Blaupunkt reissuing Bremen head unit w/modern features

[reesesboot]

Just installed this yesterday. Looks excellent in-person when installed and the lighting matches perfectly. It truly does look almost stock. The integrated speaker amp is pretty weak though, and is leagues lower than the 15-year old Alpine head unit it replaced. Luckily it does have pre-amp outputs, but it's kind of ridiculous that you almost HAVE TO run an external amp for decent sound. I got mine for $300 from Amazon - they were running a deal.

One thing I noticed is that the unit doesn't have a dedicated 'remote turn on' wire. For those that are running external amps, how are you triggering these to turn on? Tapping into the ignition wire?

[e24mpwr]

A couple of my E24 buddies have done this recently - I'll see if they can come describe how it worked out for therm.

My friend Andy mentioned the same thing @reesesboot did - that an external amp is required.

[reesesboot]

A couple of my E24 buddies have done this recently - I'll see if they can come describe how it worked out for therm.

My friend Andy mentioned the same thing @reesesboot did - that an external amp is required.

I'm looking over what some of the Porsche guys have been doing over at Rennlist and someone suggested using the blue cable (antenna power/trigger), but am wondering if this would only power the amp if using AM/FM. Reading through it looks like it's always switched on when the head unit is on so this sounds like the answer. Helps that my antenna doesn't even work so won't be up all the time if this is the case

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/1 ... ab-11.html

[MyE21]

I have one and agree with the above posts.
Cool radio, looks great and so many features, but it does need an external amp to sound good.
I used a small Alpine amp that fits on the back wall of the glove box.
With the amp and stereo sound settings dialed in, (and good speakers) it sounds very very good.
To me the only thing it’s missing is the remote amp turn on AND a power antenna lead that only powers when the HU is set to AM/FM.
A bit of a bummer for us 80s guys that have power antennas, and a puzzling missing feature for a radio designed for 80s Euro cars.
I rarely listen to the radio, but I like all my functions to function.
But I don’t want the antenna to go up every time I turn the radio on and listen via Bluetooth.
So what I did was trigger the amp and the power antenna using the blue trigger wire, but I put a small switch in line on the antenna trigger.
So now my antenna stays down, but in the rare case I want to raise it, I can flip the switch.

[reesesboot]

Interesting, good info to have. Wouldn’t mind seeing where you mounted the antenna switch and which model of amp you used. It would be nice to to not reroute all the speaker wires back to under the rear seat for an amp.

[MyE21]

I used this Alpine. It’s great. Light, small, nice features and sound.

https://soundcertified.com/alpine-ktp-445u-review/

I mounted it to the back wall of the glovebox.
I mounted the antenna switch (it’s a small on/off push button) to the amp with double sided tape.
(The switch of course works, but I’ve never used it. I just like knowing it’s there!)

[bogdaneise]

Hello,
Anyone know where to get a firmware update for this unit ? I have the P1827201X version. Thank you!

[John in VA]

Hello,
Anyone know where to get a firmware update for this unit ? I have the P1827201X version. Thank you!

Did you see this? http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche- ... opy-2.html

[bogdaneise]

Yes but the one drive link it is not valid anymore unfortunately.

[Justin_FL]

Do you have issues with your unit? They probably pulled the firmware off the website for a reason, like there possibly being incompatible hardware revisions now that they have made it for a couple years and the software is required to be different. Unless you have an older radio running firmware versions with the bugs listed in the change logs I'd be cautious flashing firmware.

P1310052X <- Last known version on website
P1827201X <- Your version

[tig]

Found this thread on Pelica Parts with a link to a Firmware (P1420052) download:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche- ... opy-4.html

Here's an updated link http://bit.ly/3ncbkxe (Feel free to pm me if this no longer works)

Two comments (provided by the generous person who previously offered to share this with me):
a) Make sure you read and follow the README file
b) The upgrade only worked for me when I plugged the USB drive into the
front of the radio, (I first tried with the rear input which failed)

Relevant:

Found this changelog that came with the software when I upgraded my radio.

