Hi all,

I've recently purchased an Alfa Romeo GT, and of course, I'd like to install my Empeg in it now. The dash has a nice double din, so no problems there.

The problem is, it comes with a stock headunit. This is the stock headunit. (the example shows the stock headunit of an Alfa 147, but the HU of the GT - the entire dash for that matter- is identical. The only difference is that the HU of the GT also plays mp3 cd's. But I wasn't able to find any specific info on the GT's HU. I think they are the same however. They at least look identical)

Now, I would like to find an adapter that is able to create an aux-in via the cd-changer interface. I've checked with connects2.uk, but they weren't able to help me. Online seaches have also resulted into nothing. Surely, such a device must exist?

Getting rid of the stock system is not an option. For three reasons :
1) I think this is much better anti-theft wise. A thief would have little use for this kind of HU
2) I paid extra for the BOSE system expansion, which actually sounds pretty good! So there's no need to get rid of the system to improve my sound quality.
3) I want to keep the possibility of using my steering wheel controls, which wouldn't be possible with an aftermarket install.

Please help, I REALLY don't want to go the FM modulator route. I'd rather just stick to the mp3 cd's then and not install the Empeg at all.

Thanks in advance!

Greetings!

Have you looked through or contacted Pie? They do not list the Alfa directly, but they might have an adapter that will work.

Is there any easy way you can pull the radio out and get the exact model number?

No, I haven't contacted them yet. Very good suggestion though! I'll pull the radio out today and have a look. I'll get back to you on that then.

Thanks!

OK, I pulled the headunit out, and this is what it said :

Blaupunkt Alfa 937 CD Mp3
7 643 392 316 e1 022330

I don't know if this is of any use to anybody. I'll write an email now to PIE and see if they can help me.

Found a page that seems to list the pinning of the CD-changer plug.

Alfa / Alpha Romeo (pm)
Alfa 937 High CD (Blaupunkt)
Die Pin-Belegung des CD-Wechslereingang am Radio
13 - Data in
14 - Data out
15 - Spannungsversorgung, UB+
16 - Masse
17 - Schaltspannung
18 - Audio Masse
19 - Audiosignal rechts
20 - Audiosignal Links

No idea if the radio requires a changer (or an adaptor faking it) to be present or not in order to accept input on pins 18-20... Can you select AUX In or CD-changer today, without a changer being present?

/Michael

Thanks! Interesting page! That might come in handy in the future!

Take a look at Peripheral. Maybe, maybe not.

I've looked at that site but they don't seem to have anything for either Alfa Romeo or Blaupunkt. Thanks anyway !

I did find something on the PIE site however. They didn't have anything for Alfa Romeo too, but they did have an Aux-in adapter for Blaupunkt HU's. (which the Alfa's stock radio is). I've ordered it and am now very curious to see if it'll work. I sure hope it will !

And ... did it work?

I'm close to having a GT ordered, so I'm interested.

I'm thinking of replacing the head unit, though. My dealer told
me one is avaiilable for the GT, although he warned it would
not be a pretty sight.

This leads me to another question: has anyone found an
Alfa to Sony stalk interface adapter? Dietz have one, but this
is probably for a Sony that is not compatible with the Empeg

Pim

Nope. I've searched EVERYWHERE, but such an adapter doesn't exist. So I gave up.
The only way to get an Empeg installed into this car is by removing the factory installed HU, which is something I do NOT want to do. One because I paid extra for it (to have a HQ factory setup) and two because this is pretty theft-discouraging and I don't want to go back to worrying about my windows getting smashed by scum that's after my HU.

I also DO NOT want to use an FM modulator, which was the only option left.

So I decided to do the next best thing. The only thing that will actually connect to the Blaupunkt 937 factory HU is the Dension Ice>Link. Of course, that would mean that I would have to buy an iPod. Before the iPod photo this wasn't an option, because all the iPod HD sizes were too small. But now there's a 60gig model and so things are getting acceptable.
OK, so I WILL miss the search features of the Empeg, but on the other side : 99% of the time my empeg was playing a shuffled playlist anyway so that won't differ much.
Oh, and I will be able to control the iPod via my steering wheel controls. Woohoo!

I'm even considering selling one of my 3 Empegs to pay for the iPod photo. (figuring I don't really need 3 of them) So don't be surprised if I make a small post in the "for sale" forum soon.

Did you read this posting in the Dension BBS ?

The main advantage of this solution over the ice>link solution is that you won't need an iPod nor the cradle holding it. Your player can be totally hidden and you can store more than you have on your Empeg. It's like a Phatbox, but then better.

The posting ia about an Alfa 147, but I suppose it would work for a GT too.

Pim

It really is worthwhile to search Itallan sites when looking for stuff like this.

The Alfa 147 Virtual Club has an interesting Hi-Fi and Car Audio forum. There's a topic about the Blaupunkt double DIN adapter for the 147; probably just what you were looking for. It should allow you to mount your empeg underneath the factory radio, sacrificing only the cupholders. Now this is all assuming the 147 console is shaped exactly like the GT console...

Pim

Hi Pim!

Verrrrrry interesting ! I had given up on the idea of even being able to fit my Empeg into my Alfa, but this sheds new light on the subject. Thanks a lot for that !

To answer your question : yes the GT dash is EXACTLY 100% the same as the dash of a 147. (except for the bit with the ashtray, but that's not important here)

I've also checked out that link you posted about the second DIN adapter. It looks A LOT like the one I've already bought. Crazymelki pointed me towards it then. (this is the adapter I bought.)
There's one problem with this adapter however : it's not 100% DIN complient. It's not even wide enough to slide the Empeg in, let alone make it fit perfectly because of the borders of the fascia. Maybe the adapter you're linking to is a different one, but it sure looks the same.

I also got your email, and will replie to it first chance I get.

It appears the AUX adapter by Bortesi is only suitable for the the very oldest factory radios. Newer 147's and all GT's need to be fooled more intelligently in order to make them think a CD changer is attached.

Bummer!

Pim

OK, finally got all the stuff I needed:
- a new Alfa GT
- an old Alfa 147 factory radio from eBay
- a Bortesi AUX adapter for older Alfa 147's
- a double-DIN adapter to mount both headunits
- my old Empeg

The good news is:

- it works!

The bad news is:

- the sound s***s

The Bose System in my GT is not so bad, much better than most factory
installed systems. It's impressive to hear so much bass from a little 13 cm
woofer, nicely hidden in the trunk. But there's not enough power to keep
the sound as it was in the showroom when you start driving.
And the front speakers are so much worse than the Canton's I had my 156.
They look like compo speakers, but the tweeter in the door is fake, the tweeters
are mounted on the 16" speakers coaxially.

But then the real trouble starts: I knew the old 147 factory head unit
wouldn't play MP3 CD's, but hey - who cares? But what I didn't know is
that the sound is much worse too. Maybe the equaliser is badly adjusted
for this car. But the Alfa/Blaupunkt factory headunits have a fixed EQ
setting if they detect a Bose System amp.

But the real problem is the sound quality degredation introduced by the
AUX adapter and/or the CD-changer input it is using.

This sort of made me give up.I have little hope the Alfa iPod adapter
will be much better, as it mostly works the same way.

So I just made an appointment with my local installer. He will rip out
the entire Bose System and install an old-fashioned amp and speakers,
so the Empeg can become the main headunit.He will connect the
factory headunit to the AUX in of the Empeg, so I can still listen to
CD's.

If all is well it will just be ready for the next Empeg Meet!

Pim