stock radio woes

[bmwchef]

so gradually i think my amp is dying. 1989 325i stock system. massive feedback squeal coming from rear speakers, but not all the time. also balance between rear speakers self-adjusts; right-side drops out or left-side drops out.....

any suggestions to confirm the diagnosis?[/b]

[chriskb3]

yea same thing happened to me a few years ago. are you looking to keeping your system stock? i think its time for a new head unit.

[bmwchef]

stock radio woes

so what are the pros of keeping the stock system??? (are there any?)

i don't spend that much time commuting; stereo is mainly for long trips.
what about XM????

p.s. not an audiophile..can ya' tell???

[chriskb3]

other than to have the "factory" look, i dont see much of a reason to keep the stock system.
satallite radio is very nice in my oppinion, there are lots of stations to keep you entertained, and the signal is really clear, atleast when i heard it it was. ive heard that clouds may effect the clarity of the signal but i dont know that for sure.
if your stock speakers still sound good, you could just get a new head unit. the cd player in a new head unit as well as satallite radio provide digital sound wich is much clearer than the radio stations around town and especially clearer than those old tapes.
if your looking for a system for long trips, satallite radio would be a pretty good idea, wornt have to worry about searching for new radio stations everytime you pass through a new town.

[parkerbink]

I have the factory Blaupunkt worked perfectly in 1994 when the stock system came out 30.00 plus shiping from Laredo, TX 78041

As for Sat radio I have Sirius & it is unaffected by rain or clouds (even 700 miles south of it's intended area) but it is affected by trees, overpasses & roofs even in the States.

I love it!

[bmwchef]

stock radio woes

thanks for all the tips!!!!
will post when new radio is installed...

[chriskb3]

also, when buying a new radio, look at everything they have and check different places, get one with enough options so that you will be able to upgrade other componets at a later time if you desire. something you may want to look for are subwoofer and auxillary outputs, this way you can hook up amplafiers to power a subwoofer and componet speakers. you may want a head unit with mp3/wma playing abilities if you like cds also. and usually a detachable face isnt a bad idea either. there are a few out there where the lighting matches the e30 interoir very nicely. alpines have adjustible lighting that match very nicely as well as a few others.