steve578

Because of this thread, I have a Bremen on the way. Still not sure to thank you all or curse you.

Michael Benno

I was able to get the head unit into my car last night and do some sound checks and test out some of the features. My initial impression is that the sound quality is really nice, this may be a result of using the low power pre-amp outputs vs the regular speaker level outputs on my previous head unit. I found I had to turn up the gain on my amp. But the sound quality was very clear and distortion free. I also found richer midrange and stronger bass production out of this unit versus my CD43 unit. There are a lot of EQ settings that can be adjusted using a combination of menus and the volume know but not something you would change while driving or from song to song but having that ability to tune is nice. But out of the box i found the sound quality to be noticeably better than both the CD43 and the SQR46 I had before and just as good as the Alpine ILX007 (see below), richer mid tones, better base production, less distortion and less harshness from the higher frequencies. I'm not an audiophile but I definitively noticed a difference, especially at lower volume levels the sound was more full.

Also, the Bluetooth transmission seems to be better, in my previous setup, I was not able to us full volume from my phone when streaming, I would get distortion when the volume was near max. With this new SQR46 DAB, I no longer have that issue. So I am going to say the BT streaming is better as well.

Some cons:

• there is a volume difference between BT streaming and regular radio, when I switch from radio to BTstreem, I need to turn the volume up significantly. I've read in the manual, one can adjust the volume for voice calls, but I am not sure that applies to the BT stream as well. I will try that next time Im in the garage.
• The user interface is not terribly intuitive, sometimes you access features by selecting the button multiple times, sometimes you use the volume know to scroll through menus. Sometimes you select by pressing a button, sometimes you press the volume ****.
• Toggling between radio and BT requires selecting the source button through all the different modes (AM, FM1, FM2, FMX, DAB, AUX, BT) each time. I am hoping I can disable some of the sources.
• There seem to be three sets of < > buttons that do the same thing, seems like they could have been re-purposed for some of those nested features (eg fader or EQ)
• The faceplace is beveled at the edges vs full square like the original, minor, I know, but it makes the gap around the edges bigger and I like the snug fit of the original.

All in all I very much like this unit. It performs better even with the cons noted above and represents a very good and easy solution for those of us with older euro staying cars.



The Installation was fairly straightforward. I built an adapter harness to plug in to the OEM harness using this adapter from Crutchfeild.


This photo here is a mock up before I soldered and used heat shrink to tidy things up. Then it was as simple as plugging in the headunit into the harness and connecting the RCA lines to my 4-channel amp. I am not using a subwoofer at this time.

I wasn't able to anchor the rear of the head unit due to the shallower depth. the front fit was pretty tight and the light weight of the unit shouldn't need the rear support. But still I would like to be able to secure it from the rear. Here is a photo with the rear bracket adjusted all the way forward. I'd be interested to see how some of you solve this minor problem




Here are some of the various head units I had in the car so you can compare the looks and fitment.

Alpine ILX007 double din. This was a really awesome sound quality and nice features. But no wireless streaming and the touch screen was actually kinda difficult to use while driving the 5spd and the heavy steering.

Blaupunkt SQR46 plus Aux in line. Return to retro. Looks great loved having the loudness feature. But overall sound quality was lacking and didn't like the AUX hardline tether, limited FM presets, and 40-buttons for tape functions.

Blaupunkt CD43 (BMW/Rover) This is probably the best looking in my personal opinion. Digital tuner and does BT streaming via an accessory. Very easy to use and the big buttons are easy to find while driving. Fits perfectly, but no pre-amp outputs just speaker level. This is a very nice option.

Blaupunkt Bremen SQR46 DAB

Alan

... deleted

Alan

It is nice - but the new one is rather more period correct - and looks equally good IMO (but then I had a Toronto for years that I really loved - so YMMV....)

Alan

Angry Gardener

Great reviews above. I bought mine as soon as they were available in Late October from Autosound in the UK.

