Retrosound

I have that same kind of light show on the display of my Pioneer.

 

Found that if I flip the faceplate down to access the CD player the display goes black - Ah!  Instant night display!

Hope it works for you Phil.

Put the same unit in my IM last year. Nice sound, great flexibility with the bluetooth, iPod compatibility, etc--but the real reason was the dramatic improvement in esthetics. I went with the off white buttons and knobs which blend well with the rest of the IM interior. I think you'll be very pleased......

Phil - I also have a RetroSound unit in my VS. I like the Bluetooth for hands-free phone and USB port for my music (on thumb-drive). Sound quality (bass) is marginal unless you run through an amp (I don't).

 

click on picture to enlarge 

Phil, here is a pict of my Retrosound.  I also have the 4ch amp, it does the job I am thinking of getting their self powered sub woofer which they say is not a boom box but rather has a tight bass module for a better fullness in the low notes. 

 

It's period correct and the blue tooth works fairly well but the phone mic certainly in a convertible is challenged at speed. 

 

Ray 

Ray 

I love that faceplate.  I really wanted it since it is more "period correct" but unfortunately it will not cover my large DIN hole so I had to go with the large rectangular plate.  Really hope Henry has lost the DIN units. 

All you guys with Retrosound head units I wish you good freekin' luck with them. I have gone through 4 of them now in the '55 Chevy--you'd think I'd finally learn, DUH!

 

Three of them crapped out while still under the warranty and were replaced and the fourth is now out of the '55 Chevy after 2 1/2 years, audio out failed on the Aux and USB ports. The first unit worked for less than a month before failing--turned it on one day then there was smoke coming from under the dash--that was a YIKES! moment...lol. the other two just quit working within 6mos of installation. The bass sucks on these units too--so you are sol if you like more than a little bass.

 

And before you think it was an installation problem and my fault I have probably installed over 30 or more aftermarket stereos/speakers/amps in my own and friends and families cars over the years

 

I finally broke down and had the old stock Chevy radio rebuilt and renewed with digital AM/FM/ FM Stereo, bluetooth, and USB/Aux ports and Amp hook ups. It was way more than I wanted to spend for a head unit but it was my only other option if I didn't want to cut the dash--I did not want a 'hidden' stereo I wanted something I could easily access from the drivers seat.

 

I for one would never install another Retrosound radio. And I've heard from friends that have installed Custom Auto Sound vintage units that even the highly vaunted Zuma 630(top of the line)stereos have problems.

Anyone else have problems with retrosound?

My Restrosound unit came with the car, installed by the builder.  It never worked well, and I replaced it with a Pioneer, which works fine.  Doesn't look stock, but, in this instance, form over function didn't make sense.  I'm not a stereo expert by any means, but what I have now sounds great to me.

G.R. - Who did the rebuild on your old stock Chevy radio? Might want to do that on my 65 Plymouth.

This is not encouraging.  Radio has already shipped.  Think I'll try the Retrosound and see how it goes.  No dash cutting required since I have a DIN.  Will hold on to the disco noise box just in case.  If the Retrosound doesn't work out maybe I can ask one of our site friends across the pond to help me get a Gelhard.

The company I used was Electro-Tech out of Blaine, Minnesota. I worked with a guy named Greg there to get what I wanted done to the radio. It came back looking like a brand new stock 1955 Chevy pushbutton radio. They were great to work with and the radio sounds as good or better than most aftermarket units with the benefit of fitting the stock location. My cost including shipping both ways was about $545.

 

http://www.turnswitch.com/index.htm

 

Phil,the conversion on my Blaupunkt Frankfurt Radio was also done by S&M Electro-Tech Inc. Installed the AM-FM Conversion Kit 4 chan 12 volt.

Config ALTTone-Bal-Fade.Also installed Aux Input Kit and Power Wire. L=AM M&U=FM

These conversions seem to be even pricier than the retrosound.  Going to give the retrosound a shot.  If that doesn't work may go for rebuilt period piece.  That radio looks awesome.

That whole interior looks really legit. Beautifully detailed & great steering wheel.

Phil have you looked at their powered subwoofer?  I am thinking of adding it to get a fuller sound... Retro says it is not a boom box but a tight base
I may add it this winter ... I have a heating loss and I find at speed with the top down sometimes it is hard to hear my music well... Never mind trying to hear the phone Ray

Speakers and sub woofers work only as well as the headunit puts audio out. Poor headunit will make even expensive speakers sound bad.

 

I have a Bose 6-speaker setup, 2-4" tweeters in the kick panels, 2-7" mid-range in the doors and 2-6x9" bass in the package tray in the '55 powered thru a Rockford-Fosgate Prime R1200 amp. and they have never sounded all that good with the Retrosound headunit. And the stereo volume had to be turned way up to hear them over the engine and road noise.

 

When temp. hooked up to an old Alpine headunit I have they sound great and the volume only had to be turned up a little to overcome the same noise.

With the newly rebuilt stock radio the speakers sound awesome as they should,I had to tweak the amp just a bit to bring it in line with the radios output since it was way out of whack because of using it with the Retrosound.

 

Just a caution on the Retrosound powered sub-woofer---remember it is made and sold by Retrosound and is prone to failure, at least that is what a couple of our car club members have found out the hard way that have installed them--they do sound very good but....

Ray

Hoping to find the time to install stereo next week.  Will see how it sounds first.  Half the year I have my hardtop on.  I might even be able to hear the phone.

