Miscellaneous.....
The Toronto also has another interesting feature. Even though the radio can be switched off by the ignition key, you can switch it on without the key. By pressing and holding the power button down for 2 seconds, it overrides the ignition circuit. This is actually kind of nice not to have to get the key and turn the ignition to ACC just to listen to the radio. If your friend wants to stay in the car and listen to the radio, you do not have to leave the key in the car. But what if someone forgets and leaves the radio on ! No problem, there is an Automatic Power Off circuit that will turn the radio of in one hour. The Toronto has no line level outputs or inputs on the unit itself. However, the manual indicates that these can be added by purchasing the appropriate adapters or plugs from Blaupunkt. When not using the changer, an auxiliary input can be added to the source selection through the DSC manual.
Summary....
The Blaupunkt Toronto seems to be one of a very few choices or only choice if you are looking for an aftermarket radio to blend into the BMW 3 series interior. Fortunately it offers great sound as well as some very nice features. I am also convinced that the BMW amplifier and speaker system is not all that bad. The addition of a higher performance headunit seems to alleviate a great deal of the problems associated with the stock system. Of course a complete make over will improve things even further, but I am not sure it’s really necessary. I think I could be happy with this system and eventually a good amplified sub. However as always, your mileage may vary.
Footnotes....
After using the radio for two weeks after writing this, here
are some modified comments.
1. The FM section of this radio is excellent. It makes FM
listening a pleasure.
2. After listening to a variety of CDs my original observations
still hold true for the overall BMW / Toronto setup. The big
annoyance for me is the peak in the system around 120hz. The low
bass is much enhanced and can be very surprising. Material in the
60hz range is there. If you have a CD with a lot of material in
the upper bass range you will hear the 120hz peak more than you
may like. If the CD is recorded pretty well, the bass is very
pleasant. When you have material with bass down around 60hz the
system will hold up surprisingly well at loud volumes. However,
after a certain point you can start to hear the bass lose
definition in this range. Hear again, a good amplified subwoofer
with a selectable crossover might be just the ticket.
3. One time on power on, the Toronto did not seem to acknowledge
a CD was left in the unit. It would not play it or eject it.
Turning the radio of and back on fixed the problem and it has not
happened again.
4. Still very happy with the unit !
This may turn out to be a popular upgrade option for the BMW 3 series. If you have any comments, tips, tricks, or install comments, e-mail them to me and I may add them to this page. Thanks