mr965

True and you can always just sit in the garage to enjoy the tunes. Get out and drive ; )

ResoNix Sound Solutions

Looking good!

TXshaggy

I look forward to the Bose write-up!

daaa nope

Ok so I couldn’t wait, and did a partial install: I did all the sound deadening.

Definitely helped with the low end. Varies by recording - but some Oakenfold or Chemical Brothers showed there is real potential even with just this setup. INXS Devil Inside thumps well enough, so did Taylor Swift’s Blank Space.

It’s no sub but its definitely good enough that, really, this is how a “base” system in a $113k car should sound. If it left the factory like this? I wouldn’t be wishing for an upgrade so quickly.

I will probably do the amp tomorrow.

mr965

I'm looking forward to see if you will be as overwhelmed as I was.

daaa nope

For those attempting DIY, I used this YT video for door panel removal:


I otherwise just used Nick's OP for all the sound deadening. Will probably tackle the amp install this evening after work since it's supposed to rain tonight.

12v Nick

Very soon. Hoping to get the development wrapped up by the end of the month!

daaa nope

DAMN this setup JAMS GOOD!

More thoughts tomorrow.

daaa nope

Ok some more thoughts.... didn't get to listen to it too much last night (went for a drive but my son wanted to come with... and when we go for cruises together we mostly chat....) but I did go for a long coffee drive this morning. It was raining, so top up and windows up.

WOW.

Yes, big BIG improvement. Not sure what I'm more impressed with... the significantly improved bottom end, or the imaging! Ok probably the imaging.... it sounds fantastic. Tracks with strong vocals - the voice comes straight out of the chrono clock. The cabin fill is amazing - sounds like I have rear speakers. They definitely nailed it with the tuning! (I get the same experience with my home 2ch setup... pretty cool how you can make a room fill with sound with only 2 channels if you do it right!) Plenty of low end - tight, clean, smooth. I *could* see why, especially if you're into a lot of HipHop, etc. (like Anu2g is as referenced in his review thread here: https://rennlist.com/forums/gt4-spyd...r-upgrade.html) you'd want more bottom end.... but I went through a big mix of music this morning and I can't say I wish for any more.

The louder you turn it up, the better it sounds. I actually very much enjoy listening to music in here now. It gets plenty loud enough to hear/enjoy the music in a Spyder with the top up at 65mph....I have no doubts it's plenty to turn it up with the top down. But if you're stuck driving in crap weather, you're not really gonna get to hear the music coming from the engine anyways, might as well listen to some actual music, right?

If I had one criticism for the sound - it's a tiny bit on the bright side. I'm gonna listen to it a bit more - but might see if perhaps Nick can send me an updated tune that pulls just a tiny bit off the very top end.

As for the DIY - totally doable. I think their estimate of ~6 hours is about right. It took me ~3 hours or so to get the sound deadening installed... that includes searching YouTube to find videos on properly removing the door panels, pausing to chat with my son, etc. The next night (last night) I completed the amp install... that took ~3 hours as well. I took my time, did a bit of back-and-forth between the OP on this thread and the car, as in some cases (especially driver's side) there are a couple sets of plugs that look like the right ones. Also took me a little while to figure out a good way to route the wires over to the driver's side (spent way too much time trying to find a way to go UP... eventually figured out to go DOWN and just run them under the driver's side carpet.

Note I am also fairly handy in the garage. I've done a lot of my own stereo installs, I do my own alignments, corner balances, I've done engine rebuilds, etc. However, still, this is pretty doable, and IMO it's easier than cases where you're trying to DIY most aftermarket equipment. You're not building custom adapter harnesses, splicing wires, routing wires through the firewall, etc. It was SUPER nice to have all the plugs ready to go, wires already cut to length, etc. Take your time, you can DIY this if you just have some patience.

Few pro-tips from this DIY'er

• Be careful when installing the silver-backed sound deadening in the doors (DynaMat type stuff.) The edges can be a little sharp. I knew this ahead of time but did not think I was cutting myself until I moved to the other door and wiped the inside panels with alcohol to clean the surface. The alcohol found ALL the tiny little papercut type cuts I gave my fingers. I apparently gave myself a lot of them. Oops.
• If you decide to test the system after making all the amp connections, but before you put the interior back together (usually a wise thing to do) remember to plug the passenger seat electrical connector back in, or you will trip the airbag light as soon as you turn the key on. I have a PIWIS III so I was able to reset the light easy... but if you don't, it'll require a trip to the dealer (or to a friend who has a newer PIWIS) to reset the light.
• Be careful when removing panels - take your time. The upper grills over the tweeters mostly come FORWARD (towards you as you sit in the car). A tiny/gentle lift up, but 95% of their removal motion is coming forward. If you pry UP too hard, you'll break a bunch of tabs. The kick panels down below should also come mostly FORWARD. They are held by Dual-Lock (basically very good Velcro) at the firewall area, and spring clips/guides towards the door. Don't pull OUT (towards the center of the car). I actually broke one of the little tabs on my car by pulling in the wrong direction.

daaa nope

Ok ONE thought to @12v Nick .... Re: "upgrading" from Stage 2 to Stage 3..... not exactly "cost effective" but for idiots like me who are 100% satisfied today with Stage 2 but worry about "Whats next???" in 6 months...

