If you get your hands on a becker as you dont mind paying the extra then IMHO you can go wrong, especially if you want phone (bluetooth) and ipod controls. I never used to bother taking mine out of the coupe when parked as it looked so OEM. Sound quality was hugely improved over business HIFI.
HOWEVER, if your not too concerned on looks and just want toys and sound then there are others which can prob match the Becker for sound and connectivity to aux devices but just look like an after thought in most cases. Until you see a becker installed i the flesh i dont think you can appriciate just how well they fit in with the colour/materials/finish/button style of our (well, not mine anymore, but your) retro dashboards. All illuminations are kept to a minimum and its all one colour.
The only BUT is the price and availablility. If you do decide on Becker then go for the Red display. The amber sounds promising but not as good a match as the red IMO. I think C_w has seen an amber one installed and prob will be able to confirm colour match.
I hope this helps
EX: S50 Black with Kyalami Orange/Black Leather. Becker Bluetooth/Ipod HU.
Now: S50 Black/Black with Ap Racing brakes and Race logic
I am very slowly in the process of going from minidisc/CD to all digital, in the car and at home. No more fiddling about with discs in the car or the boot. This is, IMO. the future.
Have a look at the Blaupunkt Melbourne. It has an SD card slot, USB/aux. input slot, bluetooth, audio streaming, MP3/WMA, radio and other stuff that I can't remember.
No CD slot so no mechanical bits to go wrong. 2gb on an SD card gives you 20 albums at the highest quality setting - 5 of those and you have got a decent amount of music with you. You know it makes sense
Strongstrut CL front brace-Yellowstuff pads/Castrol SRF race brake fluid-Rogue top mounts/Rear support bushes-H&R ARBs-Whiteline droplinks-Bilstein Sport shockers-H&R Springs-Black Halo Angel Eye headlight units-Sachs lightweight flywheel/matching clutch-Supersprint exhaust/race catalysers-BBS RSGTs with Falkens-K&N High Flow Air Filter-Recaro Pole Position seats - Exdos mod - ACS flippers
Last owner changed to an Alpine CDA 9811r unit - I guess because it was easy to get the connections to the HK speaker rig but this model has no iPod connection on it.
Aesthetically though it looks like Oxford Street at Xmas - too many colours and lights going on.
A month in to ownership and I still like listening to the engine anyway but have to say I'm convinced by the Becker system and when I need to hear a different type of music I'll be shopping for one of those.
EDIT ** although I've just looked at those Blaupunkt units coupe fan. They have the right sort of understated look as well.
ex- 2000 Titanium Silver S50 with AC Schnitzer road suspension, exhaust, rear wing and gear knob now 2002 Sapphire Black S54 with black/red interior, S54 Bearing Shell upgrade with ARP Con Rod bolts, Cam shaft bolt upgrade
Hi Katie - did you have to make a hole in the glove box to feed the cable through? The write ups I've briefly read through suggest coming through the hole for the lock mechanism in the middle.
ex- 2000 Titanium Silver S50 with AC Schnitzer road suspension, exhaust, rear wing and gear knob now 2002 Sapphire Black S54 with black/red interior, S54 Bearing Shell upgrade with ARP Con Rod bolts, Cam shaft bolt upgrade
I've installed the iPod kit with my Becker and the cable fits quite nicely through a gap between the centre console and the glovebox hinge, so no need to cut/drill anything...
I got a bog standard SONY with an aux in plug.. after I ripped the Kenwood out...
They should stick to making food mixers !
The Sony was £100 and sounds awesome and no bulls**t tv or fancy crappy flashy lights !
My local audio shop sorted the wiring harness out for me when they fitted the becker. I had HK too. Sorry cant help you with any details although it cant have been that hard as they didnt need to order anything in especially.
EX: S50 Black with Kyalami Orange/Black Leather. Becker Bluetooth/Ipod HU.
Now: S50 Black/Black with Ap Racing brakes and Race logic
Hi Katie - did you have to make a hole in the glove box to feed the cable through? The write ups I've briefly read through suggest coming through the hole for the lock mechanism in the middle.
Strongstrut CL front brace-Yellowstuff pads/Castrol SRF race brake fluid-Rogue top mounts/Rear support bushes-H&R ARBs-Whiteline droplinks-Bilstein Sport shockers-H&R Springs-Black Halo Angel Eye headlight units-Sachs lightweight flywheel/matching clutch-Supersprint exhaust/race catalysers-BBS RSGTs with Falkens-K&N High Flow Air Filter-Recaro Pole Position seats - Exdos mod - ACS flippers
I went for a Sony Mex-BT3600U which combined with the HK provides a transformation of sound without the additional need for amps and speakers. After reading the 'Halfords' type concerns I felt this wasn't an issue with my blue black interior;
Handsfree is excellent as I found after 2 6 hour motorway journeys. Syncs with the bluetooth no problems as you get in and out of the car. Yet to try streaming music but the option is there.
PS If you have a BMW business unit with HK please believe me you really need to get rid of it as soon as you can!
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