E30 "era correct" stereo recommendations needed.

[earthwormjim]

Just invert the display and change the LEDs like I did, and you'll have a nice match. I also have since plasti dipped the volume knob, so it's a nice flat black.

[straight6pwr]

+5. I also bought that Conti from German eBay
fits squarely with the style of the e30. pun intended. agreed the screen is a tinge yellow/orange compared to the orange/red of the dash lights.

the bluetooth works great with my android phone. some apps even integrate with teh controls. For instance with Pandora I can skip to the next song via the next button on the radio and dont even have to pickup the phone. Call audio quality is good, again I can answer calls and have handsfree conversations without touching the phone.

i'm fairly picky and the chrome volume dial doesnt bother me. i cant see it through my steering wheel, anyways. you might paint it black to really make it disappear for the inspectors.

another random thing i love about it - you know that one second delay you get with changing radio stations on factory/old/cheap headunits? not with this conti. it snaps between stations as fast as you can hit the presets. its actually quite pleasing when checking stations to avoid commercials.

[othatseric]

+1 Continental TR7412UB-OR. Just got mine from bergvillefx, it looks so clean in the cabin.

[e30_troy]

does anyone know if the continental hu offers bluetooth streaming? or is it just for calls

It will stream (music from Spotify, or stored on phone, etc.) over bluetooth. I'm happy with mine. Only knock is the orange is more yellow than orange, doesn't exactly match.
Edit: Oh, and the USB port doesn't charge. Annoying to still have to use a cigarette lighter adapter to charge.

[george graves]

When you ask about BT - you really should look into the different versions, the new one is good. The old stuff is crap (like even a non-"audiphile" can hear it)

[serdar255]

does anyone know if the continental hu offers bluetooth streaming? or is it just for calls

[skidplate]

Here in Oregon the only stipulations for classic car plates is it being 25 years or older (or a pass given by a registered car club) and that you can only drive it like 3000 miles a year. Then it can only be driven to and from shows, races, mechanics shops, or test and tunes. That test and tune or shows leaves it pretty open ended and they never check anything. It was cheaper to register mine this way and I don't have to do emissions anymore which is nice.

[george graves]

TR7412UB-OR

Old school looks, I like it. I would pop that knob off and pain the silver ring black (paint or 3m body tape by trimming it with a razor)

[Stanley Rockafella]

Gotcha, thanks for the info.

Decided to pull the trigger on the Continental TR7412UB-OR. Found a seller in Germany with a good rep on ebay. Also picked up a set of the twist it connectors since I don't want mess with crimp connectors and find soldering can be kinda messy.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_669PP500/Posi-Products-Car-Stereo-Wiring-Harness-Connectors.html

Now to find a good USB drive for the stereo that'll take my music.

thanks again!

[HEIS83]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Ok, so I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Conti deck. For those of you who have this, I have a couple of important (to me) questions:

1. What make and model of USB stick do you use? Last time I bought a deck with USB in 2010 (a Sony) most of the memory sticks I have, are not compatible. Only after owning it for a few years did I realize there was a limited list of USB sticks compatible with the deck, listed in the owners manual. By this point, all of the sticks were either obsolete or only available out of Europe And by that time I was sick of trying to burn CD's. Since these decks do not have CD/MP3 players, I find this much more important.

2. Lighting. I understand these have the orange backlighting which I really appreciate. On some of the Porsche sites, I see that the deck's lighting is paired with the car's lighting (as you turn on the park or headlights, the radio will also light up). Is that the case with installing it on the e30? It's not a deal breaker, just curious.

thanks in advance.

1. dont use a usb stick so can't help you there. i dug out all my old cds and just use that or bluetooth.

2. stereo lights are linked to the headlights. with the connector i mentioned in a prior post. I have the orange as well and its a pretty good match.

[Stanley Rockafella]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Ok, so I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Conti deck. For those of you who have this, I have a couple of important (to me) questions:

1. What make and model of USB stick do you use? Last time I bought a deck with USB in 2010 (a Sony) most of the memory sticks I have, are not compatible. Only after owning it for a few years did I realize there was a limited list of USB sticks compatible with the deck, listed in the owners manual. By this point, all of the sticks were either obsolete or only available out of Europe And by that time I was sick of trying to burn CD's. Since these decks do not have CD/MP3 players, I find this much more important.

2. Lighting. I understand these have the orange backlighting which I really appreciate. On some of the Porsche sites, I see that the deck's lighting is paired with the car's lighting (as you turn on the park or headlights, the radio will also light up). Is that the case with installing it on the e30? It's not a deal breaker, just curious.

thanks in advance.

[Das Delfin]

What's the point of regulating your stereo? Seems like something a concourse would be more interested in. Do they cover restomod muscle cars that have had their entire suspensions redesigned?

What do they say about keeping an original radio in the stock location, but a newer one hidden in the glove box, like most muscle car owners do?

I mention muscle cars because they're the most common type of classic car in north america

[djjerme]

My buddy and I have been throwing Becker's in our late model cars. They are a factory BMW radio, look fairly stock, sound great, have aux in, and can be found for reasonable amount. You can also customize the LCD display.

Look for the Grand Prix, Indianapolis or Indianapolis Pro.

[HEIS83]

The Continental TR7412UB-OR is probably your best bet for a radio with modern functionality baked in. The only change you might want to make would be removal of the USB port indicator.

From experience the built in mic even offers decent voice quality.

i have a continental in mine and i love it. I got the one with CD, FM/AM, bluetooth, and the usb up front with the orange backlight. it has a connection for a mic as well as aux cord although i don't use either. looks somewhat period correct (better than anything else out there IMO) and the sound is good. it didn't come with a harness or any connectors so I had to track one down that worked off amazon (search: DKMUS
DKMUS Universal ISO Car Radio Wire Cable Wiring Harness Stereo Adapter Connector Adaptor Plug Power and Loudspeaker Female)

[roguetoaster]

The Continental TR7412UB-OR is probably your best bet for a radio with modern functionality baked in. The only change you might want to make would be removal of the USB port indicator.

From experience the built in mic even offers decent voice quality.