Blaupunkt reissuing Bremen head unit w/modern features

[SlickDizzy]

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/07/21/cla ... to00000016

https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/product ... gle/19059/

A little pricey, but man, what a cool product. I love the fake cassette door that hides USB and SD card inputs.

[Nebraska_e28]

Considering for my next project!

[Karl Grau]

A little pricey, but man, what a cool product. I love the fake cassette door that hides USB and SD card inputs.

Def on the pricey side but it looks like it has every feature that you would want including Vario Color.




High-End CODEM IV High-End World-Tuner
FM (RDS), AM Tuner
DAB+ Tuner built-in
Data carrier

USB, SD, SDHC (up to 32 GB)
Media player

Audio from USB/SDHC
Audio formats MP3, WMA
Bluetooth

Bluetooth module built-in (HFP, PBAP, A2DP, SPP, AVRCP)
Twin-Connect
Phonebook access
Built-in + external microphone
Navigation audio mix
Input/Output

1 x front USB
1 x rear USB
1 x front Aux-in
Steering wheel control input (programmable)
Equalizer/Amplifier

3-band, semi-parametric equalizer
Sound presets (Rock, Pop, Classic)
X-Bass
4-channel preamp-out (4V)
Separate Sub-Out
4 x 50 Watt max. power
General

Vario Color (for display & button illumination)
Fix front panel
Permanent memory
Short mounting depth
IR remote control included in delivery
DAB+ onglas antenna included in delivery
External BT-microphone included in delivery

Supported version Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR
Supported profiles HFP, PBAP, A2DP, AVRCP, SPP
Pairing (number of devices) 5
Pairing code 1234
Free phone calls via micro & speakers
Speakerphone volume variable
microphone integrated + backward connection
core functions Accept call, end, reject, redial
Access phone phonebook yes (up to 1,000 contacts per mobile phone)
Twin Connect yes (2 simultaneously connected telephones for telephony)
Navigation Audio Mix yes (Navi announcements via A2DP)
Car wake-up yes (radio off / ignition on)

[tig]

I'm very eggcited.

As soon as these are for sale I'm ordering one...or two...

[Mike W.]

So which Blaupunkt is it I wonder? The one of old which was respected and revered, or the China one of the past decade or so, which is not in the same class. I've had both. Looks great at the very least. Or has there much much transition that I'm not aware of nor is noted on Widipedia?

[Shawn D.]

Sweet! Now I have to decide: 1) Do I want to replace my Blaupunkt MP46 with a "retro" stereo? 2) Will it be this Blaupunkt or the previously-discussed Continentals?

[Bonsaibacker]

Considering but am also looking at the Cantaloupe innards swap on the CM5905,07,08. Anyone have experience with this product?

https://cantalouperadio.com/collections ... 907-cm5908

[Foonfer]

Considering but am also looking at the Cantaloupe innards swap on the CM5905,07,08. Anyone have experience with this product?

https://cantalouperadio.com/collections ... 907-cm5908

I like this one, I'd also be interested in finding out. It's pretty much all you need...

[SlickDizzy]

My main issue on most other options (Continental, retrofitted CM series) is the lack of RCA outs to power an amp or subwoofer. I like the sound of my Supersprint exhaust as much as the next guy, but I also enjoy a quality sound system for long freeway trips.

[wkohler]

This has been discussed for about four years now. Wonder if it will actually come to fruition.

[John in VA]

Considering but am also looking at the Cantaloupe innards swap on the CM5905,07,08. Anyone have experience with this product?
https://cantalouperadio.com/collections ... 907-cm5908

Andrew / adawil2002 mentioned he'd installed one in a post earlier this week - says "it's brilliant!"

[Adam W in MN]

I like it a lot and the price seems justified for what you get.

[boomvader]

Considering but am also looking at the Cantaloupe innards swap on the CM5905,07,08. Anyone have experience with this product?

https://cantalouperadio.com/collections ... 907-cm5908

I sent them the stock radio in my e30 to refresh and install the BT module. It's been rock solid and look/sounds great. Highly recommended, especially if your head unit needs capacitor work, etc. The BT module install by itself is a rather easy installation that doesn't take too much time as a DIY project.

Didn't go that route with my e28 due to wiring issues from PO. I put a mechless Alpine unit that has variable RGB. It matches up rather well, but I am also tempted to pickup this new Blaupunkt unit when it lands.