Did you get the bluetooth adapter for the phone?  It works well too for music, it will automatically start and stop when you enter and re-enter the car. Works pretty good. Ray

I got the model 2 with bluetooth.  Has hands free phone too.  Not sure if mic for phone is in receiver or if there is external mic.  Delivered this Thurs.

It will come with a black external mic with a cable. 

I installed a Bazooka 8" sub-woofer that I put on the back seat shelf. It's got a connector so I can quickly remove it if I need the space. Has A LOT of bass.

I personally don't have a stereo in my car but if I did, I'd most likely go with one of these:

 

 

http://www.hifisoundconnection...y0vsgCFdgYgQod4fELmg

 

I can see on Jim's picture the mic for the hands free attached to the eye brow of the dash. 

 

"...Siri, what oil should I put in my flat tappet engine?..."

 

 

Siri's reply:

"....Jim, did you say fat rappin' Injun?"

When riding my bicycle, I have ear buds connected to my iPhone so I can use Siri for route directions (which I download from google maps - go figure) so I don't get lost.....quite as much.

 

Sometime during the iOS7 days, Siri seemed to be in a constant hissy-fit about just about anything.  A typical exchange when I would get lost would go like:

 

Me:  "Siri, Where am I?"

 

Siri: "I'm sorry.  I'm not connected to the Internet and can't help you right now.  Please try again in a little while."

 

That seemed to happen whether I was asking for a different song, to making a phone call or even asking for the temperature.

 

Finally, they pushed us into iOS8 and things got decidedly better and she's been happy for a while.  Been tempted to make my nickname "Dumb-ass" just for a few laughs when I'm pedaling around.

 

Me:  "Siri, How do I get to Uxbridge Center?"

 

Siri:  "Hey, Dumb-Ass!  Take the next right turn!"

 

Siri.......Always there to help.

As an old German guy once said:  

What kind of radio you ask? .... I listen to the symphony of the exhaust....

 

They must be improving the artificial intelligence algorithms on these phones.

 

Siri calls me 'dumb-ass' without me having to enter anything.

 

 

...that beats what she calls me!

 

I don't need Siri to tell me that.....I'm married.

OK finally have some time to install retrosound.  Will be removing DIN clarion radio and will install retrosound with DIN kit.  Car obviously already has a DIN box frame installed by IM.  Retrosound also proveded a DIN box frame.  Clarion also has a power/speaker harness.  My questions are:

1.  Are DIN box frames and DIN radios universal?  Will retrosound just click into DIN box frame currently in car?

2.  Are the wiring harnesses universal?  Will the current power/speaker harness just click into back of retrosound radio?

 

Thanks

Phil

From my experience unless the wire harness plug in to the head unit is from the same mfg. you will have to to rewire the plug. Color codes for wires are usually universal.

 

The Retrosound DIN box frame will need to be used, I think, because it is specific to the Retrosound radio, it may not catch to lock it in in another make DIN box or it may get jammed in place half in/half out--that's a real PIA to deal with if it happens.

 

Also from my experience other mfgs.DIN box frames are also brand/year specific ie., most Sony's for instance will not fit like a Panasonic head unit or vice versa. Newer Alpine headunits won't fit an older Alpine DIN box--found this out installing a newer Alpine head unit in my nieces Toyota last year.

 

I used the Retrosound DIN box for the '55 Chevy specific radio I used, it was made for the '55-'56 Chevy dash

Phil in my car the 4 channel amp is under the back seat and the head is of course in the dash.. The wires for the speakers are running on the passenger side under door sill from the front to the back .
Main power runs down the middle tunnel as far as I know.

If I run a retro sound sub j will need one pair of RCA going from the front to the back seat ( blue connectors) control the sub woofer ... You might want to run more words while your at il in case you add stuff later on
Ray

Thanks guys.  Looks like its not going to be a plug in and play.  Replacing that DIN box will be challenging.

Just a word of caution if your current headunit has a plug in connector DO NOT cut the wires going to it. It makes it so much easier to cut and remove/install one wire at a time plus it helps getting the correct + and - speaker wires to the correct wires on the plug.

 

Ray, is correct if you ever plan to install an amp now is the time to run the RCA plugs and amp wiring controlled by the headunit and the correct size wire for direct battery wiring required for any amp..

In the FWIW Dept.: I have a very cool, multi-function, thoroughly modern CD playing AM/FM radio in my car, installed by the builder, tucked under the dash.  I think maybe it has been used for about 45 minutes, maybe.  The "music" in the car comes from the tail-pipe, as Alan has pointed out.  Plus doing sounds w/ top down, really just does not work.  But it is a very fine radio, and makes great sound -- in the garage.

 

To me, the only retro way to go is to use the old original Blaupunkt fronts.  I used to have two of these, one 6 v ('56 A coupe) and the other 12v ('61 S90), and all used tubes, as I recall.  I wish I had them now, as would pay the freight to have their innards modernized, and installed.  Not that radios and Speedsters really came together originally.  Likely not.

Phil, not sure how your car is wired but if your amp is in under the back seat on the clarion you might be able to simple trace one wire at a time and make a schematic. THis might be easier for you before you go pull everything out of the car. 

 

Your in for a day for sure but you will have power back there as the whole ECU etc is under the seat.... Ray

Ray

ECU is under back seat.  But I don't think there is a stereo amp.  Think that all juice from stereo is coming from clarion head unit.  Obviously I need to check this but I think 4 x 53 watts is all I got.