Taming the Center Speaker

Pickleball

2022 2500 144 High roof 4 cyl diesel
The connectors are keyed and don't interchange in the speaker. Connectors stay in the same position, but all 4 wires move.

The black connector mates with the 8 ohm speaker coil - and the white connector mate the 2 ohm speaker coil. Just swapping what wires are connected to each coil.
Confused. Video shows removing purple/white stripped wire from white connector. Is image at end of video after making the wire change? Because that is also showing white connector with same purple/white stripped wire, so it seems wires stay the same?
 

Chaski

Well-known member
Confused. Video shows removing purple/white stripped wire from white connector. Is image at end of video after making the wire change? Because that is also showing white connector with same purple/white stripped wire, so it seems wires stay the same?
Image at the end of the video shows the desired as-left connector to wire arrangement.

In the video I show how to remove one pin from the connector. As you noticed it was post-fix (as-left). I didn’t want to swap all 4 wires back just to get video footage of an as-found harness. Refer to LI82.85-N-071147 version six (post 103). The bulletin should clarify things.
 
Now that I've spent some time in the my van with the center speaker "fixed" I definitely think it sounds better than the previous mod of just disconnecting it. It does take a minute to get used to if you've had the center speaker disconnected for any amount of time but give it a try. At first I thought it still overpowered the other speakers but I just wasn't used to having any sound from the center. I believe it now sounds as it was intended to initially from the factory and you can still hear separation between right / left and from the center speaker, tweeters and door speakers. All said and done it's really easy fix and I'm glad I tried it...keeping this way.
I just got my RV back from the dealer and swapped the wires. First thing to note was that it was very difficult to remove a wire from its connector, mainly because there was no length to access the wires and it is a cramped space. I ended up using a tiny dental tool to push on the wire end so the barb would be compressed to allow the end to be pulled out. AND I opened up the connector to get access to the wire after it pulls out of the first area.

In the end it was great to hear all the speakers, yet I tend to agree with todtan that the middle speaker is still too loud, but personally I think it is better than not having it at all. I ended up placing a layer of a terry cloth cotton towel over it just to dampen it a bit. Not sonically ideal but I'm happy. Good luck everyone!
 

mercian

New member
I just made this wire swap this afternoon. It's well worth doing. The problem wasn't just that the center speaker was too loud, the sound was distorted. It's still the dominant speaker, but the left and right can now be heard and the overall sound is much smoother.
 

Roamers

2020 4X4 170 Crew
I just made this wire swap this afternoon. It's well worth doing. The problem wasn't just that the center speaker was too loud, the sound was distorted. It's still the dominant speaker, but the left and right can now be heard and the overall sound is much smoother.
I agree the change is worth it. I had unplugged the speaker and sound was much better than factory. Just got van back today from B Service, recalls, and other stuff. Had them do the speaker wire switch. L/R balance now noticeable (vs. original factory), on equalizer reduced bass a little, reduced highs a lot and sound is pretty good (for OEM system). Ms. Hey Mercedes actually sounds better than with speaker wire unplugged also.
 

Musicgrazer

2020 Unity MB
I agree the change is worth it. I had unplugged the speaker and sound was much better than factory. Just got van back today from B Service, recalls, and other stuff. Had them do the speaker wire switch. L/R balance now noticeable (vs. original factory), on equalizer reduced bass a little, reduced highs a lot and sound is pretty good (for OEM system). Ms. Hey Mercedes actually sounds better than with speaker wire unplugged also.
I just had an A service and had them address this as well. Definitely sounds better. Hard to believe it took them so long to identify this fix but glad to have it!
 

curtismacc

Active member
Thanks for the video making it clear what to do. The location of the speaker close where the window meets the hood makes it more difficult than it would be out in the open. In the video it seems like you had no trouble at all getting the plastic clip which clamps down on the wires loose and then prying the wires out. No such luck for me. One clip flew off and disappeared and the other broke off. And, I could not get the wires out of the plastic connectors without fear of braking the connectors. So, I decided not to pull out the wires and just switch the cables. In order to do this I had to cut off the piece of plastic which "keys" the plugs so they only fit in one orientation. This puts the wires in the correct orientation and location according to the Sprinter service bulletin. This is much simpler than trying to remove the wires from their connectors and switching them around.

I agree with those who say that the overall sound quality is better with the center speaker unplugged vs with the corrected wiring orientation. I suspect it is just a matter of personal preference.
 

Jasonlee

2022 170ext 2500 4x4
Just took the guidance above and completed on my 22 170 ext 4x4, yes was simple but did break the plastic tabs on the connectors that the wires go into, as the ends are barely held tab are only connected by a thin plastic piece. Sound is much better.
 

Chaski

Well-known member
For those of you that break off the plastic bits…
As long as you don’t launch them into orbit (never to be found again) they will snap back on securely, even with the thin “hinge” broken.
 

Pickleball

2022 2500 144 High roof 4 cyl diesel
I went to swap the center speaker wire pairs and discovered my 2022 cargo only has one connector or one wire pair (with a green stripe).
 

Pickleball

2022 2500 144 High roof 4 cyl diesel
I went to swap the center speaker wire pairs and discovered my 2022 cargo only has one connector or one wire pair (with a green stripe).
And there is no sound coming from that center speaker when playing the radio.
 

Rocksnsalt

There Can Be Only ONE
I did the center dash speaker disconnect for a friend in park city a week or so ago and he was so stoked on the instant improvement.
The look on his face was priceless, amazed at the improvement just like I was when I disconnected mine 2 yrs ago.
His van is a 2019 with the 10” screen just like mine, 2 wires.

Power off.
Disconnect one wire, power on and check for ?.
If the ? light is on then power off.
plug the wire back in and unplug the other one. recheck ?.
You should be good then.
Enjoy the improvement.
It literally takes about 3 min start to finish, including popping the speaker cover off.

My friend said “now maybe I can turn it up enough to not hear my slider squeak”. ?
 

zuli64

New member
I did the TB swap of JUST the colored wires as directed. I did not change the gray wires. I did not have the hiss...it sounds great.
 

Chaski

Well-known member
I did the TB swap of JUST the colored wires as directed. I did not change the gray wires. I did not have the hiss...it sounds great.
Interesting, are you getting any audio out of the center speaker? What is the status of your SOS light? I know the wording in the bulletin is odd. That being said the pictures shown in post 103 (the Bulletin from MB) show the pairs being swapped, not just the non-grey conductors. I don’t think what you did was the intent of the bulletin.
 

Peter Tourin

2020 Unity RL, ex 2012 Unity MB
When you swap both wires from one connector to the others, make sure you get them in the correct positions in the new connectors - otherwise phase is reversed, and that degrades the sound a bit. The doc says it all: Pin 1 is always solid; Pin 2 is always striped.
 

Peter Tourin

2020 Unity RL, ex 2012 Unity MB
Hereʻs another confirmation that the patch works - I did it this morning, took about 15 minutes. Time to cancel my service appointment <g>...
 

Superman11

New member
I have been following this thread in the background. I am purchasing a 2022 chassis this weekend. Does anyone know if MB implemented the fix prior to delivery on the 22s? The bulletin only mentioned to 2021.

Thanks in advance!
 

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