A guy from Bose car audio design once told me that they were extremely happy with the way the 140 system turned out. He said that there were actually some prolonged arguments about speaker enclosure space requirement inside the door panels, etc., and that MB finally relented and gave them the dimensions that they wanted. Another funny story he told me is that MB at the time he did not want any other manufacturer name or logo anywhere on or in the vehicle, while Bose absolutely insisted that it’s logo be inside the car somewhere. The compromise was that the Bose logo appears on the tiny upper windshield center fill speaker that is obscured by the rear view mirror, unless you intentionally look up under it. The fabulous upgrade that it represented from the previously dismal German designed offerings was so well received worldwide that Benz changed their mind and started displaying the logo prominently on the more visible speakers.
I know that a number of people scoff at Bose, quite unjustly often, IMO, (I think that Bose is the most unfairly maligned company in the history of earth) but the Bose system in the 240 Maybach is fantastic, too, and the Bose in the 220 is damn good. I’m sure we would still be using them if Harmon International hadn’t bought Becker, thereby enabling them to put the Harman-Kardon name on the Becker systems and branch into supplying auto companies...
