Blaupunkt Hamburg CD70 CD Receiver

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $180.00 from online

Year / Model Reviewed:
2001 Hamburg CD70

Summary:
Very good internal amps, and a beautiful screen and backlight! Nice to have a full EQ control in your headunit, though I never could figure out how to use it or store the settings. As others have mentioned, I also had problems with the volume know spiking up very quickly when trying to turn the volume down. I'm not sure if that was faulty manufacturing, or is that part was just very susceptable to wear. I ordered a replacement knob and "volume stepper" (apparently all one piece), soldered the new one in and the problem was solved. I ordered form Midwest Electronics, if anyone is interested.

Strengths:
Clear, strong internal amplifiers. Bright, beautiful display

Weaknesses:
Muddy and weak preamps. Volume knob spikes(fixable)

Price Paid:  $219.00 from crutchfield

Year / Model Reviewed:
 Hamburg

Summary:
Good looking unit, although I wish it was availible in all black (silver doesn't work in a 1986 Porsche) I love the uncluttered, conservative design, and the clear blue screen looks a lot nicer than the "lightshows" that most units use for a display.

Strengths:
Amazing CD clarity, good internal amp, good ergonomics, good looks and keycard.

Weaknesses:
When very cold (<20F) cd doesn't work well until the unit warms up (not the only unit with this problem) FM reception does not seem to support the published specs. (my car is notorious for poor reception with the stock antenna, but this is worse than units with lessor specs)

Similar Products Used:
I've been installing aftermarket car audio since before most people knew there was an aftermarket. I've used just about everything over the last 1/4 century!

Price Paid:  $180.00 from online

Year / Model Reviewed:
 2001/Blaupunkt Hamburg CD70

Summary:
Overall, a decent head unit. Was very impressed with appearance, especially the blue screen at night. One of the best looking head units out there in my opinion. I'm a fan of the keycard system as well, but still take out my entire head unit when i'm in questionable areas, because not all thieves know about the keycards. I have had some fairly major problems with this head unit that i'm not happy about. The first one is a loud sound in the speakers on start-up if the radio is already on, or if the radio is turned off and on within a second or two. Also, when turning the volume control down, the volume will often go up rapidly, making volume hard to adjust. Finally, the head unit gets very hot, and turns itself off after about an hour of usage. I run an external amp, so there is no draw on the internal amp, so i'm not sure why it heats up. Not very happy with preamp outputs. They're rated at 4V max, but tend to only reach around 3.6V at high volume and with audible distortion.

Strengths:
Beautiful design. Blue screen looks very impressive at night. Keycard security is handy.

Weaknesses:
Weak, noisy preamps; internal amp or something else overheats within head unit; loud ignition pop/static; volume spikes up significantly when trying to turn down volume

Similar Products Used:
2000 Blaupunkt Munchen (had no problems with this unit, but was stolen)

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I really like what the Hamburg has to offer - good performance, good ergonomics, conservative styling (relative to other brands), quick disc transport, 4-volt preamp outputs, flexible EQ, and Key Card security (I wish every receiver had this feature!) - UNFORTUNATELY, my particular unit has a problem that developed only a few months after installation. When I turn the volume down, the Hamburg often spikes the volume UP several decibels. As you can imagine, this is extremely annoying. I would be interested to know if any other Blaupunkt users have experienced this problem. Might I be willing to give Blaupunkt another chance? Perhaps, if I can find a good deal from an authorized dealer, such as Crutchfield. The similar but better-looking Pasadena model looks tempting for my new [used] '97 Prelude. But I would need to know that I could return the unit if it is defective.

Similar Products Used:
Clarion - also gave me problems; Sony X-plod (1st generation) - not impressed with this design.

Price Paid:  $199.00 from Online

Year / Model Reviewed:
 2002/CD70

Summary:
For AM and CD use, this unit is excellent. For FM, the Digiceiver needs some improvements (distant stations are difficult to get in high RF evironments). Also, some functions are difficult to use.

Strengths:
Great AM. Great CD Great Sounding Amp

Weaknesses:
FM has signal issues (with DigiCeiver) Changing bands (AM/FM) requires extra step

Similar Products Used:
Kenwood (garbage) and Sony (just as bad).