[gomifune]

But this one is so much cheaper and more modern looking.....

blau by tedreyes, on Flickr

[austin8753]

subscribing, as i really would like one for the M5 - hoping this actually comes through.

[jhh925]

This has been discussed for about four years now. Wonder if it will actually come to fruition.

Yeah, but I think the mean-time-to-new-delayed-delivery-date keeps getting shorter. Eventually, we'll have to catch up.

[garageboy]

Considering but am also looking at the Cantaloupe innards swap on the CM5905,07,08. Anyone have experience with this product?

https://cantalouperadio.com/collections ... 907-cm5908

I sent them the stock radio in my e30 to refresh and install the BT module. It's been rock solid and look/sounds great. Highly recommended, especially if your head unit needs capacitor work, etc. The BT module install by itself is a rather easy installation that doesn't take too much time as a DIY project.

Didn't go that route with my e28 due to wiring issues from PO. I put a mechless Alpine unit that has variable RGB. It matches up rather well, but I am also tempted to pickup this new Blaupunkt unit when it lands.

This looks like a fantastic solution. I've managed well with my chargeable bluetooth cassette, but something built-in with these additional features, in the stock unit, is a really lovely solution! Wow, thank you VERY much!

... except that it says "OUT OF STOCK".

[tig]

Considering but am also looking at the Cantaloupe innards swap on the CM5905,07,08. Anyone have experience with this product?

https://cantalouperadio.com/collections ... 907-cm5908

I sent them the stock radio in my e30 to refresh and install the BT module. It's been rock solid and look/sounds great. Highly recommended, especially if your head unit needs capacitor work, etc. The BT module install by itself is a rather easy installation that doesn't take too much time as a DIY project.

Didn't go that route with my e28 due to wiring issues from PO. I put a mechless Alpine unit that has variable RGB. It matches up rather well, but I am also tempted to pickup this new Blaupunkt unit when it lands.

This looks like a fantastic solution. I've managed well with my chargeable bluetooth cassette, but something built-in with these additional features, in the stock unit, is a really lovely solution! Wow, thank you VERY much!

... except that it says "OUT OF STOCK".

If you were paying just slightly more attention, you'd have realized that it has not actually been launched yet. It's been delayed from May, to July, to August, at least.

[wkohler]

Considering but am also looking at the Cantaloupe innards swap on the CM5905,07,08. Anyone have experience with this product?

https://cantalouperadio.com/collections ... 907-cm5908

I sent them the stock radio in my e30 to refresh and install the BT module. It's been rock solid and look/sounds great. Highly recommended, especially if your head unit needs capacitor work, etc. The BT module install by itself is a rather easy installation that doesn't take too much time as a DIY project.

Didn't go that route with my e28 due to wiring issues from PO. I put a mechless Alpine unit that has variable RGB. It matches up rather well, but I am also tempted to pickup this new Blaupunkt unit when it lands.

This looks like a fantastic solution. I've managed well with my chargeable bluetooth cassette, but something built-in with these additional features, in the stock unit, is a really lovely solution! Wow, thank you VERY much!

... except that it says "OUT OF STOCK".

If you were paying just slightly more attention, you'd have realized that it has not actually been launched yet. It's been delayed from May, to July, to August, at least.

He’s talking about the solution linked for the stock radio. Their site has showed them out of stock for a long time.

[tig]

Considering but am also looking at the Cantaloupe innards swap on the CM5905,07,08. Anyone have experience with this product?

https://cantalouperadio.com/collections ... 907-cm5908

I sent them the stock radio in my e30 to refresh and install the BT module. It's been rock solid and look/sounds great. Highly recommended, especially if your head unit needs capacitor work, etc. The BT module install by itself is a rather easy installation that doesn't take too much time as a DIY project.

Didn't go that route with my e28 due to wiring issues from PO. I put a mechless Alpine unit that has variable RGB. It matches up rather well, but I am also tempted to pickup this new Blaupunkt unit when it lands.

This looks like a fantastic solution. I've managed well with my chargeable bluetooth cassette, but something built-in with these additional features, in the stock unit, is a really lovely solution! Wow, thank you VERY much!

... except that it says "OUT OF STOCK".

If you were paying just slightly more attention, you'd have realized that it has not actually been launched yet. It's been delayed from May, to July, to August, at least.

He’s talking about the solution linked for the stock radio. Their site has showed them out of stock for a long time.

Oh. Nevermind then. My bad.

