flyingchappy

I went with the Blaupunkt Toronto 400BT. Let me preface this by saying I'm not an audiophile and I don't have the best hearing. So the price, appearance and bluetooth were the main factors that led to my decision. Illumination color is adjustable to suit whatever floats your boat with 4096 variations. Blaupunkt utilizes the same connector package as my Becker CR-210 so much of it is plug-n-play using an adapter from Crutchfield. You could forego the adapter and wire directly but for the sake of simplicity I wanted not to modify any stock connections. Reversing everything back to stock will take about 30 minutes.
The adapter plug needed it's 12v ignition wire (red) swapped with the 12v battery wire (red) so everything would line up.

The speakers were solely selected by their fit to allow for the stock grills on my non-hifi system and without re-drilling. I used an adapter plug from Crutchfield for the OEM connector so it that will make these easy to install/de-install.
The 4"x6" rear speakers needed fitment by installing the speaker directly on top of the deck and placing the plastic plate on top and then the grill. This was trial and error because most of the speaker manufactures wouldn't fit flush enough to allow for the plate on top. Alpines were the only ones I found to work, there could be others. Also, the tweeter center piece protrudes higher on all of the new speakers and you need the extra space to clear the stock grill. The only gap is the thickness of the speaker plate which doesn't bother me.

The front speaker hole alignment is key because most 5.25" speaker mounting holes do not align perfectly. Kickers were selected because of the hole alignment and that fact it has as separate mounting plate that allows the stock grill to fit it perfectly. Like the rears speakers, the mounting plate is on top of the speaker to give the needed clearance for the tweeter.

Parts list:

1. Blaupunkt Toronto 400BT $199, http://www.midwestelectronics.com/
2. Head unit adapter plug VW/Audi 120701758 $19.99, Crutchfield
3. Alpine 4"x6" SPS-406 rear speakers $79.99, Crutchfield
4. Speaker adapter harnesses VW 1207107 two sets $9.99, Crutchfield
5. Kicker KS5250 5.25" front speakers $89.99, Best Buy
6. Total $400

Conclusion:
The sound is 50x better than the stock. The power output is sufficient for me although it could use a sub-woofer. The head unit has the glare issue in the daylight as many of the fancy units do. I tried to solve this by cutting a piece of anti-glare film found at the Apple store used on iphones. It helped a bit. The bluetooth works very well even though the mic is in located on the faceplate, however WOT and with stage IIs, forget about making a call.

Cheers,
Greg

TheBen

That is a pretty good match for the 993 illumination. I like how the microphone is built-in. I may indeed do the same.

Quadcammer

The blue dot is a bit abrasive, but otherwise looks good. I like the non flashy head units.

pcarrera993

i just installed the same headunit 3 weeks ago. I didn't need adapter though, it plugged right in. I went with infinity in the rear.

RDS928S

Chappy, nice clean job,
Have'nt heard from you in a long time!

Rich

sbarracl

Looks good. I bought an HU from Crutchfield and had to reverse the constant and switched power as well. Still haven't done the speakers - good time for a side-by-side comparison. I'll give you a call.

Scott

flyingchappy

Hey Scott, let me know as I'm around this week. We still need to do the transmission fluid.
Hi Rich, yeah been working my **** off! Anytime you guys want to hook up for few brews, let me know.

The Eagle

Thanks for sharing this info with us, very usefull.


~ The Eagle ~
---------------------
'96 Polar Silver/Black C4S, manual, litronics, LED's in the positioning lights, alu/leather shifter & handbrake,
silver face gauges with alu rings, sport seats, full leather interior, motor sound airbox, stainless door sills,
valve caps Porsche crested brushed alloy, front protection bar, with split rear grill and layered with Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax
__________________
'92 Carrera 2 (Sold)
'89 Carrera 3.2 (Sold)

pcarhombre

Looks really good! Can you control the ipod from the screen?

flyingchappy

Blaupunkt states an Ipod interface, but it really does not. I connect my ipod via the front aux connection. There are front and rear aux. I just find that controlling any HU in the 993 is a chore. I set it and forget it.

TRM

Greg, Thanks for posting this...it's very helpful as I decide what I want to do to upgrade my head unit. Still "waffling" on the Sony and Kenwood.

If I have the 993 up here one weekend I'll ping you to see if we can meet up.

BobbyT

Hi Chappy,

Thanks for a very detailed, useful post. I have a satisfactory head unit, and wanted to replace the speakers (original to the car) on my 993, but like you, I don't want to make modifications, and I don't need audiophile quality. Your recommendations were spot on--the speakers were a perfect drop-in fit, and sound great!

hkspwrsche

As long as its already bumped, I used the kicker 6.5s and they fit exactly fine with a bit more bass capacity.

M. Schneider

I recognize this is an older thread, not a bad looking 993 radio alternative.

Looks like Blaupunkt has moved onto a newer unit modl/number. Here's a link to the BT 420.

TRINITONY

BTW, C'field has it for $149 with free shipping, just placed order.