lagodue

In process of configuration and see 3 options:
1 Sound package plus
2 Bose +$900 (I have this now in my 991.1)
3 Burmester +$4,690

Given road and tire noise and flat 6 screaming right behind the front seat, is it possible to enjoy ANY sound system for music?
Is the Bose really worth the $900 upgrade? How bad could Sound package plus be? Anyone get Burmester?
Does anyone have any experience comparing all of these options?

worf928

Yes. SPP in CarChick’s 991S, Bose in her (former) 981CS, Burmester in my 991 TT.

First thing: None of the upgrades are “worth it” if you only consider the equipment cost differences. Bose isn’t ~$900 of better equipment. More like $90-ish. Burmester isn’t ~$5000 of better equipment. $500 maybe. The options are “value priced.”

Sound is subjective. This is my subjective opinion:
- All ‘modern’ auto stereos suffer from poor staging and channel separation due to the center channel speaker intended to provide a ‘uniform experience’ for all occupants. So, poor staging and an almost ‘mono experience’ just coming from a bunch of speakers.

- SPP is ok. Much better that previous base Porsche systems. If sound is part of your required automotive experience you will not be happy with it. If you just need ‘boredom elimination’ from time to time then it is adequate. Staging is poor. Flat. I need to screw with disconnecting the center speaker. Highs are not very and lows aren’t. But clarity is ok. The lack of lows and highs hides cabin design/fitment issues.

- Bose is a noticeable improvement over SPP. If all you need is something slightly better then SPP it’s fine. Clarity and staging is about the same as SPP. Lows are lower etc., but here’s where modern plastic snap-fit construction rears its head: buzzes and rattles. Be prepared to ignore, chase them yourself, or annoy the crap out of your dealer.

- Burmester is quite good. It is hard to justify the upcharge. It may not be as good in a 718 as in a 991. I’ll know once CARB gets its panties unknotted. Clarity is very, very good. Bass is tighter, deeper than Bose. Buzzes and rattles less than Bose. But not eliminated. Staging and separation noticeably better than Bose.

I spend a lot of labor hours on average every year ‘fixing’ other people’s 928’s stereo systems. The stupid, thoughtless, or just ‘designed to fail’ stuff I find (not equipment) done by ‘high end’ stereo installers is usually disappointing, sometimes enraging. As a result I have zero trust of aftermarket installations.

I spent *countless* hours designing and installing the stereo upgrade to my ‘91 928 GT. 3D-printed adapters, custom cabling, 1000 watts, 4 channel, time aligned, cabin equalized with studio quality equipment. It is better than the Burmester. But, I know how much labor and equipment is involved in duplicating it in another 928. Notwithstanding my lack of trust for third party installers the probable cost in terms of labor and equipment for something better than Burmester that is thoughtfully installed results in - for me - a situation where Burmester is “worth it.”

I did consider, for quite some time, getting SPP and then engaging @12v Nick at Musicar for a better-than-Burmester upgrade. At some point they were working on a 718 “kit” of some sort. They many have one now.

In the end however, I realized that I have many other higher priority ways to incinerate time than a 718 stereo upgrade. So, I wasted money - so some will say - on Burmester in a 718.

Bottom line:
If you need the best freaking sound you can get then order SPP and engage with a firm like Musicar that (very apparently) thinks through what they do. It will not be cheaper than the Burmester upcharge from an ‘all in’ context.
If you want pretty darn good and stress free then pay for Burmester. Be prepared for other folks to deride you for it.
If you have your own time to expend, there are upgrades you can to do either SPP or Bose.

lagodue

Holy Woofer, Batman, that reply falls into the 'sorry I asked' category. Just kidding, it was way more than I expected. Thx!

But one important issue, we are not listening while sitting in a LaZBoy in our living room. With road, tire and engine noise, does the quality and spec of any sound system really matter?

Hmet

i have had Burmester on three different porsche s. One of them is the SPyder. I had it on the previous Gen cayenne (my first porsche) and have it also on the current gen Cayenne.
From the memory the best one was the first previous Gen Cayenne.
The one in the Spyder is really good, but spyder is a noisy car. You can pump the volume to over come the car noise and you will thoroughly enjoy the music, but I wouldn't say it is the best fit.
I had bose on 991.1 and currently have it on 991.2 GT, and the .2 Bose is a marked improvement over the previous car, but I would have still specced the Burmester on the GT if I could.

Summary: Burmester sounds much much better, the Bose is just good quality and is sufficient if you haven't compared to the B. The Spyder is not the best candidate for investing in the sound system.

Would I have specced Bose in the Spyder after knowing that Burmester is not that much suitable for the nature of the car? probably not, its kind of like tasting blood. But you ache for the seperation with the thousand of Dollars that the Burmester Cause.

Hope that helps; it is such a subjective matter. The good news is that you will enjoy the car in all cases

worf928

Yes. Why?
This —^

SPP and Bose get crappier in proportion to volume. Burmester does not.

asuptardorne

My Burnester has a weird limit where above a certain volume level only the bass increases. Pretty disappointing.

it is only a problem with ear plugs on the highway at high speeds with a song I really like and I really want to crank it up.

Terrible sounding Bose system on my Miata cranks all the way to max volume relatively flat.

Haros

If changing nothing but the door speakers with higher ends like alpines or kickers, you’ll probably have a better experience than the burmesters.

Having now test drove and sat in models with all 3 systems, I rate as follows:

stock system: very subpar to even modest commuters. My $16k Toyota came standard with 6 speaker pioneers that, quite honestly, sound significantly better.

Bose system: somehow worse then other Bose systems. Maybe it’s because it’s the older Bose system. Overall perhaps average maybe slightly worse than an average sound system found in other manufacturers.

The burmester: I went from stock to this back to back so comparatively it sounds much better, although having gone back to two of my cars and time to think: it sounds like many other optioned stereos.
it doesn’t sound like anything close to what it costs. Not even close, I can’t stress that enough.
They do sound good! Just not THAT good.


My GTR had over $7k in sound work done with kickers, my Toyota , about $4k with alpines and my Mazda about $1200 with pioneer (with just underseat subs and fronts)

So there is my experience.

Obviously sound is subjective, but I would say my cheapest sound system sounds between the Bose and burmester. That’s not a compliment!

jimmex

A few posts down a vendor named Rennspec advertised some upgraded speakers and adapters for various models, including the 718. My '18 Boxter has the SSP and its pretty bad. What would a person have to do, perhaps using the components adapted for the car by Rennspec to bring the audio up to a decent standard?

Porsche757

Same question. What would be the best configuration which to start? Base radio and speakers or Bose then upgrade? I'm leaning toward Burmester since its integrated and no aftermarket options required but curious what the options exist for better sound in a CGTS.

Haros

There is a forum post about this exact question somewhere... I remember it’s definitely not stock. I think it was Bose because you are getting the better amp which works well with new speakers

worf928

There's at least one monster thread on the 991 board:

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9665...r-upgrade.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/991/1032...lub-coupe.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9306...eam-991-a.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9664...with-bose.html

in which the answer to your question lies. My memory is not good enough for me to recall which of the three is better. However, I do know that the answer is in one of those threads at least once.

Or, reach out to Musicar and ask them directly.

On another note, the most recent stereo-related thread by a new vendor leaves me nonplussed since it is evident that the concept of impedance is not understood.

worf928

My recollection is the polar opposite: the Bose amplifier actually causes an integration difficulty more so than the other two.

jimmex

That's mine as well. The connector for the base system does not require any modification.