The San Francisco headunit and the in dash five disc changer have arrived! I will be doing the install in the 01 Protege on Friday. I will let folks know how it goes-
I am very interested to see if idea of two singles to replace the double din hole pans out. The thought of a multidisk changer right at the finger tips that will not require pulling out the entire magazine to change one disk is cool to me also.
Along with the new dash hardware, I will be adding a basslink in the trunk. All wiring is already installed for it, and the headunit, a little planning ahead when I installed the new amp and speakers.
This will finsh the Protege sytem for me, and I am hoping the bug won't bite me again on this car. I am already ordering stuff to install in another car this summer!

 

dude, i wanted the 5disc changer (in dash) but never got around to buying it. i got an in-dash screen instead (need to change my sig). but blaupunkt is really good. i'll put it up against nearly any deck on the market. most ppl don't like the looks of the blau so they bash it, but they have really clean sound.

have you seen blaupunkt's new flat subs? i think i may get a pair.

 

I am a bit old school on video in the car- just can't go there yet! Actually I have a DVD and video panel in a bag that can be plugged into the lighter that we used for my daughter when we travel. So maybe I am more video than I think!
I have seen the flat subs, and I too am tempted by them. For the Protege is will be a basslink for now.
On the next car, I am still thinking about subs- hmmm

 

How do you guys like the Blau HUs? Where did you get them from? I haven't found ANY retailers here in Canada that sell any Blau products so if I want one I'll probably need to order one online from the states.

Since I have to order one, I won't have an opportunity to actually hear it until it's actually installed in my ride so I have to go by what other people think of them...

So.. to reiterate - how do you guys like the blau units as far as frequency response, output, etc.. Have you heard their MP3 units at all?

 

i haven't heard their mp3 units, but as far as the other hu's go, they are cleaner than most people would expect. i love my blau (munchen). my brother has a mid-level line deck and it's pretty good as well. if you stay with the upper end stuff (skyline series), you should be pretty good.

i got mine locally. took me a yr, but i got the guy down from $450 to $250. but you can find the decks on ebay or whatnot. since ppl tend not to buy blaupunkt, prices may be lower than average. try to hear one first, if u can find anyone with one, then decide if u wanna buy one.

 

I am installing sound unheard this weekend. From what I have read, and the specifications I can tell you this much. Like our esteemed Hawaiian frend has noted, the Skyline series is their top of the line.
The tuner not only uses digital tuning, but converts the signal to digital also, this results in much higher specifications than any other tuning section I could find.
The CD has better specificatons on frequency and channel seperation and Signal to Noise than most all of the Pioneer line, and all of the Sony line, and most of the Alpine line. Kenwood and Clarion both have some outstanding specifications on some of thier decks also.
The San Franciso has a decent equalizer, seven channels, and a microphone to tune the system for the actual enviorment of the car, and a noise cancelation circut to counter road noise. If you have ridden is a late model BMW this is the same circut they use for road noise.
I use a similar real time equalization unit from Premier in my SQ car, and really like it, I am hoping the Blaupunkt is similar.
I was sold on the two single DIN units to fit the double DIN hole approach myself. That and at the price points, it is a real bargin. The Premier DEX-9 headunit and processor I have in a different car cost about 1200.00, while I got both the Headunit and the 5 Disk changer for under 550.00, less than the cost of the Premier processor alone!
For the price, I figure I can play with it and if I don't like it either switch back to the standard headunit, which is actually a good unit, or move into something else.
Car audio is a pretty serious hobby of my and now my 7 year old daughter, so switching around hardware in not a big thing to me.
I will let you know what I think after the install is complete, and I have had time to set up the features.
You can find Blaupunkt all over the internet, they are hard to find in stores, only one in my state carries it, and frankly they wanted way too much. The company is the exact opposite of many in that they not only don't mind internet sales, they like them and see it as a way to get to a greater audience.
Their hardware is held highly in both Europe and the Far East, they have never marketed well in the United States. Frankly, it is not bump thud oriented stuff although it will play that just fine. A friend of my who still competes seriously in SQ car audio (I stopped a few years back, without company sponsership it is really costly) decsribes Blaupunkt and the thinking person's stereo company, and the best unrecognized bargin on the market, and I am inclined to agree.
Drop me a line and I will send you some URL's of decent web vendors....

 

I'm looking at getting the skyline deck that plays mp3s. (The Los Angeles)

IMO the deck just looks TIGHT and way better than any other mp3 deck i've seen. The specs look fantastic on it and like your comments, other people also have nothing bad to say about them!

If you could hook me up with a few online vendors that would rock! I found a few places that sell online, but not enough for me to do some serious window shopping...

yeah baby...

 

hey, that looks like the san fransisco! i'm guessing the LA is the latest blau model. looks cool and if it's part of their skyline, then it's probably really good. hmmm, i may get one now...

 

Yeah - the Los Angeles is brand new for 2002, so it's probably using other models parts with mp3 internals..

Looks sweet and from comments i've read it sounds sweet too, so all that's left is to save up the big coin it's going to cost me and get it!!

 

what i like about the blau's is that it has a steering wheel remote which is pretty cool. you don't have to take your eyes off the road to fidget with your hu... now all i have to do is fight the temptation of watching my movies while i drive. lol

 

just throw on the audio without the screen.. what better way to listen to commentary tracks on a movie? Kinda like listening to a book on tape, but it's the director talkin about the movie instead.

Did i mention I'm a big fan of commentary tracks on dvds?

 

The L.A. is a sweet unit. Brand new this year- and supposedily, it is one of the best MP-3 units on the market. Very good reviews! Honestly, I am not that into MP-3, so the features would be lost on me!
You are also right, the tuner section and other features are heavily shared in the newer skyline units.
I opted for the mike and the interior equalization features, they are of more interest to me.
I will dig out the URL's of some good online blaupunkt dealers for you this evening.
You may want to consider checking E-Bay, some very good deals online and instant availability, and the big dealers from LA, SF and Atlanta of Blaupunkt on E-Bay are all very reputable.

 

check out these subs! talk about being able to save space!

blaupunkt's new overdrive "saucer" subs. pair of 12's for $250??? daaaaamn!

 

OMFG!!! Those are amazing! Don't need them since I already have 2 10 inchers waiting to go in but they're amazing nonetheless!!

Any luck with the urls, Dave?

Thanks!

 

i was thinking about replacing my blaupunkt munchen with this indash player:


some good places that deal blaupunkt:
- CD Zone
- MMXPress