Retro Radios

[Christopher Schimke]

Pioneer just announced the release of the Pioneer SXT-C10PS retro radio, so I thought I would start a thread specifically for factory/era looking retro radios.

I have had the Continental Continental TR7412UB-OR since just after they came out and I like it just fine, but I LOVE the look of Blaupunkt as well as the new Pioneer, so I may just make a switch in the near future.

Below are a few retro radio options that look fairly "factory" or "era-correct".

Pioneer SXT-C10PS
https://pioneer-car.eu/media/6c/8f/06/1747902958/P...250522.pdf
https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-cassette-deck-on...a-usb-port

Continental TR7412UB-OR
https://www.continental-aftermarket.com/en-en/prod...bbluetooth

Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB
https://blaupunkt.com/product/bremen-sqr-46-dab/#

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[4Gears4Tires]

I'm with you on liking the continental, but loving the other two. I've had my continental in my e30 since the head unit was released. The other two are definitely overpriced, they're trying to sell to that niche that will spend the money on their 80s and 90s cars.

Don't forget the Porsche Classic at $1200
https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/SKUCLASSIC.html

And the actually retro but it has bluetooth and navigation, the Becker Indianapolis Pro. Also expensive af for a 20 year old head unit on ebay for $250-400.

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'87 Syncro Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition
'85 Westy Sciuridae Domus Edition

[TomInAlaska]

I recently got a Blaupunkt Hamburg and love it. Easy install and setup, bluetooth works great with my iPhone 16, sound quality is better than the Pioneer touchscreen radio it replaced, and it looks right at home in the dash.
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'73 Super Beetle (formerly resto-mod/rally look with a healthy 1776, currently in another round of resto with a 1641)

'84 GL adventure van project [sold] (1.9L, 4speed) https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=755844&highlight=

'86 Syncro tintop (2.0L Eurospec/ABA engine swap) https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=800194&highlight=

[Crooked Designer]

Love the Blaupunkt Frankfurt head unit. So damn expensive though. But it would look really good in the brown dash on my '85

Love that there is a market for retro look with all the modern bits (blue tooth, USB, etc..) and love the aesthetic of hiding that behind what looks like the tape deck door.
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'85 Westy full camper, Subaru 2.5L, 5 speed SubiGears + 5speedbus shifter kit

[Xevin]

Those are fun
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[ALIKA T3]

I've been drooling over the Hamburg unit for years, but thank you for sharing the Pioneer model, I'll look into it, looks great as well!

Edit, hard to find dimensions, but AI found them, not sure it's accurate, looks deep to me!
The Pioneer SXT-C10PS car stereo has dimensions of 7.8 x 10.2 x 2.5 inches.
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=416343
Syncro http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...num+gadget

[bertobarb]

I recently installed the Blaupunkt Bremen - and LOVE it. Comes with a credit card sized remote control. Connects to my phone via USB port or Bluetooth for music and calls. Wasn't cheap but sounds great and looks period correct.

[syncrodoka]

I like it a lot, knobs and buttons make a great theft deterrent. I have been seeing ads for it but the $450+ price makes it a hard pass for me.

[zerotofifty]

[SCM]

[R0ckyMtnCamper]

Blaupunkt Bremen installed in our '89 Westy.

[swissarmychainsaw]

I have the
Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB
https://blaupunkt.com/product/bremen-sqr-46-dab/#

that came in my Range Rover Classic, and it's pretty awesome.

[TomInAlaska]

[swissarmychainsaw]

[quote="zerotofifty"]

[Red Ryder]

Not ours, but another offering from Crutchfield:

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“Most everyone’s mad here. You may have noticed I am not quite all there myself.” — Cheshire Cat, Adventures of Alice in Wonderland

“Scarlett” — 1990 Vanagon Carat Wolfsburg Edition (Tornado Red)
“Nigel” — 1999 Jaguar XK8 convertible (Alpine Green Metallic)

[jimf909]

[ALIKA T3]

[dhaavers]

[do.dah]

[donnyk]

Nice thread idea - I went through this last week, searching for a radio that isn't a gaudy 1999 winamp skin. I found the Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB and went with that even though it was expensive.

My review -

It doesn't feel like the price. The buttons are mushy and the knob feels wobbly. All the knobs (which is probably why you want this) are relative - so while the balance, bass, and treble have little notches or indicators to show the neutral "0" position, that does not matter. You can turn the bass knob 4 notches past the max (which is +7) and then when you turn it back to what looks to be "0" it is in fact at -3. The new "0" is at a 2 o'clock position instead of 12 o clock. Does it really matter? But for the price...

The actual audio quality is spectacular BUT I have a caveat to my experience which is that during this install I learned that the P/O reversed the polarity of a speaker when he installed the last crappy radio. So for the entire 7 year duration of me owning this van, it's not that my engine was drowning out the bass, it's that a speaker was out of phase. SO, after correcting that, it feels like an entirely new speaker system that I can even hear at highway speeds. It really blows me away, I'm so happy with it now despite how angry I am at the PO.

Bonus - the radio is short and will not hit the heater blower contraption.

So, despite the build quality and plastic nature of the head - it really looks fucking badass. Color the LEDs the way you want. It is slick. It's a reproduction of a 1986 radio so just feels right for a 1986 van. I am very happy with it.

Note: As of last week there were a number of the original 1986 Blaupunkt radios for sale on ebay. And they look even cooler than this reproduction and are cheaper. I made the call to go with a new model though, because I'm tired of fixing old electronics and don't want to spend money on collecting cassettes.

GOOD LUCK and may more cool looking retro radios appear on the market.