Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 Install - Modern features/retro look

[mc625569]

do any aftermarket head units flush mount?

[Vincenze]

The frame has rectangular flaps on the sides and on the top. Why can't you try to bend them to fix the frame in place?

[Nate37]

Since there's a lot of interest in period-correct looking stereo head units, I figured I would make an install thread to answer questions on this new Blaupunkt HU. The official name is Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB BT: https://www.blaupunkt.com/en/nc/prod.../single/19059/

Key features for us E30 owners are RDS radio (not HD as far as I can tell), DAB (European HD radio protocol, not useful for US users), Bluetooth calling and audio streaming, front-facing SDHC, USB, and 3.5mm inputs, and a rear-facing USB input. It also has 5 preamp outs, which I didn't use in this install since I'm keeping the factory four-speaker config.

It was just released in October, and I ended up buying mine from these guys, since they speak English and would ship to the US. :) https://www.classiccarstereo.co.uk/c...sqr-46-dab-bt/

Note that if you do order from them and live in the US, make sure to email before ordering and ask for them to send an invoice without VAT added (saves about $70, if I remember right).

The HU was boxed with two wiring harness pigtails, external BT microphone, DAB antenna, handheld remote, and stereo removal tools:




Up front, a faux tape-deck panel flips up to reveal the SDHC, USB, and 3.5mm inputs:




Since it has no CD player, the unit is not very deep, which means plenty of room behind the HU for wiring to tuck away:



Rear view showing preamp outs, rear USB, steering wheel control, and remote mic inputs, radio antenna input, DAB antenna port, and wiring harness connectors:




The install was super-simple thanks to all the guides online. Blaupunkt kindly separates the speaker wires and the power/control wires into two connectors, which makes for a clean install:



I did not install the DAB antenna as the US does not use the DAB protocol, so there's no point. For Europe residents, the manual suggested the DAB antenna be installed on the windshield along the A-pillar. It just attaches with adhesive to the windshield, which could be a problem if you ever need to replace your windshield after the install.

I also did not install the remote BT microphone, as the unit already has one mic on the front face of it, and I didn't want to risk breaking A-pillar trim to fish a wire down from the sun visor area. I will report back on the quality of BT calls using just the front-facing mic, but calling is a low-priority feature for me, so I wasn't too worried about the mic.

Pics of the HU installed in the dash:







This is the only area where I've run into a little trouble. The retaining sleeve that shipped with the unit doesn't have the little fingers along the front edge that I've seen on most other sleeves, instead opting for a few little triangle cutouts (visible in the pic above). These don't work very well, and as a result, the unit can slide left-to-right by about 1/8" if I push it with my finger. It's not coming out of the dash, but it just feels cheap, so I'm going to need to come up with a better solution. Any suggestions here? I may try buying a universal cage off of Amazon and see if I can get that to work better. I tried to reuse my old Alpine cage, but the side pieces that hold the stereo into the cage don't line up, so the HU just slides right out of it.


My mini-review so far:

Likes:
-Looks fantastic
-Illumination color is user-selectable. I was able to pick an amber color that matches the factory lighting really well
-No issues pairing with my Galaxy S9
-Sounds better than the Alpine I pulled out. I'm still running factory-sized speakers and no sub, so it sounds pretty poor overall, but for a factory-look stereo, I'm happy.

Minor gripes:
-Install issue mentioned above
-It has hard buttons for FM1, FM2, FMT, and AM, but no hard button for BT audio source. You instead have to press the source button ~6 times to cycle through inputs before it comes up
-Every time the car is turned on, the HU defaults back to the FM1 source, which is annoying if you mostly want to listen to BT audio
-The BT audio is much lower volume than the radio, which means that due to the above issue, every time I start the car, the radio is blasting since I had the volume cranked from listening to BT previously. It helps to get an Android app that lets you pre-set the volume level for each BT device. I keep it set to max volume for the car and the volume levels are more even across the two sources now. Note this problem is not specific to the Blaupunkt; I have the same problem with the Pioneer in my truck
-Not really the head unit's fault, but the tiny screen is completely blocked by the steering wheel in my normal driving position. Taller drivers will probably not have this issue, and maybe a non-airbag wheel would help.

Overall this is a great option for a modern stereo that fits the aesthetic of the E30 really well!