In need of opinions.

cmy330go

I just bought an '85 Mercedes 300SD as a project car. One of the projects is replacing the dead factory tape deck. I'm wanting to find a head-unit that doesn't look ridiculously out of place since I really would like the car to look close to original. That criteria obviously rules out most head-units. So far from looking at Crutchfield's site, I'm kinda leaning towards a couple of Blaupunkt units. I really like the idea of being able to change the backlight color to match the other dash lights.

My main question is..... Is Blaupunkt still a respectable product? When I was a teen I remember their stuff was quite well respected, but it seems since then that they have gone through some ups, and downs. So what do you all think of their current offerings?

Keep in mind I'm not looking to build a big system around this deck. At most I will upgrade the factory speakers, and maybe add a single small sub. Looks, r eliability, and good sound are my top 3 priorities (in that order).

cmy330go

Anyone?

cadenceclipse

pioneer makes clean looking deks. sounds like your lookin for a cheapy. dunno

Jstas

cadenceclipse wrote: »

pioneer makes clean looking deks. sounds like your lookin for a cheapy. dunno

Do you ever read the posts you respond to? He asked about Blaupunkt decks. He didn't mention anything about Pioneer or cheap for that matter.

As far as "cheap" decks, Blaupunkt is usually cheap in price but they are not cheap junk. Up until December of last year, Blaupunkt was a wholly owned subsidy of Bosch. I don't ever recall hearing Blaupunkt being profitable for Bosch though. They had quite a few firsts in automotive electronics, the most significant being an in-dash navigation unit. They were sold to Aurelius AG which seems to be a German investment firm like Cerberus here in the U.S. I don't think Blaupunkt is long for this world.

cmy330go

cadenceclipse wrote: »

pioneer makes clean looking deks. sounds like your lookin for a cheapy. dunno

If I thought Pioneer made a decent looking deck I would have asked about them and not Blaupunkt.:rolleyes:

Does anyone here have any personal experience with Blau? I just spoke with a rep at Crutchfield and he agrees that they aren't what they used to be, but doesn't feel that they are anything to be afraid of. I just really don't know how much I can trust a sales person.

Jstas

I have two Blaupunkt decks. One is an old tape player, still works like a champ, the other is a not as old but still old CD player and it works great too. The CD player seems a bit more flimsy but sound quality on the line level outputs is up there with the best of them and the radio tuners are the best I have ever used in any car. They lack some fancy pants features that other units have at the same price point but they always seemed to perform just a bit better than the competition.

The higher end models were always great competition head units because they didn't have all the extra frills that made stuff noisy. Just high voltage signal output with good clean power. Some of the Europe only models came with 24-bit DACs in them.

Also, when you see a Blaupunkt name in a Porsche or Mercedes, it's essentially their aftermarket unit with just a different look. Unlike JBL, Pioneer, JVC and the others that do OEM supplier work, Blaupunkt never watered their stuff down for the OEM manufacturer. they just gave it a different look.

Back when I started doing competitions, Blaupunkt head units and amps with Becker speakers and signal processors were not really common but enviable set ups in the SQ lanes.

I think Blaupunkt is worth the time because even if the newer ones feel cheap, they are still Bosch electronics and Bosch is well known for quality stuff. You won't be seeing non-Bosch components until the end of next year unless the company gets liquidated, gutted and raped.

cmy330go

Thanks for the info! I might hit one of the local shops to check them out more closely.

I assume Crutchfield is still a good company to do business with. I always thought their install kits and instructions were top notch. Still the case?

dirthog

cmy330go wrote: »

If I thought Pioneer made a decent looking deck I would have asked about them and not Blaupunkt.:rolleyes:

Does anyone here have any personal experience with Blau? I just spoke with a rep at Crutchfield and he agrees that they aren't what they used to be, but doesn't feel that they are anything to be afraid of. I just really don't know how much I can trust a sales person.

I don't see why you cant trust him. They don't work on commission do they?

cmy330go

Pretty certain they do.

Jstas

As far as I know they are still good. Haven't bought a headunit through them in a while.

cadenceclipse

Jstas wrote: »

Do you ever read the posts you respond to? He asked about Blaupunkt decks. He didn't mention anything about Pioneer or cheap for that matter.

As far as "cheap" decks, Blaupunkt is usually cheap in price but they are not cheap junk. Up until December of last year, Blaupunkt was a wholly owned subsidy of Bosch. I don't ever recall hearing Blaupunkt being profitable for Bosch though. They had quite a few firsts in automotive electronics, the most significant being an in-dash navigation unit. They were sold to Aurelius AG which seems to be a German investment firm like Cerberus here in the U.S. I don't think Blaupunkt is long for this world.