[RobertRO]

Although the news about the reissue of the Bremen head unit should be great, I am quite wary of it.

First, the Blaupunkt company, as we all knew it from the '70ies to '90ies, is long dead. It is just one of the great names of the past who bit the dust and whose brand was subsequently sold to some noname buyer attempting to get out of anonymity. Other similar examples: Nakamichi, Grundig, Akai.

These brand names now belong to companies whose products have nothing to do with the excellence of the past. They usually are rebranded low-end products - just baits for unaware nostalgics.
I would be very happy to see that the new Bremen had unit is a great product, which can stack up against its predecessor.
But allow me to doubt it, until proven wrong.

[wkohler]

Yes! I have the same concern since the name is owned by a Chinese company. Even before the bankruptcy, Bosch kept all the technology and the rights to various circuitry. Look what’s inside those ~$10 Wal-Mart units. I don’t imagine these will be much different aside from the layout and the variocolor display.

[Shawn D.]

What was the cutoff year and/or model lineup when it went from Good Blaupunkt to Bad Blaupunkt?

[stuartinmn]

Blaupunkt history, according to Wikipedia. Looks like 2011 was the cutoff date between good and bad for aftermarket stuff.

Founded in 1923 in Berlin as "Ideal,"[6] the company was acquired by Robert Bosch AG in 1933.[7] In 1938 it changed its name to "Blaupunkt", German for "blue point" or "blue dot", after the blue dot painted onto its headphones that had passed quality control.

After the Second World War, Blaupunkt moved its headquarters and production to the city of Hildesheim, but with an important factory in Portugal which specialised in producing car radio head units, this factory was formerly under Philips/Grundig ownership, producing the same. More recently, the majority of Blaupunkt products are manufactured overseas, with large manufacturing centers in Tunisia (speakers) and Malaysia (speakers and electronics). Since 2011 however, the entire lineup is Chinese sourced.

In 1949, Blaupunkt advertised the first FM-capable car radio [8].

By the 1960 and 1970s, Blaupunkt had become one of the leading German manufacturer for car radios and car audio equipment. In 1983, it began selling an in-dash CD player.[8]

The 2011 take-over effectively left Blaupunkt as a managed brand name with all production outsourced to China, with virtually no 'Bosch era' products still under production. This actually caused a significant 'gap' in the product lineup, as under Bosch the former DAB car radio models contained a significant of 'original' and proprietary IC's, the rights to which were retained by Bosch following the sale, and thus it was almost 2 years before a car DAB set was again available. The original Blaupunkt factories within the EU, especially Portugal, are now owned and operated by Bosch, used exclusively to produce OEM units for car manufacturers and 24V (e.g. Coach) AV equipment.

The 'new' Blaupunkt again entered bankruptcy proceeding in 2015, with its ultimate and complete liquidation in the first quarter of 2016.[9]

[Shawn D.]

Blaupunkt history, according to Wikipedia. Looks like 2011 was the cutoff date between good and bad for aftermarket stuff.

Interesting. Guess my MP46 might be staying as my E28 head unit.

[Philo]

So then, which brands have remained quality and performance based ? The last Pioneer DEH head unit I purchased performed well, but now looking for a replacement. Typing "best car stereo head unit" into google take you down the never ending rabbit hole and non stop re-targeting adverts. Dam..

[SlickDizzy]

Pretty much everything electronic is made in China or southeast Asia these days so if that's a disqualifier, just rip your stereo out and go without.

For solid $150-300 units I have always been a fan of Kenwood and JVC products. Pioneers are fine too. Clarion used to have a lot of great offerings but now seems to be a shadow of their former self.

This is all relative though. If you're the uncompromising type and looking for quality and performance at any cost, there are plenty of $1500+ options from McIntosh, Sony, etc...

[Shawn D.]

Are there any good "hidden" systems that you could put in (say) the ash tray and leave your old/OE radio in place just for appearances?

[John in VA]

Are there any good "hidden" systems that you could put in (say) the ash tray and leave your old/OE radio in place just for appearances?

Out Of Sight Audio & RetroSound are two I've heard of.

[Shawn D.]

Are there any good "hidden" systems that you could put in (say) the ash tray and leave your old/OE radio in place just for appearances?

Out Of Sight Audio & RetroSound are two I've heard of.

I've seen those used by a number of folks in the Tri-Five Chevy community, but I dunno how they stack up audiophile-wise.