Retro radio - new products and ideas

[Overdraft]

I did a search which came up with posts 10+ years old and some e nay adds - so there must be something new on the market one of the guys have installed??…or maybe not.  I am ordering new speakers , amplifier and sub woofer for my car and would appreciate if someone could offer an opinion and satisfaction with a retro radio they have recently installed.  Ultimately my car IS NOT a restoration but I would like a radio that looks like it came with the car - blue tooth - no visible antenna - and wire into an amplifier and sub woofer or if they make a combo unit even better.  This will not be a mobile boom box….but rather I want it to simply provide a nice rich sound.  Any suggestions appreciated.

[SydneyTii]

Yeah don’t get your hopes up in an 02 unless it’s well insulated with new rubbers!

There are some kinda old school looking Chinese blue tooth head units which get a good rap, sold mostly on eBay.

[dblinsqaun]

I put this in my 74 tii.  Very happy with it.  Nice assortment of faceplates, knob and buttons colors.  I went all black.  Bought their DIN kit and also their USB/AUX input extension kit.  They've got a nice selection of stuff.

 

https://www.retromanufacturing.com/products/1968-76-bmw-2000-series-long-beach-radio?rq=yr_1974~mk_bmw~md_2002tii&variant=28586994819

 

[Gil. H.]

I installed a Soundstream STEALTH amp with bluetooth that works alone or inline with the existing radio almost 2 years ago. I placed it under the passenger seat and have no complaints. It's small, low profile and allows you to keep the period radio while streaming via bluetooth and is seamless. No dials or remote as it can auto sense when the radio is on or streaming is active.

There are a number of newer amps now with this same capability, so another option to consider.....

 

Soundstream Bluetooth AMP

[Marsattacks]

In case you are open to ideas — I put a modern unit in my glove compartment.  It is controlled via IR and totally invisible.  Gives you room in the console but of course uses most of the glove compartment.  I put the Amp and subwoofer under the back seat.  Nice speakers in parcel shelf and kick panels.  Bolt on Bliss products were perfect.  If you go this direction, Jason/Eurotrash is the man for the parts you need to fit the speakers and subwoofer seamlessly.  Sound can be nice and mellow or blow your ears off if you want.  Wasn’t expensive.  

[wojo]

I have a RetroSound radio as well.  With the faceplate and knobs, it looks similar to the dealer installed radio that was in the car when I bought it in '78.  The car has lots of new sound deadening recently installed at the end of the restoration.  It helps a lot but you'll never get past the road/wind noise in an '02.  I did use Eurotrash kick panels.  5 1/4 speakers fit the best.  

[dlhoovler]

A number of years ago, I took out the original dealer-installed Audiovox and console speaker (I've heard it was the cheapest radio setup for 2002s in the JC Whitney catalog at the time) because the radio's tuner clutch was slipping.

 

It was replaced with a NOS no-name dual-shaft stereo (with Weather Band!). It worked but was only audible when the car was stopped. Then a few years ago, I bought one of those $25 eBay Bluetooth stereos that look vaguely like a cheap ripoff of a vintage Becker. But before I installed it I realized that I never even turn the stereo on in our modern cars, much less the '02.

 

So I replaced the Audiovox tuner clutch with rubber cut from an old innertube and put the original radio back in. The eBay thing is still in its box (well, I dug it out for a photo). Maybe someday I'll get bored and swap it in, but I like originality for now. 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by dlhoovler

[Jimmy]

5 hours ago, Gil. H. said:

I installed a Soundstream STEALTH amp with bluetooth that works alone or inline with the existing radio almost 2 years ago. I placed it under the passenger seat and have no complaints. It's small, low profile and allows you to keep the period radio while streaming via bluetooth and is seamless. No dials or remote as it can auto sense when the radio is on or streaming is active.

There are a number of newer amps now with this same capability, so another option to consider.....

 

Soundstream Bluetooth AMP

 

This.

[Vicleonardo1]

I have a ton of sound deadening in mine.

 

Most conversations at highway speeds with my wife are like. "I'm thinking of getting a radio for the BMW,  what do you think? My wife...."I don't think we need a new sink." NO I SAID I AM THINKING OF GETTING A RADIO FOR THE BMW. WHAT DO YOU THINK!!" my wife "WHAT?"  "I SAID I AM THINKING OF.... OH NEVER MIND!!! my wife "STOP FOCUSING ON MY BEHIND YOU JERK!!!

I would think that if legal, my AirPods would be the best thing....:) 

But yes, there are a lot of options all are good.

For speaker set ups, we all are lucky thanks to both Kooglewerks and Bolt on Bliss. 

 

Cheers! 

[Teelinger]

Pricey but classic radios with modern internals:

https://www.chromelondon.com/

[Leucadian]

I went the stealth route, along with the Kooglewerks radio delete console and speaker pods.  It's all blue-tooth off my phone, sounds good, and was pretty inexpensive.  Unless you want a faceplate, I would highly recommend the set up. 

 

 

Ignore the rat's nest of wiring, I've since tidied it all up.

 

 

[2002FjordBaur]

I took a chance with a 'cheap' ebay £13 blue-tooth radio... and its great!
Doesn't look totally retro, but easy install, sound and volume are good, works with my iPhone and even has a blue glow to match the colour scheme of my Baur!
I added a small cooling fan to the back, it was getting a tad hot in prolonged use, but apart from that it works great.

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by 2002FjordBaur

[Labphoto]

I have the same one as @2002FjordBaur, works great and I saved a ton of money.

[SydneyTii]

2 hours ago, Leucadian said:

I went the stealth route, along with the Kooglewerks radio delete console and speaker pods.  It's all blue-tooth off my phone, sounds good, and was pretty inexpensive.  Unless you want a faceplate, I would highly recommend the set up. 

 

 

Ignore the rat's nest of wiring, I've since tidied it all up.

 

 

Are they Esty carpets? They look great!

[MikeD]

Vintageblau can offer you the exact radio that came in your 2002 but with all the modern upgrades.  I have purchased a few radios from him but none with the modern upgrades but the quality of radios that I received was outstanding so I would have no doubt that the upgraded radios would be anything less.

http://www.vintageblau.com/