worry bout yourself master. hes askin bout a cd player for his new project car, not a brief boring history on blaupunkt that no one cares about. i said it Sounded that way and also that i didn't know. i thought he could have been more clear. sounds to me just like he said hes looking for LOOKS #1! releability#2(who isn't looking for that) and good sound#3(duh). he wants pretty colors. doesn't sound like your usual sq customer to me. that why i mentioned a nice looking, simple hu like pioneer, proly best suited for older benz looking to blend in. when i think of blaupunkt i think of flashy colors not simple. maybe i'm just out of the new blaupunkt loop. if so i apologize. if reliability was #1 i wouldn't have mentioned pioneer, but it Is # 2, thats why i said dunno. no1 else was giving him any info at the time. blau suks dude so if your looking for a cheapo hu for your cheapo speakers look no further than blau. and u knew it this whole time, tryin get me in trouble or sumpin

Jstas

cadenceclipse wrote: »

worry bout yourself master. hes askin bout a cd player for his new project car, not a brief boring history on blaupunkt that no one cares about. i said it Sounded that way and also that i didn't know. i thought he could have been more clear. sounds to me just like he said hes looking for LOOKS #1! releability#2(who isn't looking for that) and good sound#3(duh). he wants pretty colors. doesn't sound like your usual sq customer to me. that why i mentioned a nice looking, simple hu like pioneer, proly best suited for older benz looking to blend in. when i think of blaupunkt i think of flashy colors not simple. maybe i'm just out of the new blaupunkt loop. if so i apologize. if reliability was #1 i wouldn't have mentioned pioneer, but it Is # 2, thats why i said dunno. no1 else was giving him any info at the time. blau suks dude so if your looking for a cheapo hu for your cheapo speakers look no further than blau. and u knew it this whole time, tryin get me in trouble or sumpin

Maybe you missed this part of his post:

cmy330go wrote: »

cadenceclipse wrote:

pioneer makes clean looking deks. sounds like your lookin for a cheapy. dunno

If I thought Pioneer made a decent looking deck I would have asked about them and not Blaupunkt.:rolleyes:

You should use your head for more than a hat rack there junior.

Actually, scratch that. Thinking doesn't seem to be your forte. Neither does comprehending the English language.

cadenceclipse

anyway, pioneer sux and so does blau so either way i'm sure he'll b fine w/ that beat setup. anybody think blau looks nice? i thought u looking for more simple since older, proly less cluttered interior. please don't respond if not a nice comment, jus tryin to help sory if i misunderstood. blau sux:p

Jstas

cadenceclipse wrote: »

anyway, pioneer sux and so does blau so either way i'm sure he'll b fine w/ that beat setup. anybody think blau looks nice? i thought u looking for more simple since older, proly less cluttered interior. please don't respond if not a nice comment, jus tryin to help sory if i misunderstood. blau sux:p

So wait, let me get this straight. You're gonna post a comment like that and then tell us not to "respond if not a nice comment".

News flash junior, the world ain't nice and with your attitude I couldn't care less about your feelings.

You're a moron.

You should also pay attention in your English classes. Then we wouldn't have to muddle through your half-assed posts trying to figure out what the hell you are saying.

Fongolio

What's with all the jive talking newbies around here lately? Is poor English and incoherent slang the "cool" thing now?

cmy330go

cadenceclipse wrote: »

anybody think blau looks nice?

I'm sorry, but all the pioneers look far worse than this Blaupunkt. Plus at least with this unit I can adjust the display to match the other dash lights. I can't imagine the Pioneers matching anything in any car.

Honestly...If it had all the features I wanted, I would still use this old Eclipse that I have.

Seems that no one can make a tasteful looking head-unit any more. They all look like they came off a Star Trek set.

Jstas

cmy330go wrote: »

Seems that no one can make a tasteful looking head-unit any more. They all look like they came off a Star Trek set.

Why do you think I'm still using 10 and 12 year old Kenwood MASK head units? I just keep getting them repaired when they break.

cmy330go

Can't blame you. Actually if I can use the Changer input as an Auxiliary-in I'll probably use the Eclipse. I just can't seem to find out if the adapters available will work with this old model.

Fongolio

Have you considered any of the Kenwood head units? Fairly conservative looking by today's standards. I'm an Alpine fan for car audio myself but they are kind of flashy.
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Car_Entertainment/In-Dash_CD_n_DVD_Receivers/1-DIN_CD_Receiver/

Jstas

Oh, I look at the Kenwood head units all the time. By far my favorite company for a head unit.

But in addition to the classy looking head units I already have, they both have the MASK feature which provides a level of security that you can't get nowadays. I've had my truck in several shows where even car guys look in the interior, see the dashboard and say "Hey, Bill! Lookit this guy! He's goy a radio delete panel! Must be some kind of factory racer option!" They stand there with their jaws on the floor when they see the radio flip out of the dash and start playing. Then I shut it off and it flips back around and out of sight.

If even people who know more about car than the average guy think it doesn't have a radio most people on the street will think that too.

I think that when Kenwood comes back out with another MASK like display I will consider buying a new one. Until then, I think I'm gonna stick with what I got and keep forking over the money to get them repaired when they break.


Besides, I'm not parting with my KRC-PS955 for nuthin'! That deck has won me more competitions than any other piece of audio equipment I own.

cadenceclipse

ps955 is that a tape deck?