Originally Posted by ajsdots

I agree with all of the replies, however: yesterday went on a 6 hr drive, through some beautiful country, canyons, open quiet spaces, fast, slow, twisty turns. The whole gambit. I was the passenger this time, and was able to fiddle with the Bose. Adjusted the sound based on a previous Rennlist member recon, and it improved it to my satisfaction. I could hear the music fine at High rev speeds. While it may still not be the finest syphomatic stereo on the planet, I decided that it was fine for the time I will be in that car. Also, the reality speaks to how loud do you really want it anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I am the music girl. I love all kinds of music. Took 4 CD’s with me for the drive, Cowboy, flamingo, Zydeco, and big band. They all sounded fine and made me happy enough to decide that the Bose, was fine. Okay, so it’s not the best, etc. But saving the $$$$ allowed me to get other options that meant more like a complete protective wrap on the car, not to mention the PCCB.
Yes, it’s a balance game, unless you have unlimited, $$$, then go for it.

Originally Posted by jeanrabelais

This is a great thread. I had no Idea that the system could be upgraded without starting over. Now I need to find a good installer in SoCal.

Originally Posted by BzzzBom

Glistening Perfection in Costa Mesa did my speaker upgrade. They were recommend by MC and are perfectionists. Send me a a PM if you want detailed information about my experience with them and the sound difference after installation.

Originally Posted by jeanrabelais

I do heart RL exactly for this reason. Thank you for the rec!!!! Much needed! the stereo was driving me crazy. Such a perfect car in everyway except for the Bose as it comes from the factory. Very excited to get this installed asap!

Originally Posted by BzzzBom

“Heart RL?” What does that mean?

Originally Posted by TikiLou

I think it's pretty safe to assume that any current Bose system in any current Porsche will at least kinda suck, unfortunately. Again, if you can spring for the Burmester, that's what I'd do.

Originally Posted by Visceral

One thing I've come to understand in my years of throwing money in the general direction of "audiophile" stuff is that every single person perceives audio quality different and every single combination of components sounds different. And to make matters worse, our ears and our appreciation of music changes over time! As a result, I believe that spending money on ANY component or system, regardless of reviews, is a gamble. Sure, the Burmester is a better gamble, but I've heard Burmester in Mercedes that was to my ear not any better than the Bose in my F-series truck.

If we don't mind altering our cars (I'll have lots of parts waiting for the arrival of the Spyder... TPC/Kline/etc) and we have a trusted in-person audio vendor nearby, I don't see how Burmester is the right gamble. It doesn't add $5k+ to the resale value of the car. You aren't getting that money back. Spend the $5k at a well regarded local studio and make your system sound like YOU love it.

Originally Posted by jeanrabelais

This is a great thread. I had no Idea that the system could be upgraded without starting over. Now I need to find a good installer in SoCal.

Originally Posted by 12v Nick

I have an opinion!

I'll keep it to myself though *sigh*

What I will say is that optioning the Bose vs Base Stereo isn't necessarily a bad idea, especially if you're on the fence about an aftermarket upgrade. Yes, you will end up spending more in the long run, but the Stage Two on the Bose setup does outperform the Stage Two on Sound Package Plus(base stereo) by a good bit. The addition on the OEM sub and better built door mid/woofers does make a noteworthy improvement when we amplify/process them correctly. I have spent a lot of time in these cars and while the Burmester is certainly better than Bose, I just don't see it as a good value — Not unless you're unwilling to explore non-invasive aftermarket solutions.

Albeit a bit biased, here's some information that may help — The Bose option is $990 and the Stage Two upgrade for that platform is slated to be $3,595(will be less on group buy).
That puts you at the exact same cost as Burmester but with much better audio performance. Not to mention, your Burmester is worth squat when is comes to resale. Musicar system can be pulled and factory reinstalled so you can sell the system second hand or transfer to another car if applicable.

If you are certain that you'd want to go for Stage Three, I think that starting with Base Stereo is fine. You're upgrade cost is $5,395 vs $5,895 and you haven't invested anything into a factory option that you're just going to swap out anyway. This is definitely a higher tier of performance than Burmester and you're only ~$700 more. If you option Burmester and decide you hate it, you'd be out-of-pocket for over $10k between the Stage Three and the OEM Burm cost.

Not to call him out, but @bradStyle had OEM Burmester in his GTS and upgraded to Musicar Stage Three. He might have some better input since he's lived with the car and driven a good bit with both systems.

Originally Posted by thejholmes

I've got the Burmester in my Macan and while it's the best stock stereo I've heard it's definitely lacking something. I'm not enough of an audiophile to know what, but I can hear something just off when I crank it.

Looking forward to the musicar stage 3 on my upcoming build. Maybe a bit more money but I have no doubt better components and experience.

On a different note, is there a dedicated sub in these cars or just the door speakers?

Originally Posted by Craig67

Group Buy you say?

Originally Posted by 12v Nick

The 991/981/718 all have a dedicated subwoofer with Bose and Burmester, but it's not configured in the traditional sense. The sub is a 130mm driver that's tucked up inside the dash on the driver's side and uses a cavity in the firewall as the "enclosure". It only plays the lower middle bass section that the doors won't play well without vibrating badly. I want to say it's only playing 60-120hz. We retain that woofer in the Stage Two systems but there's no need for it in the Stage Three. 500 watts to a pair of 9" woofers in the door is plenty to get the transient response we're looking for.



Did I say that? Oh, crap, I did

Working out the details with the team right now and we'll have an official announcement after the weekend. Only details I can share now is that there will be discount opportunities for both Stage Two and Stage Three.