Changelog BREMEN SQR 46 DAB (2001018000000)

P9A22031
- First release

P9B15034
- added DEMO MODE with color change
- added more colors 512 > 4096
- BEEP default changed to OFF

P9C10038
- Production release

P0115039(X)
- DAB: Presets stored permanently even after new SERVICE SCAN
- DAB: Improved timing of keys for selection of DAB SERVICE
- Bluetooth: Reconnect to source BT-STREAM after ACC OFF/ ON if available
- Issue: Sometimes wrong DAB channel display (X- Version only)

P0313043(X)
- added: BEEP confirmation for PRESETS even if BEEP is OFF
- added: PRESET+ / PRESET- for SWC commands
- changed: SWC compatibility (58mV)
- fixed: channel display with new DAB module (X- Version only, not verified)
- added: compatibility with SWC commands of some pioneer compatible interfaces, e.g. connects2 (default setting, no SWC setup needed)
- issue: SWC1 / SWC2 reversed for preprogrammed keys
- issue: DAB presets not saved anymore after new SERVICE SCAN/ INTRO SCAN

P0317044(X)
- fixed: SWC1 / SWC2 reversed for preprogrammed keys
- issue: DAB presets not saved anymore after new SERVICE SCAN/ INTRO SCAN
- issue: SWC PRESET+/ PRESET- does not properly on DAB (changes ENSEMBLE instead of PRESET)

P0318046(X)
- fixed: DAB presets not saved anymore after new SERVICE SCAN/ INTRO SCAN
- issue: sometimes wrong channel info displayed on DAB if displaymode is set to FREQUENCY

P0323047(X)
- added: show A2DP streaming info TITLE/ARTIST/ALBUM (select via DIS), capability may depend on used phone/ mp3 player and production date (only models with bluetooth version B20191226 and higher are supported, please check in MENU - VARIOUS - VERSION).
- fixed: SWC PRESET+/ PRESET- does not properly on DAB (changes ENSEMBLE instead of PRESET)
- fixed: sometimes wrong channel info displayed on DAB if displaymode is set to FREQUENCY

P0701049(X)

- fixed: BT pairing issue on selecting STREAMING (shows accidentally PIN before starting pairing)

P1310050(X)

- changed: BT AUDIO MIX volume optimazion for higher volume levels (BT AUDIO MIX volume increases in proportion to the MAIN volume ). Please note: Completely proportional volume change is not possible, this is hardware related.

P1310052(X)

- fixed: Permanent memory issue of some settings (FAD/ BAL)
[/quote'

[bogdaneise]

The sound trough the bluetooth is terrible.No other issues what i was able to see.

[Justin_FL]

Was browsing around recently and noticed they have also released two additional retro-styled radios besides the Bremen. The Hamburg would be the most era-appropriate design as it matches to the factory-installed or dealer-installed BMW Bavaria C lineup that was offered when these cars were sold outside of the North America market (like my 518i).

Hamburg SQM 23 DAB



Frankfurt RCM 82 DAB

[Justin_FL]

If you have the Bremen SQR 46 DAB already, it looks like this company is offering decal kits to cover up the Blaupunkt logo to theme the radio for various brands, including BMW.

Webpage link: https://www.retrosoundusa.com.au/index. ... ail&p=3220


 

[tig]

Thanks for posting these Justin! I really hope they've improved the quality of these over the Bremen.

[e28Sean]

Just going to toss my 2¢ in here;  I've been living with a Continental HU for a few years now, and am still very satisfied with it.  It also looks great, and blends in really well.

[4DSC]

Wow both the new ones are already self-proclaimed product of the year 2025 one day into the year! If anyone gets to test one, I would be interested in the assessment of the controls and sound overall. I was very disappointed in the cheap plastic and tactile feel of the buttons on the bremen I bought comparing to the original units from the 80s. Would have been such a cheap and simple thing to at least get that right...

[Freight]

Regarding the quality complaints -

has anyone bothered taking an original period correct unit and adding Bluetooth to it? It requires a steady hand with a soldering iron but seems possible by tying it into the cassette deck. This is how the people retrofitting the OG units do it, and then charge $700 or whatever for them.

my only hesitation has been the sound quality being potentially poor? I listen to mostly punk/crust/sludge, so *contrary* to what untrained ears might think, there’s a lot going on and poor sound quality will blend it all into mush.(or I’m delusional )

would be keen to hear anyone’s feedback on this.

 

[alps]

Cantaloupe Radio is now back to selling their bluetooth retrofit kits for the original BMW radios. They have different kits for the different radios, some offering higher end features. All of them add bluetooth control and display functionality to the original buttons/display. 

