20 replies to this topic

[minisilverbullet]

I am tired of my flashing, modern pioneer head unit. 

 

I have looked at the retro sounds stereos and they look great, a little too flashy maybe. Plus a bit pricey. 

 

I have been looking at the FM 'modulators', i think thats what they are called. You know the things you plug into the aerial port, which then let you plug in your mp3. So i was thinking of buying  a classic radio, anyone done this? 

 

I don't listen to the radio or CD's only my phone, so i also thought of a hidden amplifier, though i have hole in the walnut dash for the radio. 

 

I am open to any ideas/comments, you guys might have. 

[Stevie W]

Hi,

 

There's a company called Tadpole Radios on the internet.

They take old 70's radios such as Motorolas and strip the old electronics out of them and install modern 4 channel amplifiers and tuners. The analogue tuning dial is kept as are the old style knobs and buttons. They can also be configured for ipods etc. They would fill the hole in your walnut dash nicely

They are rather pricey though....just another idea to ponder!!

 

Cheers, Steve.

Edited by Stevie W, 08 February 2015 - 06:35 PM.

[cradley-heathen]

I was flicking through the midget catalogue whilst in david manners the other day and I noticed they had some really cool retro radios in there, i have no details on what they were though, but if you can get a look at their catalogue youll see for yourself

[Ruckus]

Pioneer P77

 

[Steve220]

Pioneer P77

 

 

That's actually quite nice!

[minisilverbullet]

I am becoming drawn to the retro sounds ones, I guess I will wait for second hand on to come up on ebay. 

 

That Pioneer is one of the nicest looking head units i have seen, but i am looking for a real retro look. 

[Ruckus]

 

Pioneer P77

 

 

 

That's actually quite nice!

 

 

They sound great as well.

Very good Burr Brown DAC's in them.

[humph]

This guy on ebay might have exactly what you want, although prices can vary massively depending on ages (and coolness).  His mp3 connector might be of use if nothing else.

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...=1&_ipg=&_from=

[Ellie]

I'm going down the Bluetooth route too.

Got one of these for the stereo slot.

[pusb]

I bought this off ebay for only £25. It had never been out of the box:

 

 Radio 2.jpg   43.11K   15 downloads

 

I now intend (once I have a cigar lighter fitted) to get one of these:

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...ff14=108&ff19=0

 

 

I'll have a "classic" stereo with FM & Bluetooth for under £35 :)

[Ruckus]

77mp for sale..

 

http://www.talkaudio...d-and-complete/

[nouniard]

The RetroSound stereos are really nice...especially with all of the options you have for the face and knobs. The above mentioned Philips is pretty cool in its own right too but I don't really see it as retro...looks more fitting in a modern car with a minimalistic interior.

 

Here's what I'm planning for my own SPi:

 

I originally wanted a RetroSound but since our Minis have a bit more of a modern interior/dash, I think it would be cool and aesthetically better to go with a period correct stereo.

 

I researched quality late 80's/early 90's head units. I really like the look of the older Alpines and just purchased an Alpine 7619r. The 7618/7619r were Alpine's flagship models in the early 90's.

 

A nice writeup about the 7618r here: http://retrorides.pr...m/thread/144959

 

 

 

 

I picked the 7619r as it has modern day features that were very high-tech when new...like RDS.

 

Like you, I spend most of my time listening to music I carry on my iPhone so I want to be able to connect it to my head-unit. Older higher-end Alpine's like this have an M-Bus connection in the back so you can connect the stereo to a CD changer that you keep elsewhere in the car but control from the head-unit.

 

3rd party companies offer modern adapters that connect to the M-Bus and allow you to plug in USB drives or AUX cables to have direct audio-in. Just search 'Alpine M-Bus' on eBay or Amazon.

 

The best one I've seen is from a company called "Yatour". They make an M-Bus media adapter with an optional bluetooth kit that gives you the ability to stream your music, has handsfree capabilities and automatically connects to your phone once you've paired it once.

 

Adapter

http://www.ebay.com/...E-/261333818927

Bluetooth kit

http://www.ebay.com/...7-/251315721987

 

I think they have a new bluetooth module for 2015 so you won't need both the adapter and BT kit...that should save some money and clean up wiring behind the dash.

 

 

Anyway, this is my plan for the SPi. Looks like a period clean (non flashy) cassette stereo to the casual eye but is a very HQ system adapted with bluetooth for music & handsfree calling.

Edited by nouniard, 12 February 2015 - 02:35 AM.

[minisilverbullet]

Thanks for the comments guys, in the end i have went for a retrosound Zuma. 

[minisilverbullet]

arrived and fitted. Wasn't the easiest to fit since it it is full adjustable. I still need to adult the length of the knobs. 

 

Really happy with it, also added a 3.5mm jack to the dash . 

 

 

[Anthony30]

My Philips R570 radio needs fixing.