louloumax

Is Bose really worth the extra $1,000 over the stock system that comes with for ''free''?
I see lots of negative comments about Bose, but no reviews of the stock system.

GregWormald

Bose MAY be worth it on a Cayman if car sound is important.
It is also harder than the standard to upgrade if car sound is REALLY important.
As soon as you put the Boxster roof down I'm sure most differences would disappear.
I'm very happy with the standard system on my Boxster. I usually turn the radio off or treat it as background when I have the top down--and due to our weather that's often.
p.s.--I've had Bose home equipment and was not impressed.

X32394

I like it on my Boxster. I believe if you don't get the Bose the standard sound system doesn't come with the speaker behind the seats, but I might be wrong about that. I like to listen to loud music so the $1000 is something I don't regret spending.

louloumax

thx, greg. is it true that sound waves travel in a counter-clockwise direction down under?

phroenips

Firstly, only your ears can judge if it's worth it to you.

For me, I've unfortunately been sucked into the world of high-end car audio (yes, I know the car is one of the absolute worst places to try to get high fidelity audio. But I spend a lot of time in the car, and it makes commutes more enjoyable, etc). Anyway, it has ruined me. I felt the "standard" (for the US market anyway), Sound Package Plus (SPP) was truly atrocious; whereas the Bose system was..."ok." Haven't listened to the Burmester, but I'd rather put that kind of money toward an aftermarket system anyway.

While that used to be the case in past models, that's actually not quite true anymore. And it's complicated.

The SPP handles all the processing and amplification out of the "head unit," there is no external amplifier. In the past, this was a good thing, because you could take the signal coming out of the back of the head unit and feed it into an aftermarket DSP or amplifier. The problem now, is that the "head unit" is also applying its own processing (time alignment, equalization, and most tragically: all-pass filtering). The first two can be corrected with a DSP. All-pass filters though, cannot be undone, even with the addition of more all-pass filters. This results in different frequencies being phase shifted, and it just doesn't sound that good when using higher quality speakers and running more power to them with a better amplifier.

Good news, there is a way to get a clean pre-amp signal.

Bad news, it's expensive. Porsche (and most all other manufacturers now), use a MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) bus, which is fiber optic and proprietary. The previous MOST version was "MOST25." MOST25 was "cracked" by the aftermarket quite some time ago, so there are plenty of MOST adapters out there which converts this proprietary signal into a standard digital or analog signal (i.e. digital toslink or analog RCA). They now have MOST150, which quadruples the bandwidth. And they hardened the encryption. There is currently only one company that I'm aware of that has figured it out so far (NavTV). They offer the Zen-V adapter which can tap into the MOST150 bus and provide standard pre-out, but at an MSRP of US$1299!!! That's before you even spend any money on a DSP, amplifier, or speakers!

But wait, there's more. The SPP sends its analog signal directly out of the head unit. It doesn't even use the MOST bus. But the Bose system does (it sends the signal out of the head unit, to an external amplifier). NavTV does also offer a tool that reprograms the head unit to send signal out the MOST bus, even for SPP. That device costs around $400, but is meant to be used as a shop tool (meaning, it can be used multiple times for multiple vehicles).

For me, even though I plan to do an aftermarket upgrade, I chose to get the Bose system. That way I don't have to mess with reprogramming something that I fear could get reset during some service. And also, it'll probably be about a year until I save up enough money to do it, and in the meantime I can listen to the "ok" Bose system.

worf928

louloumax

A HUGE thank you to all for the helpful and informative responses.

Curt Wohlgemuth

FWIW: I sprung for the Bose in my 2017 CS, and I wish I hadn't. Cabin noise is too much for me, I'd be better off with the base system (and I've never even tried it).

X32394

I recently disabled the Sound Aktor in my Boxster and I've noticed the sound of the music is a lot clearer in sport and sport+ modes. I mostly drive in Sport mode so it made a difference.

GregWormald

Don't know--never been able to see them, unlike the water down the drain.

Wine.o

I opted for the Bose in my BS and am happy with it. No, if you're looking for audiophile pleasing perfection, this won't get it. If you want to be able to hear your podcast, or music when the top is down, the increased output w/o distortion will get you there.

bgsntth

I had the base system in my 2007 Cayman, and it was comically poor. Even worse than the base stereo in my '95 Miata R-package (i.e.stripper). Vowed never to get a base Porsche stereo ever again; albeit, I believe they upgraded the "base" in the 718.

GMotion

cmb13

For those who mention that it probably doesn't make a difference with the top down, I disagree. That's when the difference is even more important. I had a Bose in a C6 Corvette which did not hold up well when the top was down; it was hard to hear anything, let alone good quality sound. Of course, the Borla's didn't help much. But I kept the factory head unit, bought a processing unit to convert the output, and put in a pair of JL Audio amps, subs and speakers. It turned out loud, clean and tight. Not that I listened that loud, but with the top down at 70 mph, the music still sounded good. Of course, different car, but maybe the experience will be helpful to you.