2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 4MATIC Owner's Manual

208 Controls in detail
Audio system
CD mode
Submenu overview
The audio system will be fitted with either
a single CD drive or a CD changer*.
The single CD player and the CD changer*
can play audio CDs as well as CDs with
MP3 files.
The available menu options will vary de-
pending on the equipment and the type of
CD.
CD or MP3Track list (Audio CD) or Folder
(MP3) Changer
(only CD-changer*)Sound
Normal Track SequenceSelect track (CD mode only)Select mediumTreble
Random Tracks
(CD mode only)Select folder and/or tracks
(MP3 mode only)Eject AllBass
Random Folders
(MP3 mode only)Fill Empty SlotsBalance/Fader
AUXSurround sound*
iThe components and operating principles of
the audio system can be found on (
page 187).

209 Controls in detail
Audio system
Safety precautions General notes
Warning!G
The single CD player and the CD changer*
are classified as a Class 1 laser product. You
must not open the casing. There is a risk of
exposure to invisible laser radiation if you
open the casing, or if the casing is faulty or
damaged.
The single CD player and the CD changer*
do not contain any parts that you are able to
maintain yourself. For safety reasons, all
maintenance work must be carried out by
qualified technicians.
Warning!G
Only carry out the following when the vehi-
cle is stationary:

Inserting a disc

Ejecting a disc
There is a risk of accident by being distract-
ed from road and traffic conditions if you
load a CD while the vehicle is in motion.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
iAudio CDs with copy protection are not
compatible with the CD audio standard and
therefore may not be able to be played by the
single CD player and/or the CD changer*.
There may be playback problems when playing
copied discs.
There is a large variety of discs, disc-writing soft-
ware and writers available. This variety means
that there is no guarantee that the system will be
able to play discs that you have written/copied
yourself.
There may be playback problems if you use CD-R
or CD-RW type discs you have copied yourself
with a storage capacity of more than 700 MB.
These CDs are not compatible with currently ap-
plicable standards.
!If you affix stickers to the CDs, they can be-
come warped due to the heat that develops in
the CD drive or CD changer*.
In certain situations, the CDs can no longer be
ejected and can cause damage to the drive. Such
damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

210 Controls in detail
Audio system
Do not use CDs with an 8 cm diameter. At-
tempting to play CDs with an 8 cm diame-
ter or playing such CDs with an adapter
may cause damage to the CD drive. Such
damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Only use round, 12 cm diameter discs.
Should excessively high or low tempera-
tures occur while in CD changer mode*,
CD ERROR will appear in the display, and the
CD will be muted until the temperature has
reached an acceptable level for the system
to continue operation.
The single CD player and the CD changer*
can play audio CDs as well as CDs with
MP3 files.Tips on handling CDs

Only touch the CDs at the edges.

Handle CDs carefully to prevent
interference during playback.

Avoid scratches, fingerprints and dust
on the CDs.

The CDs must only be labeled using
pens specially designed for this pur-
pose.

Clean CDs from time to time with a
commercially available cleaning cloth.
Never wipe the CD in a circular motion;
instead, wipe it in a straight line start-
ing in the center and moving outward.
Do not use solvents, anti-static sprays,
etc. for cleaning.

Replace the CD in its case after use.

Protect CDs from heat and direct
sunlight.Notes about MP3 mode
The single CD player and the CD changer*
can play audio CDs as well as CDs with
MP3 files.
Permissible media for MP3 files

CD-DA

CD-R

CD-RW
Permissible file systems

ISO9660/Joliet for CDs
!Your CD drive or CD changer* has been de-
signed to play CDs which correspond to the
IEC 60908 standard. You can therefore only use
CDs with a maximum thickness of 1.3 mm.
If you insert thicker discs, e.g. ones that have
data on both sides (one side with DVD data, the
ot her s ide w it h au dio data) , th ey can no t be eje ct-
ed and will damage the drive.
iDue to the branched data structure, play-
back of the first track may be delayed slightly.

211 Controls in detail
Audio system
Multisession CDs
For multisession CDs, the first session
type of the CD determines how the audio
system will process the CD.
For example, if the first session type is ac-
cording to the audio CD standard and the
second session type is according to the
data CD standard containing MP3 tracks,
the audio system will treat the CD as a con-
ventional audio CD. This means that it is
only possible to access the audio CD
tracks. Access to the MP3 tracks is not
possible.
Similarly, if the first session type is accord-
ing to the data CD standard containing
MP3 tracks and the second session type is
according to the audio CD standard, the
audio system will treat the CD as a data
CD. This means that it is only possible to
access the MP3 tracks. Access to the au-
dio CD tracks is not possible.File structure on a disc
When you create an MP3 disc, the MP3
tracks can be organized in folders. A folder
can also contain other folders. A disc can
contain a maximum of 255 folders. Each
folder can contain a maximum of
255 tracks and 255 folders. A disc can
contain a maximum of 4 000 tracks. Usual-
ly this number will not be reached because
each minute of an MP3 track requires ap-
proximately 1 MB of storage space.Track and folder names
When you create an MP3 disc, you can as-
sign names to the MP3 tracks and folders.
The audio system uses these names for
the corresponding display in MP3 mode.
Empty folders or folders which contain
data other than MP3 tracks are not dis-
played by the audio system.
If MP3 files are saved in the root directory
itself (uppermost directory on storage me-
dium), the root directory will also be treat-
ed as a folder. The audio system will then
show the name of the root directory as the
folder name.

