3 Bluetooth Audio Controllers: Real Sound With No Radio

Caecey Killian October 29, 2026 7 min read 0

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Pull the radio out of a first-gen Camaro, and you lose more than a stereo. You lose the look of the dash. Bluetooth audio controllers fix that. Screaming Chicken just added a Bluetooth controllers category to its site, and Kevin ran the lineup on the shop bench in a new video, wired to an amp, a pair of 4-inch dash speakers and two 6x9s, the same layout a first- or second-gen F-body runs.

The factory radio stays in the dash, dead and original-looking. A small receiver hides behind it, your phone streams the music and the turn-by-turn directions, and an amp drives the speakers. Kevin compared it to the backyard Bluetooth speaker everybody owns, except this one lives in the car.

How Bluetooth Audio Controllers Work Without A Radio

A Bluetooth audio controller is a small receiver that pairs with your phone and sends a line-level signal through RCA cables to an amplifier. None of the units Screaming Chicken carries have built-in amplified power, so an amp is part of the job. If amps are new territory, our car audio amp basics guide for F-bodies covers gain, crossovers, and wiring from a real Trans Am install.

The wiring matches any amp install. The controller gets power, ground, and a remote turn-on lead that wakes the amp, then RCAs run back to the amp inputs. Some amps can split a single input across all four channels. The two smaller amps on Kevin’s bench could not, so he ran 1 female to 2 male RCA Y-splitters to feed the front and rear pairs.

Tuning Moves From The Dash To The Amp

Since there is no head unit, there is no fader, balance, or EQ on the fly. That work moves to the amp, and once it is set, it stays set.

On the bench amp, Kevin used the front and rear gain controls as a fader. Want more up front? Turn the front gain up or the rear down. A high-pass filter keeps the low bass out of the 4-inch dash speakers so they handle mids and highs, and the 6x9s carry the bottom end.

Memphis Audio SBT4: The One With A Real Volume Knob

The Memphis Audio SBT4 Bluetooth Controller is the most expensive option in the lineup and works the most like a radio. It has its own internal volume control, so turning the knob does not change the volume on your phone.

That range matters. Kevin runs a phone-controlled unit in his side-by-side that gives him about five usable volume steps where he would want 10 or 20. The SBT4’s internal volume gives him a much wider range to work with.

The controls feel like a real radio, too. The buttons click when you press them, and you get power, play/pause, next and previous track, plus a USB port that charged Kevin’s phone during testing. Memphis also lists an AUX input. The volume knob is ridged, which matters when your hands are wet or muddy, like Kevin’s on his ATV, where a smooth knob slips.

The SBT4 runs off switched 12V only, with no constant power lead, so you press the power button each time you want music. Kevin likes that, since he does not always want the radio coming on with the key.

SBT4 Mounting Options

The higher price buys hardware, and it is where Bluetooth audio controllers start fitting old cars without cutting anything. Memphis rates the SBT4 for flush, surface, or bar mounting. The flat mount can sit beside a switch panel, inside an ashtray, in a cubby, or on a radio delete plate.

The roll cage mount opens up race cars, ATVs, UTVs, and old-school boat wake towers. Kevin pointed to drag and drive cars in particular. On the road legs, a couple of speakers calling out directions make the miles easier.

Installbay IBR65 And Powerbass XL-BTR1

The Installbay IBR65 Bluetooth Controller sits in the middle of the lineup. It uses a 2.25-inch flush-mount wired controller with volume, track, and play/pause buttons, while the receiver box hides out of sight. It reconnects to your phone automatically after the first pairing, adds a 3.5mm AUX input, and is water-resistant. It has one set of RCA outputs, so a 4- or 6-channel amp needs a Y-splitter.

The Powerbass XL-BTR1 Bluetooth Controller is the no-frills option. It is a receiver with no controls at all, so everything runs through your phone and your amp settings, which makes the amp tune more important. It wires with ground, ignition, constant power, the amp remote lead, and RCAs. Kevin compared the size to a Zippo lighter with wires coming out.

Sound quality still holds up. Screaming Chicken tested a cheaper receiver and could hear the difference, but the XL-BTR1 still sounded good. For a race car you set once and never touch, or an old amp and speakers turned into a 12V garage stereo, it gets the job done.

Pick The Amp Before The Controller

The amp does the heavy lifting in any system built around Bluetooth audio controllers. Kevin’s bench amp was the MB Quart 4 Channel Amplifier PA1-400.4, a 400-watt four-channel amp small enough to hide behind a glove box, under the dash, or even under a console in some cars. He set his iPhone 17 Pro on top to show how compact it is.

Any amp works with any of these controllers. Step up to something like the AudioControl EPICFIVE 5 Channel Amplifier and, per AudioControl’s spec sheet, you get four channels at 75 watts RMS each at 4 ohms plus a fifth channel for a sub. If you are planning a speaker swap at the same time, our 4th gen Camaro speaker fitment breakdown shows how much fitment matters before you order.

Why Skip The Retro-Look Radio

Kevin also held up a retro-look radio built to fit the factory dash opening, brand covered. Screaming Chicken says those are budget radios sold at premium prices, and its test units did not last. One was dead on arrival. Another died within six months.

For less money, the SBT4 delivers better sound and hides completely, while the original radio keeps the dash looking right. If you would rather run a modern head unit in a later car, our 3rd gen Camaro stereo upgrade shows that route.

Screaming Chicken is putting this to work next. A ’68 Firebird shop car still wearing its factory AM radio is getting an SBT4, a five-channel amp, a Screaming Chicken speaker bracket, 4-inch dash speakers and 6x9s, all without cutting the dash. Until that install video drops, Kevin’s full bench test is on the Screaming Chicken YouTube channel, and his 1970-73 Camaro taillight comparison is worth a read too.

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AboutCaecey Killian

Caecey Killian covers builds, installs, and product features for Car Junkie Magazine. He has spent years on the floor of the garage chasing horsepower across SBC, LS, and modern muscle platforms, and that shop time runs through every article he writes. His current CJM project is Project Street Reaper, a 1976 Camaro built around a fresh SBC 350. He is also known for Project Mighty Mouse, a 1977 Chevy Nova running a 1962 small-journal 327 SBC, with build coverage published across multiple online automotive magazines. His media background spans long-form build documentation, install coverage, and product features across the magazine and the Car Junkie Magazine YouTube channel. He writes the way he wrenches: specific, honest about the mistakes, and grounded in real garage work.

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