Bill Wagner

I may consider replacing my Blaupunkt Stuttgart because of a recent issue regarding resetting the codes, which I MAY be locked out of (set by previous owner, possibly incorrectly...I don't know). This is detailed in another thread for those interested who haven't seen it yet:

<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=002480" target="_blank">http://forums.rennlist.com/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=002480</a>

In any case, if I decide to go the route of upgrading the stereo, I would like the new unit to have (at least) the following characteristics:

1. A reasonable price (less than $200).

2. Excellent receiver sensitivity.

3. I wouldn't rule out a unit with a tape player instead of a CD player, but in this day and age I really think I should bag the cassettes and go with a CD player. What I don't like about CDs is their ability to skip when going over bumps, so I would want one that isn't terribly susceptible to this problem.

4. NO MORE CODES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Blaupunkt's "code" idea seems to be more trouble than it's worth.

5. One that can fit in the 964 with as little modification and/or re-wiring as possible.

6. A unit with sufficient power that it doesn't start overdriving (clipping) the signals. My current Blaupunkt does this when the volume is at louder levels, but these are by no means REALLY LOUD levels...I think it has more to do with the fact that the system came with a basic stereo unit and a Blaupunkt post amplifier (the Stuttgart by itself has a very low power output by itself). I'm NOT a "rap" fan and I don't intend to add a subwoofer and I don't normally play music loud, but I will play it loud enough to cover the engine/tire noise at times.

7. Possibly either be directly upgradable (if not already) XM ready. This is kind of down on the wish list, but XM appears to be moving.

8. Be easy to install with regards to the alarm wiring so I don't have to hack up some kludge to stop the alarm system from becoming flaky in one way or another.


Any recommendations???

Thanks in advance.

<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

John Miles

Buy a Becker. Currently re-badged and fitted by Porsche to 996 etc. Superb radio/CD and looks.
Needs an external power amp though. Replace the one under the seat.
Check out the C4 PSH page on <a href="http://www.porsche964.co.uk" target="_blank">My Site</a>
Cheers,
John

Andy Roe

I'll second what John Miles says. I bought a Becker Mexico Pro too, although I have not bothered with the power amp as it sounds great without. Liked the Becker because it was easy to use and not too gimicky. As well as being in the 996's, Ferrari also use it! A little dearer than $200 though, but worth it!

Oh, and the roads over here are very bad & it has never jumped when playing a CD.

Andy

Jack667

I had a Sony head unit installed in my car (first P-Car), only to be totally disappointed! The LED is only visible at night!
The problem seems to be related to the angle of the face. The Sony is flat, but the stock unit used to point toward the driver.
There is a glare from any light in the car that renders the LED illegible.
Has anyone else been through this?
I assume that Becker and others are more like the stock system.
It took along time to get used to the Sony, and I am still unhappy...

Kevin Ross

Bill

I have installed the following:

Rear Speakers are Standard Porsche, on Rear Shelf, and came with the car;

Front Speakers are Boston RC620 mounted in standard mounts in front Doors, cost AU$450.00;

The AMP is an Orion CS150.2, installed in Boot, mounted vertical to floor on left using specially crafted bracket, cost AU$400.00;

Head Unit is an Alpine CDA-7892E, mounted where stock head unit is fitted. Cost me AU$650.00;

The sound is just incredible across all music types. Very tight bass, brilliant mid-range. Speakers just don't distort...

Hope this helps...

Jay H

Bill:

I'm a big fan of Alpine head units. I've recommended and installed them on several of my friends cars over the past year. Great spec's and pretty well built. Even the cheapest CD model ($159) has the same audio specification as the much higher priced models.

Crutchfield.com has Alpine now and if you order from them, they throw in a free wiring harness and whatever else you need.

Just a thought...

Jay
90 964

johnfm

Bill

find what you like & then look for it on E-Bay. I just bought a kenwood in car CD for my wifes car. Perfect unit, half retail price. Great way to get more bang for your buck!

christian

Yes, go buy a new Alpine unit from a dealer on ebay. I bought a Pioneer for 350 intead of 800 retail (not stolen with warranty). If you want to have XM prepared you may have to pay a bit more than 200 but maybe not. Wiring is easy, if you don't want to do it yourself than you may have to buy from one of the big retailers inc. installation. I would definetely also replace the Blaupunkt Amp under the passenger seat. You can buy nice amps used on ebay (again Alpine) for 50 to 80 bucks.

Drew_K

I replaced the entire system in my C2 and went with another Blaupunkt for the receiver. I didn't like the flashy, colorful faces on most of today's receivers, and the Blaupunkts have a classy look to them that is more fitting in a Porsche IMO. I bought the Santa Monica model, which also has an extra input for an external source such as XM. I use it with an MP3 player.

Installation was a breeze and only required a little soldering. The old head unit pulls right out after you remove a plastic outer piece. The new one slides right into place.

Personally, I don't care too much about having great sound in my C2. It's hard to achieve great sound in a 911 without adding some sort of subwoofer and even then the car is too loud (in a good way) to really appreciate any high end stuff IMO. If you agree, something like a basic Blaupunkt works fine.

Drew
92 C2

Dave Cz

Bill:
I had a similar problem when I purchased my car and no codes were included. The dealer was able to get the codes for me, so I should now be good. Meanwhile at a Porsche flea market, I picked up an "almost new" Blaupunkt Heidelberg CD50 receiver.

<a href="http://www.blaupunktusa.com/receivers/receivers_00_heidelberg.htm" target="_blank">http://www.blaupunktusa.com/receivers/receivers_00_heidelberg.htm</a>

Original owner bought it for his 928GTS then decided to go a new direction. I'll let it go for cheap ($120) if you or any one is interested.

Dave Cz

Rick964

Here is where to put a new amp.

The amp is mounted to a piece of carpeted plywood. I then drilled 4 holes in the wood looped some extra long zip ties through the plywood down to the wheel rim to hold it all in place.

Nol, 95 993 C4

Another Alpine endorsement. I have an Alpine Cassette receiver in the dash, amp under the passenger seat and a cd-changer in the trunk. No skipping on the CD and keep the tape to enjoy my favourite compilation tapes. Not sure where 200$ get's you on the head unit, but Alpine's low spec 200$ 5-channel amp does the business without fuss.

I did add a sub-enclosure "Rod Birch" style which markedly improves the sound experience also at low sound volumes. See <a href="http://www.caraudioinnovations.com" target="_blank">www.caraudioinnovations.com</a>

Biggest improvement/$ was when I bought the car and replaced the old factory speakers. The drivers soft surrounds had crumbled to dust in just 5 years! The clipping you hear could also be caused by crap speakers.

Enjoy <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

Nol

christian

Wouldn't waste the trunk with stereo stuff. I am using it so much that I can't live without it. The amp fits nicely under the passenger seat. You can even remove the metal piece it is mounted on.

Michael W

The most popular head unit out there today for $200 is the Alpine CDM7874. It has a **** for volume control and buttons easy to navigate. I have an old alpine CD changer in the car right and it works beautifully for many years. I am going to replace the CD changer/head unit with the CDM7874 as soon as the stereo place can get them in.


Mike

Tobbe Bergsten

Here's another endorsement for the Alpine unit described previously. It's definitely worth listening to.

Don't forget your speakers, though. That's where I spent the lion's share of my budget and I'm very pleased indeed with the Diamond Audio speakres that I bought. The decent ones start at about $350 a pair, so they might be a bit more than what you indicated you were willing to spend.

Have a great day!