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Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 Install - Modern features/retro look

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    Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 Install - Modern features/retro look

    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!

    #2
    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?

    Comment


      #3
      do any aftermarket head units flush mount?

      Comment


        #4
        It looks absolutely awesome, but those bluetooth issues are very annoying. Defaulting to FM1 and the BT being way quieter.... is there a source volume adjuster? I think my pioneer one you can adjust the source level for the individual source.

        Comment


          #5
          Looks totally at home in an E30 dash. Thanks for the review and the pictures. Keep us in the loop if you figure out a method to get the mounting more solid.


          MJ

          Comment


            #6
            Thanks all. I'm going to mess around with the install again in the next couple of weekends. I'll let you all know if I can get it mounted better. The problem is that the flaps on the sides and top are positioned such that there isn't really anything for them to grab onto in the dash. I may try a generic single DIN cage from Amazon and see if I have better luck.

            I did find a setting on the Blaupunkt that lets me set a default volume for the stereo every time it turns on. That at least solved the issue with the volume blasting if I had it on BT audio and forgot to turn it down before I turned the car off.

            Comment


              #7
              Thanks for sharing. Any updates?
              sigpic
              January 2012 COTM

              Comment


                #8
                Looks perfect!
                OBD1 S52 E36 Compact
                84 318i M10 Zender

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by robrez View Post
                  Thanks for sharing. Any updates?
                  No, unfortunately no updates on the install. I've been messing around with just about everything else on the car (see build thread), so I haven't got back around to messing with the head unit. I thought it would bug the crap out of me, but you don't notice it in normal driving. It only moves if you put your finger on the side and push on it. I'll get back around to it though and let you all know when I do.

                  Otherwise I'm still enjoying it though!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Quick update in case anyone else runs into this issue: if you're having trouble getting Bluetooth audio playback to work correctly, make sure the A2DP protocol is enabled on your Bluetooth device.

                    H/T to manuel325i who figured this one out...

                    Comment


                      #11
                      AUGUST 2020 - SOFTWARE UPDATE RELEASED FOR THE BLAUPUNKT BREMEN SQR 46

                      So I also have the Bremen SQR46, and yeah its' navigation was a little bit wonky until I found this software update they published on the Blaupunkt website in Aug 2020.

                      You can load this software update to the deck via a USB thumb drive. A easy to follow read me file included with the download explains how to do it.

                      Bluetooth is working much better and so is the menu navigation after the software update.



                      Looks like there have actually been 6 updates since I first bought my deck, see the read me section below!!

                      EXCERPT FROM THE READ ME FILE:

                      Please proceed with care, read this manual carefully before performing the update! Only install this update if current version is a lower version number, otherwise you may make your device inoperable!!!

                      Please check before the update which software is installed on your device- you'll find the version information in the menu under VARIOUS .
                      It is important here whether there is an X at the end of the version number which starts with "P" - if this is the case, please use the update file with the X, otherwise the update file without the X. Don't copy both files together to your USB key!
                      If you use the wrong software, DAB will no longer work, in this case please perform the update again with the correct file!

                      Copy the attached update file to a formatted, empty USB key (FAT, FAT16, FAT32).
                      Connect the USB key to the radio and turn it on. Confirm the message UPDATE? by pressing the right knob. The update will start now, it will count to 100 and stops there for a moment. After finishing the update the device will shut down, now you can surely remove the USB key.

                      IMPORTANT NOTE:
                      If the unit turns off immediately after confirming the update: Please be patient and wait for 5 minutes (watch the LED on your USB key, when it shuts off, the unit can be turned on again). This may happen in rare cases but unit has been updated correctly anyway!
                      Remove the USB stick only if the unit can be switched on again (but do not start the update again!).


