Blaupunkt MP3000 Car CD Player

I must first admit that all of the car stereos that I have owned that were not factory-installed units have been Blaupunkts. The reason: Blaupunkt has a reputation for making good, affordable, functional, and fun products, and the MP3000 is no different.

I have the stereo installed into my 1991 Subaru Loyale station wagon, and it was easy to install myself. However, your milage may vary on the installation depending on your vehicle's layout, but in a single-DIN it was a snap. Everything that you should expect for installation was included in the box, ready for three different types of mounting. While it lays far out of my dash, that is due more to the design of the car and not the stereo.

The design of the stereo could have used a little work, my major complaint about the layout is the volume knob with the track/tuning buttons set within a ring around it. I find it not to be as functional as some of the other Blaupunkt units I've had, most recently the Madison, which used buttons for both volume and tuning/track control. Also, the buttons seem tight, requiring a bit of effort to press them down.

The layout for the other controls is well set, with presets at the bottom, band/cd/display functions to the right, and audio to the left by the volume knob. The XBass button seems out of place since it is to right of the presets as opposed to by the volume control. The display of the unit is bright, but not overwhelming like some reviews state. The display is full featured, and gives all of the available information for what is being played.

The sound on the unit is amazing. I have upgraded the speakers in my car from factory speakers, but I haven't gone to a high-end set, and was more than pleased with the quality of the sound from .MP3 and .WMA files, along with standard redbook audio CDs, and even FM radio signal. It has excellent fidelity, which is what should be expected from a Blaupunkt. The problem I have found is that the unit doesn't deliver an audible signal at below "20" on the volume knob.

The reciever is able to pull in many stations on the FM band, but I've found it to be weak on the AM side of the dial. To be fair, I use the unit in an area that contains an extraneous amount of interference for AM signals, and can't judge it's true performance.

The extra features of a remote control and a RCA plug input are also positives. I find that the remote control alieviates my issues with the tuning button placement, and it a great tool for using the stereo while tailgating. The input I use for playing TV and Gameboy Advance sound throughout the car stereo, but can also be used for anything, depending on how you set it up. Use of this feature is subject to the way it is installed. There is also a set of RCA Pre-Outs for amplifier use, which I have not used and cannot comment.

The final call is that it's a great unit, and plays CDs, MP3 CDs, and WMA CDs. It sounds excellent, gets great reception, and has a nice set of extra features.