E3 Radio Speaker-NOW A GROUP BUY!

[Dick Steinkamp]

Am I the only one comtemplating a period correct mono radio in my E3 with the single speaker in the factory location over the instrument cluster?

@Larry Louton was kind enough to send me his original, but broke, E3 radio speaker.

I found one one line with exactly the same dimensions for the speaker and the mounting holes...

SVC 7" x 3" loudspeaker - sold individually - Classic Car Stereo

Original quality replacement 7” x 3” loudspeaker, 40W power handling – used in many cars Citroen DS, older Mercedes etc (note: speaker chassis may require additional holes drilling as some 7″ x 3″ speakers had their mounting holes in different positions). Comes with black mesh speaker grille...

www.classiccarstereo.co.uk

I have seen the same speaker in other European cars (W114/W115) so there must be enough interest to keep making them.

 

[bluecoupe30!]

Yes.

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

Yes.

It's probably because my old ears can't hear most sounds and when they do they can't tell the difference between good and bad.

 

[Stevehose]

I suspect the repro speaker will sound better than did originally because it is made with modern materials, and its location facing right at you vs footwells and/or rear shelf pointing up. Will get the job done without carving up your interior as well as be period correct.

 

[bavbob]

No, guess Dick and I are just nostalgic. My Bav is 100% original from a single owner and I promised him I would keep it that way. I repaired my speaker using some coffee filter paper. The sound fits the car IMO.

 

[JMinPDX]

I miss Radio Shack
It’s likely the most expensive option but have you looked into having the stock speaker rebuilt?

Car speaker repair service reconing restoration refurbish Delco GM

Important factory speaker information. Don‘t throw away that original speaker! Sure it may look torn, dirty and hopeless but we can fix it. Keep your car as original as possible for those extra points at the car show. All GM radios from 1963-80’s are to be used with 8-10 OHM speakers no...

jvrestorations.com

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

It’s likely the most expensive option but have you looked into having the stock speaker rebuilt?

I'll check with them.

 

[alprada70]

Dick, have you ordered it yet? I need 1

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

I haven't. Shipping is 2x the cost of the speaker. I'm checking into the repair service that John linked to. Also, @Keshav sent me this...

eBay Kleinanzeigen ist jetzt Kleinanzeigen | Kleinanzeigen

Kleinanzeigen: Bmw E3 Lautsprecher, Kleinanzeigen - Jetzt finden oder inserieren! eBay Kleinanzeigen ist jetzt Kleinanzeigen.

www.kleinanzeigen.de

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

Here's the reply from the repair service...

Usually the recone cost is $80 ea.
This price also includes return shipping cost in the US. Usual turn around time is 2-3 weeks.
Your speaker has an odd size cone. I may have one that will work but I would need the speaker frame here
to test fit.
If interested package safely and send to:

Joe Vijil
714 S. Canyon Blvd. Unit A
Monrovia, CA 91016

 

[Ohmess]

Even with a good speaker, music will not sound very good for a handful of reasons - the broadcast signal is of low quality, the radio doesn't do a great job of translating the signal, the radio output is mono, and the vehicle in which you will be listening to all of this is very noisy. You can diminish some of the noise in the vehicle by adding sound deadening, but you can't diminish the noise transmitted through the glass, and there is a lot of glass area.

Your setup would only be good for baseball games and news broadcasts.

 

[JMinPDX]

Even with a good speaker, music will not sound very good for a handful of reasons - the broadcast signal is of low quality, the radio doesn't do a great job of translating the signal, the radio output is mono, and the vehicle in which you will be listening to all of this is very noisy. You can diminish some of the noise in the vehicle by adding sound deadening, but you can't diminish the noise transmitted through the glass, and there is a lot of glass area.

Your setup would only be good for baseball games and news broadcasts.

All the more reason to do it IMO. It’s part of the experience of driving a stock 50 year old car with a mono radio. A good speaker is half the battle. Being sure you have the proper ohm speaker for your radio also is very important. The turners in period correct (German built) Blaupunkts and especially Beckers are much more sensitive than the later models built in Asia. You can tell this when tuning with the dial. If you can turn the dial a 1/4 of a turn or more in either direction and not completely lose the station, it’s a good tuner. The circa 1980 Japanese built Blaupunkt that was in my car when I bought could not pass this test. The 1973 Becker Gran Prix does.