212 Controls in detail
Audio system
You must observe the following when as-
signing track names:

Track names must have at least one
character.

Track names must have the extension
“mp3”.

There must be a period between the
track name and the extension.
Example of a correct track name:
Track1.mp3
The audio system is unable to recognize an
MP3 track if:

there is no period between the track
title and the extension

there is no extensionPermissible MP3 formats
The audio system supports the MPEG1 Au-
dio Layer 3 format.
Compatible file systems and compres-
sion methods
The following compression methods are
compatible:

MP3

WMA
Permissible bit and sampling rates

Fixed and variable bit rates up to
320 kbit/s

Sampling rates of 24 kHz – 48 kHzNotes on copyright
The music tracks that you create for MP3
mode and can play back in MP3 mode are
generally subject to copyright protection in
accordance with the applicable interna-
tional and national regulations.
In many countries, reproductions are not
permitted without the prior consent of the
copyright holder, not even for private use.
Make sure you know the applicable copy-
right regulations and that you comply with
these.
If you own these rights yourself, e.g. for
your own compositions and recordings, or
the copyright holder has granted you per-
mission, these restrictions do not apply.
iThe audio system does not support ID3 tags.
iThis format is generally known as “MP3”.
iIf music files, created with different com-
pression methods, in addition to MP3 files, are
stored together on a disc, the loading process
may take longer before the first track is played.
iOnly use MP3 tracks with a bit rate of at
least 128 kbit/s or higher and a sampling rate of
at least 44.1 kHz or higher. Smaller rates can
cause a noticeable deterioration in sound quali-
ty. This is especially the case if you have activat-
ed the surround sound* function.

213 Controls in detail
Audio system
Operating the CD player
The single CD drive and the CD changer*
have the same controls.
1CD slot
2Eject/load button
3Forward
4RewindSingle CD player
Switching to CD mode: Press
buttoné on the audio control unit.
The CD display appears when you
switch to CD mode. CDs start to play
automatically when they are inserted.
The following message will appear if no
CD is inserted.Warning!G
Only insert a CD when the vehicle is station-
ary. There is a risk of accident by being dis-
tracted from road and traffic conditions if
you load a CD while the vehicle is in motion.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
!If a CD is already loaded, it must be ejected
before inserting a new CD. Inserting a second
CD in the slot with another CD still loaded will
cause damage to the CD drive not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

214 Controls in detail
Audio system
Ejecting a CD: Press eject/load
button2.
The system ejects the CD.
Please
Remove Disc
appears in the display.
Remove CD from CD slot1.
NO Disc appears in the display.
Loading a CD: Insert CD into CD
slot1.
The system automatically pulls the CD
into the CD slot1 and starts to play
the audio CD if it has been inserted cor-
rectly and is permissible.
CD changer*
The CD changer can hold up to a total of 6
audio CDs
Switching to CD mode: Press
buttoné on the audio control unit.
The CD changer display appears when
you switch to CD changer mode. If
there is a CD in one of the magazine
trays, it will start to play automatically.
The following message will appear if no
CDs are inserted.
iIf you do not take the CD out of the CD
slot1 within approximately. 15 seconds, the
system automatically pulls the CD back in and
plays it.
If a CD is pulled back in, press eject/load
button2 again; the CD will then be ejected.
iIf the audio CD is printed on one side, this
side must face upwards when loaded. If neither
side is printed, the side to be played must face
downwards.
If a CD has been inserted incorrectly or cannot
be read,
Disc Unreadable appears in the
display.
Warning!G
Only insert a CD when the vehicle is station-
ary. There is a risk of accident by being dis-
tracted from road and traffic conditions if
you load a CD while the vehicle is in motion.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.

215 Controls in detail
Audio system
Loading an individual magazine
compartment: Press eject/load
button2.
A menu indicates which magazine com-
partments are currently loaded. The
first available magazine compartment
is indicated by a red number.
Press desired button1 to 6, in
the keypad to select a magazine com-
partment.
or
Slide omp or rotate ymz to select a
magazine compartment.
Press n to confirm.
The CD changer will switch to the se-
lected magazine compartment. The
message
Please Wait... appears in
the display.
Insert CD into CD slot1.
The CD changer automatically pulls the
CD into the CD slot1 and places it in
the selected magazine compartment.
The message
Loading Disc
appears in the display.
Press buttoné, or the eject/load
button2 on the audio control unit to
finish the loading process.
The CD changer plays the disc if it has
been inserted correctly and is permissi-
ble.
To interrupt loading procedure:
Press the eject/load button again.
or
Press buttoní in the center con-
sole (
page 184).
iIf the audio CD is printed on one side, this
side must face upwards when loaded. If neither
side is printed, the side to be played must face
downwards.
If a CD has been inserted incorrectly or cannot
be read,
Disc Unreadable appears in the
display.
iOnly insert a CD after the audio system has
prompted you to do so with the message
Please
Insert Disc
. Only insert one CD per mag-
azine compartment.
iThe loading process may take a while, de-
pending on the type of disc. If you do not insert a
disc, the display will switch back to the
Maga-
zine
menu after approximately 20 seconds.