<E28> Radio dead - what now ??

[ben keyes <bkeyes1@xxxxxxxx>]

While driving home last night I got two 1-2 second cut-outs on FM, then
nothing.  This was followed by a nice wiring burning/melting smell.  I shut
the radio off at this point and complated my 5 minute trip home.

I checked around & found nothing actually smoking - as much as you can see in
the dark w/a flashlight.

There is a total loss of any sound from the speakers - no pops, crackles,
nothing.  The display still lights up and all the functions seem to be there,
except the antenna, which does not go up/down when the radio is turned off.

Car is E28 M5 - with radio that controlled the CD Changer (before that died). 
DOES NOT have the "slider balance/fade" controls that I hear mentioned often
when discussing radios of this vintage, if that's any help.

What are the likely sources of my problem ??  


If the head unit is completely toast, what would a reasonably priced unit for
my car ??  (A quick look at Crutchfield has what seems like a nice unit - Blau
Las Vegas - for ~$200)

I'm no audio freak and do not intend to replace the stock speakers at this
point.  I know from other posts that they are not all that great as compared
to more modern ones, as well as being wired/powered wierdly apparently.  How
does this effect my decision to replace the old unit or get a new one ??

I'm not qualified (nor have the time) to do anything except yank out the unit
(if that's easy) and determine if something easy to fix is broken.  I'll
probably be looking for a good local shop (Louisville, KY) to do the
installation.


Personal replies are probably preferrable as this is not really a "core"
BMW-related topic. I know we have several audio experts on the digest who can
probably give me the low down from memory.

I'll fill anyone in on the resoution if they're insterested.



Ben Keyes
E28 M5 - no tunes :-(

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