[Gubi]

I'd been trying to find a modern stereo for my S4 Spider for a while that had better capabilities than the original Clarion. The problem was that all the modern single-DIN stereos look like they came out of a spaceship and really didn't fit with the interior.

Good news is that there's now an updated version of the Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 out. This looks just like the old '80s version but has been updated with bluetooth phone, BT streaming, USB, and all the other stuff you'd get in a modern stereo. It's a single DIN model and is shorter than the OEM radio so it easily fits right into the dash and looks appropriate. You can also change the display color and make it green to match the other interior lighting.

It is not sold in the US yet (and not sure if it will be? They've been saying it's coming for like a year at least but no updates). I ordered mine from the UK (classiccarstereo.co.uk) and it was $470 shipped, so not at all cheap. Got to the US in like 3-4 days. So far it looks good and the sound quality is good.

Note that this is not the Blaupunkt of old: Bosch sold the name a while back, so basically it's licensed out to other manufacturers to make "Blaupunkt" stereos. So this is not a super high end rig, it's more of a made-in-China update of the old Bremen. That said, it looks and works well enough, and it was worth the money to me to get an updated stereo that didn't look like crap.

Also note the DAB functionality/antenna are not supported in the US but it works fine with US FM/AM stations.

https://www.classiccarstereo.co.uk/classic-car-stereos/blaupunkt-classic-car-stereo/blaupunkt-bremen-sqr-46-dab-bt/

 

[Tchernobyl]

Very nice.
I almost did the same but opted for the more simple (and affordable) yet very "1986 looking", Blaupunkt Denver 212.


Will you guess which one it is?

We're lucky to have DAB here in Switzerland but anyway, I'm not planning to use it that much as the Bialbero melody is already quite a thing.

(Edit: unlike the "Bremen", the "Denver" backlight can't be changed to green, hence not matching the Alfa green - it's a mix of red/blue)

 

[yvesmontreal]

Last year I needed to replace a busted radio in the GTV6 I had. Shopping at Walmart, I saw they had Blaupunkt USB car radios that didn't look like they came out of an arcade. I checked the price on the shelf... $19,97. Surely this thing was misplaced; no, the article number matched. Checked it out, $19,97 indeed.

The casing was real flimsy, as cheap looking as a generic radio I'd gotten from Amazon. It wasn't very powerful, but worked OK and didn't look out of place. For 20 bucks.

 

[Gubi]

We're lucky to have DAB here in Switzerland but anyway I'm not planning to use it that much as the Bialbero melody is already quite a thing.

We've got digital radio here in the US but its "in-band" digital, a different standard. Basically it uses the same antenna as normal FM and the same frequency range. You tune to the normal station frequency and if there's digital simulcast and you've got a compatible radio it just switches over. I haven't been able to tell much difference between the analog and digital broadcasts in other cars, but I've been told I have a tin ear

The casing was real flimsy, as cheap looking as a generic radio I'd gotten from Amazon. It wasn't very powerful, but worked OK and didn't look out of place. For 20 bucks.

Yeah, they're just licensing the name for anyone to stick on a radio, so it's mostly cheap stuff out of random Asian manufacturers. This one isn't flimsy feeling: it's not as good as the old Blaupunkt stuff but it's good enough. Honestly not worth what they're charging for it, I think, but you're paying for the classic looks. They sell a ton of these to guys with older Porsches: compared to the official Porsche in-dash modern radio for classic cars ($1000+) it's a steal.

 

[Tchernobyl]

I didn't know Blaupunkt was just an empty shell now...
At least my Spider is the real thing...

 

[Paulinct]

I have the same desire, going in a little different direction using the stock alfa unit for show with a hidden bluetooth only receiver/amp. Still looking for the right product. I never listen to the "radio" so bluetooth only with streaming works fine. Although the Blaupunkt looks nice too.