Do you put as much effort into your Car Audio?

I do wonder about how difficult it is to integrate a non-OEM audio system into a modern vehicle given the complex electronics and displays. Also, many modern cars have been pretty extensively engineered from the early design stage with the audio system in mind (even basic body structure is designed for specific speaker placement).

I would be reluctant to mess with the system built into my car. I also have some doubts about how much the sound can be improved given that noise is obviously the biggest limiting factor in sound quality in a car. My car is supposedly quiet (2011 E350), but, I really cannot hear the quieter passages of the classical music that I listen to almost exclusively when I drive.

If I had to pick the "best" sound I heard in a car, it would actually be such a custom, non-factory, installation I heard in an S500; this system utilized a vacuum tube amplifier (fortunately the trunk on this car is large).

I wouldn't put non-OEM into any Merc.

The interiors of my vehicles, Ford F-250 V-10 4x4 and BMW 330ci convertible, are such poor environments for listening, what with exterior and road noise so loud, that I am not tempted to even consider upgrading from stock.

No, there are just too many variables one can't control (for critical listening), and really one should be doing something else besides focusing on music... driving!

Yes, i had one speaker and bought a second one to upgrade from Mono to Stereo.