Vintage Radio discussion questions

[Stevehose]

Can you link to an example of an appropriate splitter? car audio is totally new to me. Hell, I don't even know how to spec an amp.

Looks like you don't need an impedance splitter, just a signal splitter like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Female-Y-Cab...no+to+stereo+splitter+rca,aps,202&sr=8-2&th=1

You could wire a male RCA plug to your existing mono out wire (use red for + and brown for - ) then plug it into the splitter, then the splitter goes into the speaker level amp inputs (make sure your amp has line level and speaker level inputs). Some amps don't use RCA for speaker level inputs, in this case you could just make your own splitter cable by taking regular speaker wire and cut 2 pieces, one each for the amp input, then wire the other ends to a single wire that goes to the Blaupunkt (3 positives and 3 negatives connected together).

 

[nosmonkey]

I will be looking to get one of these soon.

RetroSound DIN Solutions Europa DIN Radio

The RetroSound® Europa Radio is designed to replicate the style of the factory radio in your classic car. The replica knobs, large push-buttons, elegant chrome trim, and pinstriping perfectly complement the interior style of your vehicle while updating the audio technology to today's standards...

www.retromanufacturing.com

 

[otter74]

Update: i decided that the easiest way to deal with this would be to find a suitable stereo Frankfurt, which I did. Now I have to exchange the Bluetooth unit again back to an 8-pin unit, but that's fine.

 

[Henrik]

I have just bought a Blaupunkt Skagen. Mostly because it has a DAB+ receiver (that are the standard in some European countries),FM, bluetooth, and hands free (buing a car radio without it is out of the question). It has a modest look that fits well into the coupe unlike some of the new bling bling retro radios. The best of it all is that you get a modern and hassle-free plug and play unit.

 

[deQuincey]

I have just bought a Blaupunkt Skagen. Mostly because it has a DAB+ receiver (that are the standard in some European countries),FM, bluetooth, and hands free (buing a car radio without it is out of the question). It has a modest look that fits well into the coupe unlike some of the new bling bling retro radios. The best of it all is that you get a modern and hassle-free plug and play unit.
View attachment 179474

Curious
mixed feelings about design aspect and looks
but good for you

 

[Sean Haas]

Perhaps not vintage enough looking for everyone but I put in a RetroSound 4 speaker setup with a sub, 4 channel amp is behind the glovebox. I did not use their speakers but used some decent quality Hertz speakers as I wanted to fit the vintage speaker enclosures that were already in the car. The sound is surprisingly good, actually images quite well and is very accurate even at higher volumes.

 

[kentvonseverin]

I have the modern Blaupunkt Bremen in another car. The bluetooth is extremely glitchy.

 

[rsporsche]

so i'm going to reopen this thread since i need to solve the approach for my car.

option 1 - put in the blaupunkt frankfurt and install out of sight audio mark 4 - i want bluetooth phone + streaming capabilities. this is pretty straight forward but would have to solve the phone mount approach ... and probably have to do without sirius xm. - product cost $400

option 2 - the new blaupunkt frankfurt MB - yep, this one is expensive $900 or so. not sure how available it is in the USA.

option 3 - retrosound europa - biggest question is whether i have to cut the a/c plate. NOT going to do that as i have a perfect original one. i do have a cut one but i would have to refinish it. benefit is that it does have sirius connections as well as bluetooth. not quite positive about how phone answering / display works ... or selecting sirius channels and i'm sure i would also have to buy a sirius receiver to plug into the europa. product cost (w/o sirius) $433

so first question - anything new out there? thoughts on the options above?

 

[boonies]

I have a retro sound radio installed presently and stream SiriusXM though their phone app, so you would not need to so without if you went down the vintage radio/out of sight audio route.

I presently have a retro sound radio installed and did not need to touch my very original face plate. The knobs are adjustable and you should be able to install without a problem.

 

[Sean Haas]

The Retrosound installation setup is pretty flexible with regards to knob placement, faceplate, etc. and I would guess would work. I use the phone just fine. There's a bunch of setup options you have to kind of click through so if you disconnect your battery a lot you lose that which is kind of a pain as it does not store them. I'm quite happy with the sound though. Display is digital, you choose the color via a menu, there's a thin cling-film of a faux euro-look radio band display that sits there and looks official when its parked at shows (there's a couple options, choose your look)_or whatever, the digital shows through that when you are driving.

 

[e9Leveque]

I have the retrosound Europa as well, it installed easily and I didn't need to cut my faceplate. I placed their small subwoofer and the amp under the rear driver-side seat, pretty easy connections and it has a lot of options - USB charging in glovebox, can wire in antenna, etc. For the convenience, ease of use and installation, cost and "retro-looking-enough" quality it seemed to check all of the boxes.
You also going to upgrade the dash speaker with some of the options we have been trying? Or were you having gauges up there - can't remember.

 

[rsporsche]

I have the retrosound Europa as well, it installed easily and I didn't need to cut my faceplate. I placed their small subwoofer and the amp under the rear driver-side seat, pretty easy connections and it has a lot of options - USB charging in glovebox, can wire in antenna, etc. For the convenience, ease of use and installation, cost and "retro-looking-enough" quality it seemed to check all of the boxes.
You also going to upgrade the dash speaker with some of the options we have been trying? Or were you having gauges up there - can't remember.

gauges ... i have tweeters in the door ashtrays. i need to come up with a creative way to mount a phone to use as a map / control the phone (if i use the out of sight audio)

so here's the follow question for you retrosound guys with the uncut plate. what does the gap look like between the faceplate and the display? presumably the display is behind the a/c panel and then the coverplate is on top. how about an installed picture ... next question, how good is the sound quality?

 

[e9Leveque]

Here’s the only photo I have at the moment but I think it shows that it looks pretty clean. Regarding phone placement, the other thread with the iPhone 3d printed stand would work but would obscure the gauges in the dash speaker. It would be pretty easy to modify that stand to sit one “well” over to the right

 

[boonies]

The gap was larger than I wanted when I installed the radio, but in reality it is invisible given that the face plate and the radio are black.

 

[otter74]

This is still on my to-do list to install, but I have a vintage stereo Frankfurt (about 76, I think), a BT dongle that plugs into the DIN port, and an inexpensive amp to get a bit more power out of the low-power head unit.

 

[rsporsche]

so here's a question for @adawil2002 or @HB Chris, how do you control volume on the out of sight unit? do you have to do it with the phone volume controls or is there another way?

 

[JMinPDX]

My Becker Grand Prix. The red handle screwdriver of radios. Rebuilt 5 years ago by Becker Autosound in NJ with added blue tooth capability (the green light behind the AC grill). Works great. I was still running original 50 year old speaks until yesterday. I replaced the front speaker with an Alpine unit purchased from @e9Leveque last weekend. Nice improvement. I’ll get around to the rears someday provided I find quality speakers to fit under the original grills.

 

[rsporsche]

always loved the Becker Europa or Grand Prix. my mothers 450sl had one. the best vintage radio look - period. its just so hard to find one that doesn't require a DIN cutout.

 

[rsporsche]

i have inquired about service / rebuilding from VintageBlau. they can incorporate bluetooth and replace the circuit board which increases power, makes the radio bulletproof, increases reception. waiting on time frame / cost information

 

[rsporsche]

well, don't love the information that i received - 1400 with bluetooth and 1250 without ... time frame is 4 weeks. this pricing sure makes the Frankfurt MB radio seem a lot more appealing.