                      READ THIS: Software Version Changelog for BREMEN SQR 46 DAB (2001018000000)

                      P9A22031
                      - First release

                      P9B15034
                      - added DEMO MODE with color change
                      - added more colors 512 > 4096
                      - BEEP default changed to OFF

                      P9C10038
                      --> This was the version that my deck had shipped with back in January 2020
                      - Production release

                      P0115039(X)
                      - DAB: Presets stored permanently even after new SERVICE SCAN
                      - DAB: Improved timing of </> keys for selection of DAB SERVICE
                      - Bluetooth: Reconnect to source BT-STREAM after ACC OFF/ ON if available
                      - Issue: Sometimes wrong DAB channel display (X- Version only)

                      P0313043(X)
                      - added: BEEP confirmation for PRESETS even if BEEP is OFF
                      - added: PRESET+ / PRESET- for SWC commands
                      - changed: SWC compatibility (58mV)
                      - fixed: channel display with new DAB module (X- Version only, not verified)
                      - added: compatibility with SWC commands of some pioneer compatible interfaces, e.g. connects2 (default setting, no SWC setup needed)
                      - issue: SWC1 / SWC2 reversed for pioneer
                      - issue: DAB presets not saved anymore after new SERVICE SCAN/ INTRO SCAN

                      P0317044(X)
                      - fixed: compatibility with pioneer SWC commands (default setting)
                      - issue: DAB presets not saved anymore after new SERVICE SCAN/ INTRO SCAN
                      - issue: SWC PRESET+/ PRESET- does not properly on DAB (changes ENSEMBLE instead of PRESET)

                      P0318046(X)
                      - fixed: DAB presets not saved anymore after new SERVICE SCAN/ INTRO SCAN
                      - issue: sometimes wrong channel info displayed on DAB if displaymode is set to FREQUENCY

                      P0323047(X)
                      - added: show A2DP streaming info TITLE/ARTIST/ALBUM (select via DIS), capability may depend on used phone/ mp3 player and production date (only models with bluetooth version B20191226 and higher are supported).
                      - fixed: SWC PRESET+/ PRESET- does not properly on DAB (changes ENSEMBLE instead of PRESET)
                      - fixed: sometimes wrong channel info displayed on DAB if displaymode is set to FREQUENCY

                      P0701049(X)
                      --> This is the latest updateand the one that I installed

                      - fixed: BT pairing issue on selecting STREAMING (shows accidentally PIN before starting pairing)


                      ********

                      Notes:

                      - No automatic BT reconnection after connection lost- this is no issue. Press ACCEPT CALL for 2 seconds to reconnect after phone is again inside connection range
                      - You have to reprogram ALL keys if you don't use the default SWC setup



                      I had to restore my FM presets and display colour after updating, but for some reason the BT still worked fine and even connected way faster than before! Good luck, hope this helps!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        The Bremen is in stock on Crutchfield.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          - added: show A2DP streaming info TITLE/ARTIST/ALBUM (select via DIS), capability may depend on used phone/ mp3 player and production date (only models with bluetooth version B20191226 and higher are supported).
                          Do you have information about TITLE/ARTIST/ALBUM using e.g. Spotify?



                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by klarkkent21 View Post

                            Do you have information about TITLE/ARTIST/ALBUM using e.g. Spotify?
                            Mine does not - when I'm streaming Spotify the display just says "BT-STREAM", although I have not tried the new firmware version. The display is only about 9 characters so I don't miss having the Title/Artist info on the display. If I want to know I look on my phone

                            Pgf5000 This is great news on the new version, thanks!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Hey guys, I am waiting for it to come in stock. Have you guys ever connected an iPod to the USB. I do see in the manual it says that it is compatible but wondering if music is recognize and what controls it has. My current Pioneer is Apple compatible but I just leave it on shuffle but nice to see song info on HU.
                              Last edited by monty23psk; 02-04-2021, 12:44 PM.
                              Alex 88 m5 | 91 318is | 19 Subaru Ascent
                              BMW Tool Rentals & Fender Roller

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