I’ve actually been collecting parts for months. For me a very big project. Complete dash out refurbishment. Way over my head this time.

step 1: dash out, notice the wiring rats nest from the 2 or 3 previous installers... labels in Japanese really helped :-/


Yes, while you’re in there you do the HVAC actuators - I found they had already been done by prior owner

at this point I was pretty sure I would never get it back together and I would just tow it to my mechanic.


Making a pattern for the leather. The pod is tricky, I sewed 3 pieces of leather together.




Dremel our cracks. Repair cracks with fiberglass reinforced bondo and sand. recover in leather glued with rubber contact cement



Dash is done without a pattern... did trimming method instead.


LCD clock bled. Mighty hot in Tokyo some days.



Soldering in a replacement screen into old clock

Look ma’ no cracks


Rat’s nest removed. All the previous installers just kept patching in.


The money shot. Stereo and dash lights match. LED Dashlights were a massive pain. Kit plugs failed, had to remove and solder the wires instead. Special low voltage dimmer also installed. HVAC controller was opened up to swap in a red LED. Would I do it again? Would you?

Matt-R20

Installed the Bremen this weekend, thanks to those who took the risk up front. Old stereo was a hack job and I just shortened the hack, at some point should probably be pulled and wiring cleaned up, but there are 4 amps and crossovers to drive all the component speakers, Ugh!

As many have stated this is a nice solution. Someone talked about it being EU for the frequencies, there is a setting in the menu to set as US and it works like any other radio. Lots of good settings in the system and simple to adjust.

I just happened to be looking at the german 1989 928 brochure supplement this weekend and did a double take. Maybe I didn’t realize this, but the 89 in the photo has an original Bremen, the same button layout as this version, so on my 89GT, this turns out to be a perfect solution!

Bigfoot928

I'm sure someone will 3D print a bezel that fits the 928 perfectly in the near future. All the way down to the curved corners on top and square on the bottom.

khalloudy

Love it... keeps it original

Radmd74

Anyone have pics or install tips or issues with fitment with the 944 Turbo?

Thanks

h2pmr

am going to install this radio into my SE wich has the factory radio aeiral in the front widscreen.
would the electric aeiral outout from this radio power the factory aeiral amplifier?
cheers
Phil

Wisconsin Joe

I think that's what I used on mine.

Not this head unit, but an Alpine.

Not 100% sure, but I think so.

Michael Benno

Yes, the head unit has a 12v switched output for power antenna. You can also use this same output to turn on external amps. It’s the yellow wire pictured below

h2pmr

thanks for the info about the aeiral amp.
when i looked at the radio securing bracket on my up to 90model version the part that clamps to the radio has 2 pre drilled holes so i just used a long bolt and a spacer to move the clamp part so it could hold the radio.
the original stud can still be seen so can easily be converted back to stock.
spacer is from a spare inst pannel mounting i had and just the right size.
Phil

Michael Benno

For those who have installed this head unit, I’d be curious to know you your feedback or insight on few things

1. How did you secure the head unit in the back to the bracket given that it’s about 2.5” shorter depth? I find that I need to secure it because it won’t stay put when removing the front aux in plug. Pulling the AUX cord will pull the head unit if I am not careful. Having it secured from the rear would be helpful. I’ve see standoffs bolts but not sure where to get them.

2. Have you figured out how to match the Bluetooth streaming volume level to the FM volume level? On mine the FM level is much louder than BT even with the output volume on my device at max.

3. Do your head unit buttons stay illuminated when the head unit is off and the dash lights are on? When my head unit is off it's completely dark, so when driving at night, I cant see the on button. Most radios have the head unit buttons illuminated when the dash lights are activated. I have the input line for “dash light” connected properly but I don’t have illumination when the unit is off.

Radmd74

Bumping this! Anyone have success with placing this head unit into a 951T? I have an 87 944 turbo. Thanks.