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Thread: Audio newb seeking guidance

  1. #1
    moroza's Avatar
    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    Audio newb seeking guidance

    I'm a musician and mechanic well-versed in electrics, but don't know much about car audio. Hoping someone can give me some guidance on a setup. Right now I'm focussed on the headunit. I'm after something visually clean (for an E34) and single-DIN size, that can control an IPod or portable hard drive that lives in the glovebox. Current setup is an iPod hanging out in the center console, feeding the headunit via an aux cable, and charged by yet another cable. Too much clutter.

    Bluetooth, a rear-mounted aux input, and rear-mounted USB input would be nice bonusses. CD player a minor bonus, not necessary. Radio totally unnecessary; I never listen to it. Quality should be decent; I can hear junk but not an audiophile. Budget ~$150-200, maybe more, used is ok.

    Saw this - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Continental...QAAOSwa5RdvCWp - but can't tell if it'll do what I want, controlling an iPod or such that lives out of the way.
    Last edited by moroza; 09-20-2020 at 07:55 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    03 530dT - Ex Police Car
    Hi,

    I still miss my E34 !

    The specific head unit you've referenced doesn't have iPod control and I'd doubt the front USB port will have enough power to properly operate your external hard drive.

    Have a look through this forum and the specific E34 one to see what other owners have fitted. Nowadays, with capacities of SD cards/USB sticks being large and cheap, the ipod has become much less popular - get a 64GB MicroSDXC card in a mini USB reader and connect that and it's much cheaper than an ipod.

    Modern single DIN head units will have rear USB ports too, so you could fit a SD card/USB reader with card and have it hidden away, also on the end of a extension wire so you can get easy access to it via the glovebox perhaps. Bluetooth is pretty much standard nowadays too. Take a look at the single DIN units from the likes of Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, JVC, Sony etc.

    I had my E34 from 1999-2005, and had a single DIN Alpine CD/Tuner head unit and an Alpine EQ with the controller stealth mounted in the ashtray so it could be pulled out to use and pushed back in to hide completely when parked - when I get more space to have cars, another E34 is on my list to pick up again !

    Cheers, Dennis!

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