E30 Zone

Hi All,

After long thinkings, debating, I found the Head unit that I will fit in my Alpina B3 !
I have long hesitated installing a CD43 ( later E36 HU ) but I will not.

Mostly it will go for sale, togheter with the GROM USB/AUX/Ipod adapter that I bought together with the CD43. Both are like new in box, and I will never fit them...PM if intrested.

Here is how it looks for info :



The unit and adapter are great, matches the E30 style and illum, but need to attach a proper Amp/speakers to it, and you need to add some line converter etc etc, not the best financially. Altought that need a lot of time to install properly.

I want to run the speakers straight from the HU, as I want good sound but I dont need perfect audiophile experience, the exhaust sound is nicer anyway...and much louder !

I will run front 5 1/4 component front and rear shelf 5 1/4 coax in the rear shelf ( or maybe nothing ). A small powered sub is planned in the future if I feel the need for it.


What other nice HU are there ? Actually nothing that I could found that matches my requirements which are :

- Must be dark in color, no silver/chrome bits.
- Illumination must match the Dashboard amber illum as close as possible.
- Small simple display ( I dont need swimming dolphins ).
- Front USB and Aux are a must, Ipod control is optionnal ( i dont have an ipod... )
- Must have sufficient power as I will not fit any aftermarket amplifier.
- must be cheap enough. ( less than 100 Euros is Ok )

so in the Touring I sold I had a quite OK HU, which was this one :



It works fine, although the look is slightly too modern, the button are Red, not amber, and the look is slightly too modern and shiny with those clean and shiny plastic surfaces and big silver knob.
It works flawlessly and since I sold my Touring and baught a Volvo 850 Wagon, it is fitted there and is perfect with the goos 6 speakers fitted in the Volvo. Perfectly happy with the sound quality in the Volvo.

However, in the Alpina B3, I had fitted a HU from Pioneer too, I don't remember the model name but it works fine, although it is silver, ugly, protruding too much and has NO USB port. I dont want it anymore.
See that picture, it is UGLY ! It is gone for the car !



So today I was browsing internet in order to find again an HU that could fit the bill and thanks God, i think I have it now !!

It is the basic Alpine model CDE-120RM, which is a CDE-120R but with amber buttons/illumination.

It looks simple, no stupid display with stupid blue dolphins, has front USB and Aux, reads Mp3 and all, and designwise, is very soft for the eyes, very Alpine but in a simple way.
It cannot control Ipod but I don't have one so in case I buy one then I can connect via the Aux input.
I guess that will match the E30 quite well with dark color and dark buttons.
I don't drive the B3 daily, so that will just be perfect for my use.

Oh and I forgot, it costs 99.9 Euros in France. Available in UK for around 85 pounds I believe.

here is a photo :



Tell me what you think.

I think that will stop my "never-ending-hunt-for-the-perfect-HU-for-E30".

Cheers / Pierre

I have a similar alpine head unit in mind, different colour though. It looks ok but worst stereo I have ever bought in terms of how it works and how to set it up. Nothing is obvious and it drives me crazy. I'll never buy Alpine again.

Just out of interest what's with the display? in the heater vent in the middle picture? Is that something aplina specific?

Its a very expensive bit of kit that little thing, There was/is one for sale in the parts thread. Six hundred notes though iirc.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm18 ... 0095-1.jpg

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... ght=alpina

cool

Hi Kman,

I am sure the Alpine Head unit will not be more complicate to set up than the Pioneer i have, which is pretty illogical too. As far as sound is concerned, most HU nowadays are using the same preamps inside, so I think it is more down to the installation, speaker quality etc etc.
That will be fine for me, I dont use that car too often and this radio is cheap.

for the Alpina gauge, yes it is an Alpina item, and i hope I never brake mine, because it is veeeeery pricey.

here is a better picture of mine :
ons:



It was made by VDO for Alpina, and has the following functions :
top left to right : Diff oil temp and eng. oil temp.
Bottom left to right : inlet mnifold pressure and eng.oil pressure.

The vent is still functionnal, but you lodse the left/right defelction.

It is a nice very well integrated piece of kit, i love it.
I have spare LED modules for it in case...

Cheers / Pierre

Its a shame the B3 doesn't get used much, I wouldn't feel to put out coming over in the summer once a month and taking it for a steady cruise along some straight roads. Looks a lovely car, for a two door.

Hi TouringTash,

It is used still, I go back to France 4 times a year, and it is being used the way it should on SW France countryside roads !
In those occurences, quite often the windows are down and there is no need for a sound system.
But when I drive this car qith my wife and kid, then it is more like cruising and it is good to have a bit of music.

I/ve done 70.000km in 8 years use, which is Ok for a car i want to keep forever.
I am doing the maintenance myself, just replaced the cam belt last summer !

Cheers Pierre

Sounds a great life Pierre, shes a good reason not to indulge in your countrysides greatest produce, as it would stop me from driving after a glass or five

I see no reason why it shouldn't keep on going long after I'm in the ground. As long as you have a good stockpile of petrol hidden away.

TT,
My thoughts exactly !! I only drink this red stuff in the evening anyway, long after my B3 is safely tucked in my garage...

cheers / Pierre

It looks a lovely car Pierre I am also liking the wood inlays in a strange kind of way - on a regular E30 it would look out of place but for some reason it adds extra quirkyness to an already special car, was it a factory OEM option or aftermarket? If OEM it must be ultra rare...

Hi BmwSport,

it is OEM from Alpina. It is weird in a way but I do like it a lot !
Here is a better view for you :



Not sure it is available from Alpina anymore...

Cheers / Pierre

i have to admit, i do like the recent alpines, i think they somehow have a pretty timeless look, i fitted one very similar to yours to my girlfriends mk2 golf and it fits in nicely, yet i thinkk they suit modern cars too. they seem to look expensive and nicely made even the cheap ones. they also look better in real life than a lot of photos.

i probably wouldnt buy any other make of head unit these days to be honest.

in fact i've just picked up a secondhand x100 to stick in the daily e36. a bit modern and flashy for an e30, but i think it'll look fine in a 36 which already has several other lcd displays in the dash and unlike a lot of newer models has red as well as the standard blue illumination.

i think one of the only alpine units i don't like the look of was the horribly gaudy silver and blue one which was in the e36 when i bought it, which got punted on ebay pretty quickly!

Harry_p,

thanks for your input. I had Alpine HU before in my previous cars and was not disapointed...

I guess this very Alpine head unit will just look perfect in my Alpina, timeless design as you said, and probably much better sound quality than anything you could buy late eighties....

I will go for it !

Pierre

to be fair, if you have an alpina it would be silly not to go for the alpine stereo - the wife probably wont tell the difference! EDIT: [In name] No complaints about the sound quality of mine, just complicated to use and i'm normally pretty good with tech.

As i told before, my Pioneer is a pain in the a$$ to use as well, so it can't be worse.
I've read the owner's manual and it seems quite easy.

Anyway it is a new model so it may have been simplified !

And my wife don't care AT ALL about my cars. Well she loves the volvo Wagon because it is big, quiet, comfy and it has air cond !

Cheers Pierre