E30 "era correct" stereo recommendations needed.

[E30m52b28]

Mount is complete. I used Rustoleum texture spay paint. not a perfect match but its 90% there. It's really tempting to spray the radio sans buttons but I don't think I will.

I am going to try to get my hands on an e30 panel to design a mount for you guys. Fortunately it should be able to easily screw into the top screw mounts for the face plate.

Did you ever make a mount for the E30? I can send you one to make for me and a few extra if you would like.

[bmwman91]

Ha, nice. With a little matte black paint it will blend right in. The LCD even looks totally era-correct too!

[theanchored]

Used my new skills to make a cheap temp gauge!

Converted a cheap eBay temp sensor to proper colors.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-F-Digi...S/141731838162

Now I need to figure out how to 3d print mount it in the expansion slots.

[ZEKTI]

TRUTH. Back when I designed a full audio system for my car, the first thing I did was apply Damplifier to the entire interior + 3mm closed cell foam sheeting. The biggest improvement came from doing the doors. Anyway, in a general sense, the signal-to-noise ratio is what you want to optimize. Most people just go for a big amplifier to increase the signal term, but you get a lot mroe bang for your buck by attacking the noise term. Nerd warning: As far as head units' sound quality, trust me, they are all effectively the same in the last ~20 years. They all use the same or similar 4 channel amplifier ICs, with a maximum output voltage swing of Vbattery (less really, since none of the power stages can swing to the input rail). Here's how to interpret the "50Wx4" thing on all of these radios. Most cars have a ~14.2V supply while running. Power = Voltage^2 / Resistance. Most car speakers are 4 Ohms. P = (14.2 * 14.2) / 4 = 50W. That is DC power, which has zero to do with acoustic output. In reality, with a 14.2V input, most of these amp ICs can really only swing about 12V before they start distorting badly, which brings that DC power figure down to ~36W. However, when dealing with audio, you end up needing to use RMS ("AC") voltage to get RMS power, so you divide by sqrt(2). 12V / (sqrt(2) = 8.5V RMS. That makes for a max RMS output power 18W before distortion goes through the roof. If you have ever noticed that the sound is pretty clear up until you hit about ~85% of max volume, that is why. Above that level, the amp IC's output voltage swing gets large enough to start clipping which sends distortion through the roof. This is why basically ANY external amplifier always sounds better & "gets louder". They (almost) all have DC-DC converters that step the 14.2V input up to a higher voltage, and that is why they can deliver more power. Most of those that claim 50Wx4 actually mean 50W RMS, whereas head units literally mean 50W DC.

Appreciate some actual tech analysis of why things operate the way they do. Agree sound deadening material can really help in driving down the background noise, especially in an old car. Also set your expectations accordingly. There are small things that can help immensely, ie changing blown paper speakers, but there are diminishing returns like always. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[bmwman91]

Very clean, nice work!

[Staszek]

Mount is complete. I used Rustoleum texture spay paint. not a perfect match but its 90% there. It's really tempting to spray the radio sans buttons but I don't think I will.

I am going to try to get my hands on an e30 panel to design a mount for you guys. Fortunately it should be able to easily screw into the top screw mounts for the face plate.

Looks good!

[theanchored]

Mount is complete. I used Rustoleum texture spay paint. not a perfect match but its 90% there. It's really tempting to spray the radio sans buttons but I don't think I will.

I am going to try to get my hands on an e30 panel to design a mount for you guys. Fortunately it should be able to easily screw into the top screw mounts for the face plate.

[bmwman91]

Without lining the entire car in sound deadening its gonna sound crap no matter what radio you have. I have it hooked up to decent speakers and it sounds solid. Not getting an audiophile experience in an 80s car anyway.

TRUTH.

Back when I designed a full audio system for my car, the first thing I did was apply Damplifier to the entire interior + 3mm closed cell foam sheeting. The biggest improvement came from doing the doors. Anyway, in a general sense, the signal-to-noise ratio is what you want to optimize. Most people just go for a big amplifier to increase the signal term, but you get a lot mroe bang for your buck by attacking the noise term.

Nerd warning:
As far as head units' sound quality, trust me, they are all effectively the same in the last ~20 years. They all use the same or similar 4 channel amplifier ICs, with a maximum output voltage swing of Vbattery (less really, since none of the power stages can swing to the input rail). Here's how to interpret the "50Wx4" thing on all of these radios. Most cars have a ~14.2V supply while running. Power = Voltage^2 / Resistance. Most car speakers are 4 Ohms. P = (14.2 * 14.2) / 4 = 50W. That is DC power, which has zero to do with acoustic output. In reality, with a 14.2V input, most of these amp ICs can really only swing about 12V before they start distorting badly, which brings that DC power figure down to ~36W. However, when dealing with audio, you end up needing to use RMS ("AC") voltage to get RMS power, so you divide by sqrt(2). 12V / (sqrt(2) = 8.5V RMS. That makes for a max RMS output power 18W before distortion goes through the roof. If you have ever noticed that the sound is pretty clear up until you hit about ~85% of max volume, that is why. Above that level, the amp IC's output voltage swing gets large enough to start clipping which sends distortion through the roof. This is why basically ANY external amplifier always sounds better & "gets louder". They (almost) all have DC-DC converters that step the 14.2V input up to a higher voltage, and that is why they can deliver more power. Most of those that claim 50Wx4 actually mean 50W RMS, whereas head units literally mean 50W DC.

[ZEKTI]

I’m not a fan of the conti as it remind me of late 2000s GM in orange. I went with a decent Pioneer HU. No CD only “digital” and color can match perfect as you dial into off phone app. Plenty off connections via Bluetooth etc. the HPF and audio customization helps a lot to dial in the sound, as the HU is pushing 4 5.25 RF primes with a simple 10”. They offer with a black know which may be slicker. If you want era correct you’d might be able to find a used Blaupunkt etc on eBay but worse from anything modern. The new Blaupunkt retro they released is about as good as it’ll get. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Staszek]

Factory head unit sounds better. CD43 sound better.

VDO with or without premium sound, new or old wiring, old or new amp, won’t sound as good, rich and full.

I spent a year trying to make it sound good and have moved on. Just a disappointing head unit that needs extra work to fit the E30...

I am not sure how the conti sounds, but I recently put in the BMW 5908 with the stock amp, and brand new premium sound speakers. I added a sub to round it out but even before that it sounds good (for what it is) its not a bad system at all.

[moatilliatta]

Factory head unit sounds better. CD43 sound better.

VDO with or without premium sound, new or old wiring, old or new amp, won’t sound as good, rich and full.

I spent a year trying to make it sound good and have moved on. Just a disappointing head unit that needs extra work to fit the E30...

[theanchored]

Without lining the entire car in sound deadening its gonna sound crap no matter what radio you have. I have it hooked up to decent speakers and it sounds solid. Not getting an audiophile experience in an 80s car anyway.

[moatilliatta]

Problem with all the extra time in the conti / vdo Radio is they still sound like crap.. :(

[Nate37]

Bit late to the party here, but I'll add another vote for the Blaupunkt Bremen. I've had one in my 318is for a few months and really love it. Install thread with pics is here: https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...res-retro-look

[earthwormjim]

Well I came this far, Might as well go all the way with it.

I will have to hold off until I need to do another digikey order. No more local electronic places around me :(


These radios don't have control over the illumination wire do they?

Nope, they have fixed brightness. The only control is to turn on/off the button illumination.

The light dimmer in the car does work, but it's not very dynamic, doesn't produce a huge range of brightness changes, and it only affects the buttons, not the display.