Aftermarket Stereo's

[wilko]

I have been thinking about replacing the Concert II for something with a few more features, but I'm not sure what to get. Ages ago there was a post about the Pioneer DEH-P70BT (Click Here & Here) which yes looks mint and has loads of features, but the screen & buttons are blue and everything in the car is Red so it probably wouldn't look right.

Does anyone have an aftermarket stereo that rocks, has loads of features, bluetooth, ipod compatible, mp3, etc... that also suits the style of the car??

Also are there any different cable requirements when swapping out the Concert II with Bose for an aftermarket or is it literally just plug and play?? And what about the Sub?? Sorry there are so many questions I just want to make sure I buy the right product.

 

[bobtooke]

Most of Sony range have switchable illumination colours...
Typically Blue and Amber.

 

[tomsinclair]

Kenwood range also have switchable colour and red matches perfectly

 

[AndyMac]

Becker match the interior the best, but nothing special otherwise (still loads better than the Matsushita OEM rubbish)
For the most painless install the Blaupunkt DAB54 uses identical wiring to the Concert, takes mp3's has an iPOD interface available and can record/play off Media cards + DAB radio. Also has reddish illumination option.

 

[marriedblonde]

Does it work with the Bose option though?

 

[wilko]

Sorry but the Blaupunkt DAB54 looks a bit .... how can I put it... lacking, plain. The one below it looks better but Click Here

 

[AndyMac]

Well obviously compared to the Concert it's a bit bland.(joke)
If you want the souped up Saxo look then go for the other one

 

[wilko]

Mmm anyway... are do you have a buy any cables to fit an aftermarket stereo to a Bose system? I have found some sites which are selling some connectors for the A3 with Bose, but what everyone else done??

 

[Cupramax]

Yes, without the harness your rear speakers wont work...

 

[wilko]

Where do you recomend getting one from?

 

[AndyMac]

Without the harness none of the speakers will work as everything is amped on the Bose system.
As I said if you go for the plain, lacking Blaupunkt models it's straight plug & play as it uses the same mini ISO harness for the amps as the Audi system (Blaupunkt were the first OEM supplier of Audi head units before Panasonic took over, but they didn't change the wiring for some reason).
So with BP you don't need any wiring harness, for every other make you do. There are 2 ways to link the system to a non Blaupunkt HU. RCA input adapter which simply converts standard front & rear RCA's to a mini ISO plug compatible with the Audi harness. This is the best method but can result in popping from the Bose system on turn on.
If you get the popping then you have to do it the bodgy way which is the speaker input adapter which essentially takes the speaker output from the HU down to a pre-out level which then feeds the Bose amps. This gets rid of the popping but provides a less than perfect sound as the signal is getting amped twice = possible noise/distortion
You'll also need an antenna amp. You can get everything from caraudiodirect.