Stereo System Options

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I've been away from all this for quite some time. I just took delivery of a '77 X. I'll be posting more in other threads, etc. But I'm thinking none of you would be happy with the AM-only radio currently installed in my car! LOL
 
I must show you the speakers I removed from the 128SL I am currently working on. It can not be more 1980s than this.
175(???) Watt Sound Craft Monster Series Turbo Sound speakers. They are so good that you can forget the rest.🤣
And no, they will not go in again when the restoration is ready.
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Ive never thought to use a 175W CD TURBO BASS-REFLEX -DUTY HIGH-POWER HI-FIDELITY SPEAKER SYSTEM.

Although, some of my Miata friends swear their Bluetooth speaker on the dashboard sounds almost as good as the 16 speaker, 9 channel, composite driver sound system in my daily driver....(uh huh)...so maybe I'm missing out!
 
I must show you the speakers I removed from the 128SL I am currently working on. It can not be more 1980s than this.
175(???) Watt Sound Craft Monster Series Turbo Sound speakers. They are so good that you can forget the rest.🤣
And no, they will not go in again when the restoration is ready.
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Enclosed box speakers for the rear shelf was very popular. ADS, Braun, Pioneer, etc.
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The ADS boxes were considered the hot setup for BMW's, Porsches and other high end cars in the '80s. There were a couple of models of them, and not cheap to buy. They were usually mounted with a U-shaped bracket that attached to each end of the box, allowing angle adjustment for "optimal sound". :D
 
I shoved my radio into the glovebox. I don't use it except on long drives - since it has BT I can play my music off the phone. The problem with this model is that when power is disconnected & re-applied, it defaults to a hispanic station at high volume. I've contacted JVC, and they say that the default station cannot be altered. I'm going to get rid of it, since I often disconnect the battery for extended periods.

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The pickup has the original 80's era cassette / stereo - (only pic I have) - that one I've finally broken down & ordered a double din Sony AX100 player (has a regular volume knob), a guy in Norway makes an adaptor frame to fit the 740 so it will be a clean install. Not sure what to put in the X1/9, I need something for long drives

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I shoved my radio into the glovebox. I don't use it except on long drives - since it has BT I can play my music off the phone. The problem with this model is that when power is disconnected & re-applied, it defaults to a hispanic station at high volume. I've contacted JVC, and they say that the default station cannot be altered. I'm going to get rid of it, since I often disconnect the battery for extended periods.

IMG-20200318-132259.jpg



The pickup has the original 80's era cassette / stereo - (only pic I have) - that one I've finally broken down & ordered a double din Sony AX100 player (has a regular volume knob), a guy in Norway makes an adaptor frame to fit the 740 so it will be a clean install. Not sure what to put in the X1/9, I need something for long drives

PXL-20220221-215548596.jpg
If you want a real Volvo radio, I may still have one in the basement from my 240. Only issue is that it is AM only.
 
I shoved my radio into the glovebox. I don't use it except on long drives - since it has BT I can play my music off the phone. The problem with this model is that when power is disconnected & re-applied, it defaults to a hispanic station at high volume. I've contacted JVC, and they say that the default station cannot be altered. I'm going to get rid of it, since I often disconnect the battery for extended periods.

IMG-20200318-132259.jpg



The pickup has the original 80's era cassette / stereo - (only pic I have) - that one I've finally broken down & ordered a double din Sony AX100 player (has a regular volume knob), a guy in Norway makes an adaptor frame to fit the 740 so it will be a clean install. Not sure what to put in the X1/9, I need something for long drives

PXL-20220221-215548596.jpg
I have a similar problem with a JVC and another 'modern' stereo; when the power is cut (as is often the case for vintage hobby cars that sit), the units default to who knows what and the procedure to reset everything is a nightmare. As has been stated before, it requires digging out the manual and reading through all the steps to set things back to my preferences.

I recall in the past on some vehicles you could plug a 9V battery into the cigarette lighter (see below) before disconnecting the car's battery. That acted as a "power saver" that kept electronics like this alive while the main battery was disconnected. I'm not sure if this would work in our case. Furthermore I do not know for how long, as this was intended only to be used during servicing of the vehicle.
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Obviously by keeping the battery connected with a trickle charger attached that won't happen. However for me that isn't a great option. In this extreme desert heat car batteries only last 2 or 3 years before dying - regardless if the car is used or not, if a maintainer is attached, or if the battery gets regular servicing...the heat just kills all batteries. Since I own multiple vintage cars and none of them get driven much, it would be very costly to keep buying new batteries for all of them on a regular basis. So I've configured all of my vintage cars to fit one common battery size, and I keep only one battery on hand. It gets swapped into whichever car I decide to take for a drive. Therefore all the cars sit with no battery in them.

By the way, I like the idea of installing the radio in the glove box. Afterall, the glove box isn't useful for anything anyway. And it hides the unit.
 
Same her in ABQ, batteries are short-lived due to summer heat. The reset with no power thing is exactly why I put the Jensen on the top of my list. No power, no problem. The unit retains the settings. Perfect for keyed power only set up like our X's.
 
Sounds like there is a demand for radios with non volatile memory. Not likely to be found in a 20th century designs but could easily be done today using flash memory just like a USB drive or SD card.
 
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Same her in ABQ, batteries are short-lived due to summer heat. The reset with no power thing is exactly why I put the Jensen on the top of my list. No power, no problem. The unit retains the settings. Perfect for keyed power only set up like our X's.
Larry, the unit retains all of your settings even with no power to it? So it's like Don described, with some sort of built in memory that does not require power. That' very cool. Are all current Jensen models the same in this respect?
 
Nice.That's the one I was talking about. The "tape opening"is in reality a hiding door for plugs, etc. Are you happy with it? It is on my wish list.

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Buyer beware. A higher priced item from a very low quality manufacturer does not equal a better item. This model seems to be another internet myth; people wanting to believe it is not like all of the other Blaupunkt garbage since the name was sold to a cheap Chinese company.
 
Buyer beware. A higher priced item from a very low quality manufacturer does not equal a better item. This model seems to be another internet myth; people wanting to believe it is not like all of the other Blaupunkt garbage since the name was sold to a cheap Chinese company.

Bahhhh, you keep saying this anytime someone mentions this new Blau. Everyone I know who has one loves it. Mine is still in the box.
 
Larry, the unit retains all of your settings even with no power to it? So it's like Don described, with some sort of built in memory that does not require power. That' very cool. Are all current Jensen models the same in this respect?
Pretty much describes it. You can disconnect the battery and it does not care; keeps the settings. But the important point is that it is "on" only when the ignition key is on. So it does not drain the battery when the key is off. As to the question regarding if other Jensens do that or not, I do not know. But when I saw that feature I called my 30 year search to a halt.
 
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