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

Even with a good speaker, music will not sound very good for a handful of reasons - the broadcast signal is of low quality, the radio doesn't do a great job of translating the signal, the radio output is mono, and the vehicle in which you will be listening to all of this is very noisy. You can diminish some of the noise in the vehicle by adding sound deadening, but you can't diminish the noise transmitted through the glass, and there is a lot of glass area.

Your setup would only be good for baseball games and news broadcasts.

Totally agree.

Compared to new cars, our old BMWs don't ride as well, don't handle as well, they are noisier, draftier, gas mileage is poorer, they aren't as comfortable, performance is worse, parts are harder to find, original sound systems suck, and the list goes on (I use that last phrase when I've run out of things to say ). But for some odd reason(s) we love them.

 

[JMinPDX]

Totally agree.

Compared to new cars, our old BMWs don't ride as well, don't handle as well, they are noisier, draftier, gas mileage is poorer, they aren't as comfortable, performance is worse, parts are harder to find, original sound systems suck, and the list goes on (I use that last phrase when I've run out of things to say ). But for some odd reason(s) we love them.

Great minds think alike.

 

[CSteve]

Guys and Gals, I am attaching the most famous automobile review ever written. BMW should have paid David E Davis a royalty on every 2002 they ever sold.

A masterpiece of automobila Prose. I re-read it regularly. So why am I here extolling the virtues of his Hymn to BMW? Because Davis ends his review savaging the Blaupunkt radio in his test cars. Blaupunkt never advertised in his Rag again, so the legend goes.

Most of the Blaupunkt and Becker radios in my 11 BMW classics either didn't work or I never turned them on. They were period correct, period. I listen to the engine, the transmission, the road noise. And the whistle of the wind past the sometimes old and deteriorating rubber gaskets. Anything else is a distraction.

Steve

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15126456/1968-bmw-2002-review/

 

[Ohmess]

Guys and Gals, I am attaching the most famous automobile review ever written. BMW should have paid David E Davis a royalty on every 2002 they ever sold.

A masterpiece of automobila Prose. I re-read it regularly. So why am I here extolling the virtues of his Hymn to BMW? Because Davis ends his review savaging the Blaupunkt radio in his test cars. Blaupunkt never advertised in his Rag again, so the legend goes.

Most of the Blaupunkt and Becker radios in my 11 BMW classics either didn't work or I never turned them on. They were period correct, period. I listen to the engine, the transmission, the road noise. And the whistle of the wind past the sometimes old and deteriorating rubber gaskets. Anything else is a distraction.

Steve

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15126456/1968-bmw-2002-review/

I have an entire book of David E Davis articles in my garage - he writes well, and obviously, is a good judge of automobiles.

 

[alprada70]

Dick, I need 2, maybe 3 speakers…

 

[ricsix]

I continue to use this original speaker with a Blaupunkt Frankfurt and I just love the warmth of that combo. It's actually a better speaker than you'd expect.

 

[rsporsche]

Totally agree.

Compared to new cars, our old BMWs don't ride as well, don't handle as well, they are noisier, draftier, gas mileage is poorer, they aren't as comfortable, performance is worse, parts are harder to find, original sound systems suck, and the list goes on (I use that last phrase when I've run out of things to say ). But for some odd reason(s) we love them.

hmmm ... most newer cars just aren't nearly as good looking as our vintage e3 + e9. the higher window sill line has something to do with that and all the other legal complexities.

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

@alprada70 and I will be doing a group buy on the speakers in the first post in this thread.

The speakers are 24.96 GBP each or $31.59. If we order 10 or more speakers there will be a 10% discount on each.

Shipping is a flat rate of 55 GBP or $69.61 for up to 50 speakers.

They will be bulk shipped to Miami and Alvaro's relative will ship the orders from there. Each individual will reimburse the postage cost only, for the shipment to their home.

Example...If we can get orders for 10, each speaker will cost $28.43 and shipping from England will be $6.96. Shipping to you from Miami will be variable depending on location. This is only an example. There could be fewer ordered resulting in a higher cost to you.

This is a great alternative if you want to run a period correct mono radio, but would also work as the front speaker of a stereo radio with the second speaker in an enclosure on the rear shelf.

Send me a PM by December 29 indicating how many speakers you want. Once we know how many speakers are ordered I'll let you know how much you owe. Please be sure you want the speaker(s) when you order no matter what your final cost may be. You can order through December 29th and I'll get back to you with your total by the 1st of January. I can take payment via PayPal.

PM me if you want to place an order. Please don't add your order to this thread.

Let me know if you have any questions.