Red991S

agree with others above about the bass/treble. I bought a car off a dealer lot with a base stereo. while it's not the best, its servicable. I did adjust the bass down and the treble up. When left factory the bass both vibrates the speakers a bit but also makes it impossible to hear lyrics in songs etc. a little tweaking and it's totally fine for everyday use. frankly the engine is so loud and sounds so good (despite what others say), who'd want to overpower it with a symphony anyway?

Tanaka

I've got the base system in a boxster. I don't notice any problems with my helmet on. :-) Actually, it isn't that bad without the helmet, but I usually turn it off anyway. I can listen to music at home. I'm in the car for other reasons.

Omm

Each audio source has it's own EQ settings. If you adjust the bass/treble/fader/balance for the tuner, when you switch to the CD player or CarPlay, you have to adjust them individually as well. Rolling off the back speakers, add in some treble, a little less bass and you'll be better off.

Chester7

Good advice to set the bass/treble for each source. I increased treble on FM HD and when I listened to Sirius/XM the sibilance (s sounds) were horrific!! So I backed off the treble for Sirius, and its okay now. So far my speakers don't vibrate. At first, I thought about changing out the speakers but I don't think its worth the effort. The tweeters are in the vents, I believe.


FWIW, complaints about crappy stereo are common in most sports cars. I paid extra for Bose in my Miata and Corvette and was never satisfied with the bass heavy sound.

Tedster

I have a 2018 Base Boxster 718 with the base audio and it is just OK. The overall sound quality is much better using media off my iPhone rather than the radio. Sirius XM is in between. I set the bass to one notch below middle. This system can't handle too much bass without booming. I also boost treble a notch or two with better sources. Audio is especially important as finally getting used to the sound of the engine and always drive in sport unless I need what I call stealth mode.

spyder fan

Yes

Chester7

You know, they complain about the base and optional Harmon-Kardan sound systems in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV. When I move from my Cayman (base sound) to my wife's Stelvio I think "wow, what a nice sound". Ha!

Porsche Lee

Ha! The one option my dealership almost insisted on was the Bose sound system over the stock. It sounds very good although as an audiophile I wonder what the ribbon tweeters in a Burmester system could do. The Bose is especially good with Tidal and CarPlay even unfolds MQA files I listen to.

CaymanMatt

We have the Bose system in our Cayman GTS. My wife dumped her iTunes to an SD card and i loaded that into the SD slot. I already have my iTunes in the other slot. I cranked up Deep Purple Highway Star while sitting in the garage without the engine running. I actually called her down to the garage to heat it because it sounded so good. This tells me that if the Bose isn't competing with road noise & engine noise it can sound quite good. We'll find out what it's like this weekend when we take her on a trip. We've already decided to start the trip with that tune. I'm hoping it's as awesome then as before.
My experience with my iTunes on SD (generally classical) is that music on SD card is infinitely better than either FM or satellite. I haven't tried streaming from a phone so can't comment on that.
I have no experience with the stock system.
FWIW & MOO

Twodan

here's your answer....I listen to NPR!

Jrtaylor9

These cars are so noisy, I'm not convinced any system makes much difference. The base system in the .2's is like the old premium system. I've had the base (in 991.2-3rs) and the Bose (in 991.2-Gt3). The quality of roads I'm on has WAY more to do with SQ than which system I'm listening to.

VOLTCONTROL

Burmester is amazing, try it!
Top tip 2; Go over to a Bentley dealership and experience their Naim system if you want to have a blissful car audio experience.

I could live with standard audio as audio snob because whilst not being a good system, it adds no extra cost. I'd rate it 'ok' by the way.
With Bose I'd be annoyed to have dropped money and not gotten the experience I could have had with Burmester.

BlueNorther

I agree. I'm pleasantly surprised by the base system on the few times I've had the top up in the 718 Boxster I picked up recently, especially since the 18" goodyears it came with have almost no road noise. But with the top down, and keeping the RPMs above 3K, manual transmission, in sport mode with PSE engaged, it's hard to believe any sound system can overcome that.


No!!! I wouldn't want to find out that you're right. I't be like trying out a Porsche when you've thought sports sedans were fun cars.

Ray831

I've had both in Boxsters. The Bose is fine if you are not a discerning listener. With the top down the Bose simply cannot get loud enough without severe distortion. My current Boxster has the Burmester and it is worlds above the bose at all listening levels except at very low levels where they are mostly the same. At moderate levels and above the Burmester is amazing.

mc3456

Can Apple Carplay be added to the Bose system after the fact, or is it standard with the Bose option. Considering a nice 2018 718 Boxster GTS with Bose but don’t know too much about it. Thanks in advance!