Would it be possible to make a wiring adapter, such that we could swap in the stage 3 amp, and stage 3 speakers, without having to RnR the harness installed in Stage 2?

12v Nick

SUPER stoked that you're loving the upgrade!!! It's always great to get a review that includes words like "imaging" and "cabin fill" — let's me know that those statements are coming from someone who really understands good audio recording reproduction! The top-end was intentionally left flat as where I usually trail off at around 10Khz in a car. The reasoning was to compensate for some of the top-end hearing loss we face as adults. You might try just knocking the treble down in the PCM EQ a notch or two to see how you like it. If that doesn't do the trick I'm happy to send over a modified tune.

Great PRO tips, by the way. Those grilles can be fun to remove for the first time. I'm working on a custom tool that hooks the inside of the vent in the right spot to remove it in a more linear fashion.

One thing to add to your "testing" tip is that you can simply turn the radio on by pressing the power button and holding the power button to shut it down. The airbag light will only trip if you turn the ignition on with the key.

The kick panels are simple once you know to release those two dual-lock pads and then pull straight towards the rear of the car. That said, I would say that ~90% of the Porsches we see have that little guide pin in one of the kick panels broken off. My guess is that techs at the dealership break 'em all the time, too.

The good news for the upcoming Bose versions is that none of that is required. All of the wiring is under the seat already so we won't need to run anything new.

I actually talked with the team about this the other day, and while it's possible to make an adapter, it just doesn't make enough sense for us to develop one. For starters, even when our Stage Two and Stage Three used the same amp, I can count on one hand the number of orders we had for a "2 to 3" upgrade. Secondly, you're going to want to sell the Stage Two amp I'm assuming, and it's a lot more valuable with the PNP harness. That way someone else can buy a Stage One Plus and your old amplifier to get a deal on a Stage Two upgrade.

I think you might just be addicted to knowing what the next stage sounds like, lol.

VVG

On a different but nonetheless related note, those of you getting a Spyder and debating on the Burmester system, ( not a GT4 option) I highly recommend it if you enjoy music while driving. There are times when I have the system completely off and am enjoying the sounds of just the car and the open air. But when in the mood, the system really cranks. Very crisp mids and highs, very hard hitting tight bass, and plenty of power to enjoy music and almost any speed, top up or down.

12v Nick

I suppose this is why they say that sound is a "subjective" thing. For myself, and for a lot of other audio enthusiasts, the Burmester system still leaves a lot to be desired and doesn't offer a good value for the investment. I know I'm a bit biased here, but I honestly believe you're getting a far superior value by sticking with the no-cost audio option and installing our Stage 2 system. Even if you pay a professional for the installation you're still going to be at least $1,000 less than the Burmester and you'll have better staging, dynamics, and clarity. Not to mention, that extra $4,700 is nearly worthless on the resale market. With a plug and play upgrade like this you can easily go back to OEM and resell the Stage Two on Rennlist!

Again, I know this is a biased perspective, but that doesn't mean it's not still a good idea and a great value approach ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

—Nick

daaa nope

Funny you mentioned that (hearing loss...) One of my best friends (guy who is responsible for sending me down this horrible, horrible rabbit hole of wanting quality music reproduction) used to work for a high-end home audio shop. On slow weekends I used to hang out and we'd listen to all kinds of stuff. He had noted how particular brands/sounds seemed to follow age demographics. All the "old guys" loved the stuff that (to me) sounded exceptionally harsh and bright. "Hearing loss" was the reason given.

In my experience (and this setup seems no different) it's almost artist-dependent, and it (for me anyways) always seems to be an issue with higher-pitched male voices. Pat Monahan (Train), Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) seem to be the worst offenders for me, just at the very top end it can be a bit piercing. I did play around a bit with the treble setting at your suggestion. -2 to -3 seems to address it, but then it starts to sound muffled and negatively impacts other tracks that sound fantastic at 0. I'll drop you an email.

Iput together a quick Spotify playlist with some tracks I've found that sound good (note I have these loaded on an SD card in Lossless and sometimes in much higher quality than 44k) but Spotify at 320 is at least a place to share lists for folks to try out. Jana Kramer's "I've Done Love" seems to shine well and come off very balanced. Dire Straits "Money for Nothing" is often one of my go-to demo tracks as well. Tool also sounds great in there (which is a little surprising because usually a lot of electric guitars come off screechy).

I'm still playing with it, screwing around and adding/removing tracks as I try them.... https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4n...388da999814a6f

lovetoturn

Nick, is there and option for an auxiliary input set up on your amps so as to be able to plug the iPhone directly into the amp and bypass the PCM. Some may say this is inconvenient, which it may be, but the sound coming off a Tidal master track running through an Audioquest Cobalt Dragonfly is a major upgrade from whatever comes out of the PCM.