Another super cool part of the deal that I haven't even mentioned yet is that the RNS 149 is also a CD player, tuner and amplifier. If you aren't using the CD-ROM drive for navigation, put in a music CD. The on-board 45 watts for four channels easily powers stock speakers or aftermarket coax units.
The best setup though is adding another unique Blaupunkt product, the IDC-A09 in-dash 5-disc CD changer. If you have a double-DIN dash, this is the ultimate combo. Map CD-ROMs in the RNS 149 and you control the changer with the RNS 149 plus a Thummer that runs both. With the music on, the navigation voice plays through both front speakers - it's very annoying when it just plays through one - only long enough to give you a heads up for your next move. Then it goes away.
You could easily do the same with the TravelPilot DX-N. Since its dimensions are the same as the RNS 149, you could mount a normal source unit in the dash and the TravelPilot DX-N right below it in a double-DIN dash. The 5-inch screen can be mounted anywhere; a flexible stalk and an optional box lets you use the screen for watching videos.
If you're looking for the most bang for the buck, you can get an RNS 149 and a IDC-A09 changer for nearly the same price as just the TravelPilot DX-N. But if you want some future options like video, additional menu features and a more flexible route planning system, then the TravelPilot DX-N is the way to go. All told, both these units work great and don't have any glaring faults. About the only thing they could do better is to adopt a DVD-based map system, replacing the nine discs for frequent travelers. If you're thinking about navigation, then you should look at these cool Blaupunkt systems.
A Closer Look Inside BlaupunktSituated just outside of Chicago in Broadview, Illinois, is Blaupunkt's USA headquarters. The ones in charge of it all are in Hildesheim, Germany because Blaupunkt is a part of the huge Robert Bosch Corporation. Actually Blaupunkt and Bosch share their building here and use the same warehouse to ship CD changers and spark plugs.
On the Blaupunkt side there are about 50 people running the show, all of them really devoted to what they do in car audio. Considering the vast number of products they manufacture and how many they ship each day, you can quickly figure out that the other 9000 people employed in Germany, Portugal and Malaysia are an integral part of this team.
The facilities in Broadview allow people like Speaker and Amplifier Product Manager Tom Breithaupt and Navigation Product Manager Andrew Cho to really stretch out and get creative. On our test of their navigation systems we noticed that every other navigation system currently sold was also there. As well, Breithaupt has a full test lab where he can take a deck from freezing to Sahara hot in just a matter of minutes and then do it again. One of the most fun machines was a vibration machine that lets you strap in a CD player and see how many G's it can take before it skips. But this one is so powerful that it can literally tear a CD player apart. Unfortunately, Tom wouldn't demonstrate it for me - even with a competitor's unit.
The tie to parent company Bosch is visible, too. The navigation systems I used have a great deal in common with the OEM systems in the Audi and Mercedes Benz. That's because the same engineers develop both. While it's rare that the owner of an S500 will change the source unit, it's nice to know Blaupunkt's system is close to the one sold with a $130,000 car.