but decided  
>>>> CDs
>>>> are fine with me and I turned away from wanted to cut up my coin  
>>>> tray to
>>>> make a slot for the ipod hookup. I still have the blitzsafe sitting
>>>> under my coin tray in fact....
>>>> Richard
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com
>>>> [mailto:mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com] On Behalf Of Dawid Loubser
>>>> Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 10:12 AM
>>>> To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists
>>>> Subject: [W126 Coupe] Becker Radio, iPod, and Cassette Adaptor
>>>>
>>>> My car has the original Becker 10-speaker sound system, and also  
>>>> had a
>>>> Sony CD Changer in the boot (with FM modulator which goes through  
>>>> the
>>>> antenna) fitted very early in its lifetime.
>>>> I have always been playing CDs, but never *quite* happy with the  
>>>> sound
>>>> quality - which I always attributed to the age of the system in  
>>>> general.
>>>> My previous car (MINI Cooper S) had a somewhat better-sounding stock
>>>> system.
>>>>
>>>> I have a large music collection, of which a large portion is  
>>>> mirrored to
>>>> my iPod (4th gen, iPod Photo 40Gb) which I actually don't use that  
>>>> much
>>>> these days, since I'm a bit of an audiophile and though I prefer the
>>>> sound of Vinyl, for digital music, FLAC (lossless compression) is  
>>>> the
>>>> way to go. Nevertheless, I have a huge MP3-based collection (also a  
>>>> lot
>>>> purchased in that format at places like www.emusic.com).  
>>>> Furthermore,
>>>> nobody can hear the difference in the car anyway, so I decided I  
>>>> wanted
>>>> to integrate my iPod with the car, but without gutting anything. The
>>>> iPod radio transmitters are a no-go, they sound terrible, and they  
>>>> just
>>>> can't seem to get through the thick shell of the SEC, no matter  
>>>> where
>>>> you put it, especially in the city with all the frequencies pretty  
>>>> much
>>>> taken.
>>>>
>>>> I decided to give the Cassette Adaptor a go (I had never used my
>>>> Becker's cassette before) and I must say, I am *SO* pleasantly  
>>>> surprised
>>>> at the sound quality. It's a 10x improvement over the CD changer
>>>> (provided you play with the Becker equaliser settings, I had to  
>>>> move the
>>>> bass to full neutral, and treble
>>>> +2 notches up).
>>>>
>>>> Granted, I have heard better in my life, but I do think I know a  
>>>> thing
>>>> or two about music, and the SEC (mine is a 1990) has a truly  
>>>> fantastic
>>>> sound system, provided everything works, and is adjusted correctly.  
>>>> The
>>>> thin black cable running out of the tape deck can easily be routed  
>>>> into
>>>> the (unused) ashtray, and then into e.g. the glove compartment or  
>>>> change
>>>> tray, quite unobtrusively. I plan to route it into the glove  
>>>> compartment
>>>> soon.
>>>>
>>>> Usually have terrible bass and treble (they sound muddy) but I  
>>>> tested
>>>> with artists like
>>>>
>>>> (Electronic)
>>>> * Felix Laband
>>>> * Juno Reactor
>>>> * Logic Bomb
>>>>
>>>> (Jazz)
>>>> * Miles Davis
>>>>
>>>> (Rock)
>>>> * Maroon Five (Live Recordings)
>>>>
>>>> and they all sound great My advice is, if your sound system sounds
>>>> weird, don't replace it! Rather play with the settings, or if  
>>>> something
>>>> is broken, fix just that component.
>>>> Most sound systems sound best with everything in the normal position
>>>> (and most decent sound equipment have no bass/ treble adjustment to
>>>> begin with) but you have to play with the Becker. What I really like
>>>> about it, is that it automatically maintains two different settings  
>>>> for
>>>> radio vs. cassette, surprising for something this age.
>>>>
>>>> This may be a useless post, I just wanted to share that I think the
>>>> stock sound system has some amazing capabilities. This is the best  
>>>> tape
>>>> deck I've heard :-)
>>>>
>>>> Dawid
>>>>
>>>> P.S> I know that I can run a line output from the iPod directly to,  
>>>> for
>>>> example, the fader control in the centre console. But I do not want  
>>>> to
>>>> pull things apart, and to get this working smoothly may require some
>>>> additional electronics fidgeting, not to mention that you  
>>>> effectively
>>>> bypass the pre-amp and rely on the iPod's volume control - not  
>>>> ideal for
>>>> me.
>>>>
>>
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>
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