I just ordered a kit on Tuesday! I've been following them for years and will report back once I have it installed. 

https://cantalouperadio.com/pages/produ ... n-by-radio

 

[DavidE9]

I bought a BMW CD-43 and added Bluetooth for an OEM+ solution:

https://bmw-radios.com/bmw-business-cd-cd43/
https://www.musikimauto.de/BlueMusic-Bl ... -USB-AUX_2

 

[4DSC]

Regarding the quality complaints -

has anyone bothered taking an original period correct unit and adding Bluetooth to it? It requires a steady hand with a soldering iron but seems possible by tying it into the cassette deck. This is how the people retrofitting the OG units do it, and then charge $700 or whatever for them.

my only hesitation has been the sound quality being potentially poor? I listen to mostly punk/crust/sludge, so *contrary* to what untrained ears might think, there’s a lot going on and poor sound quality will blend it all into mush.(or I’m delusional )

would be keen to hear anyone’s feedback on this.


 

I've attempted this with a few units with varying degrees of success. The tape mechanisms work differently on each radio so it's not always obvious how to "hotwire" it for aux. With the older Blaupunkts and Alpines I mainly ran into other components failing or starting to fail which were beyond my ability to fix properly like bad volume knobs, reduced sound quality, failing backlights, broken radio receptors, generally cold solder joints somewhere that were hard to find and led to functionality issues (and there are a lot of solder joints on these). I had more luck with the e36+ units that DavidE9 references. Had a working setup with a C33 wired into the cassette, and a C43 with a manually made harness connected to a BT dongle, but for the labor involved that 50 euro kit looks like a great value. Anything with an aux/cd changer input already is usually easier to tackle. And yes I am crazy and ruined multiple radios because I have to have period correct (looking) units in my vehicles.

[Freight]

Regarding the quality complaints -

has anyone bothered taking an original period correct unit and adding Bluetooth to it? It requires a steady hand with a soldering iron but seems possible by tying it into the cassette deck. This is how the people retrofitting the OG units do it, and then charge $700 or whatever for them.

my only hesitation has been the sound quality being potentially poor? I listen to mostly punk/crust/sludge, so *contrary* to what untrained ears might think, there’s a lot going on and poor sound quality will blend it all into mush.(or I’m delusional )

would be keen to hear anyone’s feedback on this.



 

I've attempted this with a few units with varying degrees of success. The tape mechanisms work differently on each radio so it's not always obvious how to "hotwire" it for aux. With the older Blaupunkts and Alpines I mainly ran into other components failing or starting to fail which were beyond my ability to fix properly like bad volume knobs, reduced sound quality, failing backlights, broken radio receptors, generally cold solder joints somewhere that were hard to find and led to functionality issues (and there are a lot of solder joints on these). I had more luck with the e36+ units that DavidE9 references. Had a working setup with a C33 wired into the cassette, and a C43 with a manually made harness connected to a BT dongle, but for the labor involved that 50 euro kit looks like a great value. Anything with an aux/cd changer input already is usually easier to tackle. And yes I am crazy and ruined multiple radios because I have to have period correct (looking) units in my vehicles.

I’m like you, and when possible, want period correct looking(and if possible, actual) stuff.

That was my fear though. I will probably just keep my eyes out for a rare screaming deal on a used modern blaupunkt, and likewise for a period example of which there are many models that would work, that appears to be in decent shape to try as a project. A modern Bremen recently sold on Facebook locally that the seller must have mistook as an original, as it sold for $150. Maybe I’ll get lucky.

[Justin_FL]

Just going to toss my 2¢ in here;  I've been living with a Continental HU for a few years now, and am still very satisfied with it.  It also looks great, and blends in really well.

I agree, it is a fine unit if one isn't particular on the looks being 100% period correct. When the radio in my truck died I popped one of the Continentals in as it was laying around to get by for temporary tunes. But that actually turned into 2 years. Been fine and seems to drive 4x Infinity Reference 6x8 speakers at normal volumes without issue. This weekend I'll be taking it out for a wireless Carplay/Android Auto Sony double-DIN unit. My daily driver VW has the factory integration so I've come to like it the phone support in frequent use drivers, like my truck. No desire to have it in an E28 though

[Justin_FL]

A modern Bremen recently sold on Facebook locally that the seller must have mistook as an original, as it sold for $150. Maybe I’ll get lucky.

You never know! About a year ago I grabbed 2 of the Bremens off that jungle website as they were way cheap. Must have been a fluke in the AI pricing algorithm. Placed my order, then as I was about to text my father (who is into vintage Porsches) to see if he might want one for any of his cars, the price went back up to $429. Looks like they are harder to get now and more $$$.

I've only pulled them out of the boxes to verify contents so no idea on quality, though the buttons did feel kinda cheap. Hopefully they will perform fine for my needs once I get them installed in one of the cars.