Such nice tweeters. My only concern would be sun exposure. Depending on the amount exposure they will eventually deteriorate.

 

Perhaps, but I’m willing to bet that the many years of enjoyment before that happens still has a very strong ROI.

 

I'm no audiophile so please go easy on me.

I've been following the Burmester tweeter upgrade threads and it seems that they are plug-grind away a little plastic-and play. But others have noted the lack of a capacitor of some sort and have said that missing part will allow the tweeters to become harmed in some fashion, so they don't like the mod.

Does this Musicar stage 1 upgrade deal with that issue?

Are the tweeters they provide complete with the part some say is necessary for proper function?

Or are they driving the tweeters in a unique way that makes the missing part unnecessary?

 

My two brain cells share the same questions as my friend here, so hoping someone chimes in on this.

 

@12v Nick Nick from Musicar is a better authority but that has never stopped me from offering my own opinion 😂

The Musicar tweeters (made by Morel) are setup to be drop in for the base and Bose setup. Compatible from an impedance and frequency bypass perspective. They design and test this setup for our cars.

As I understand it, the other tweeters from Suncoast work, and I haven’t heard of anyone blowing them, but they are designed for the Burmester system and were not intended to be used with the base or Bose system.

With one option, you have Musicar doing the testing to make sure it works. With the other option, you are the tester. Both are reported to be a big upgrade to the oem tweeter if you have Base or Bose. I can only speak from experience with stage 2 and it is transformative.

Call or email Musicar, I’m sure they can explain it better than I can.

 

Typically capacitors are used to filter out (block) frequencies lower than a specified value. In the case of a tweeter, that would be to protect the tweeter from lower frequency signals that carry power that the tweeter can't handle. In some cases (presumably far crappier than any design Porsche would use), capacitors can be used as a "on driver" crossover. Often in a car like ours without shielded conductors, it removes or reduces electromagnetic noise from other sources in the car.

My guess is that the amplifiers that Musicar uses have protection installed on the output side or the tweeters can handle whatever will likely come down the wire.

I got to sit in the passenger seat of the car myself on Sunday and @12v Nick played Sarah Jarosz and Tool both flawlessly at ear-bending volumes. If you need a nicer sound system than this in a convertible, I don't understand your use-case. It was incredibly good in soundstage, frequency balance, and power. I'm astounded that the Bose system could be turned into that.

 

Thanks for this great review and confidence booster that it was a good decision to purchase the Stage 2. I hope that when my Stage 2 arrives, it will include a badge to cover “Bose”, lol.

 

Funny you should mention that. While it doesn’t change your badges, the MOST interface does make the PCM think you have a Burmester system. The balance, fader, treble and bass controls still function as expected in the PCM, the the advanced options that once said Bose, now say Burmester for me. They don’t do anything either since the amp/dsp has been replaced.

 

They sit underneath the dash vent enclosure.

While the top is vented, doubt much if any sun gets in

 

I believe that the stage 2 system has separate aftermarket wires to the tweeters and the DSP amp has its own crossover set to whatever specifications Nick wants. So a safer, more specific, and better design than OEM.

 

They didn’t re-wire the tweeters in my stage 2 but the new amp/dsp is setup to work with them. Porsche speaker wire is all reused, at least when going from Bose to Stage 2.

 

No grinding - just snip a tiny tab of the connector, and no harm to the tweeters (read the entire thread) - the vast majority LOVE the mod for about $130 and 10 minutes, and ZERO issues, And if someone does not want to read the entire thread at least look at the last couple of pages. I was one of the first to do this mod and if they can survive the tunes I listen to, at the volumes I do, I venture to say they will be fine for 99% of others that are thinking about upgrading their Bose systems.

 

@Jeff Jones...thanks for posting those pics and detailed review on the upgrade. Can you post your impression of the system performance when you're listening to tunes while driving with the top down?

 

@BobZ , although I followed through the beginning part of the thread, I haven't been updating myself recently. My biggest concern was with rattling of the speaker area after refitting it. I was worried it may not be as snug after the pry out. Any issues from yourself or anyone else? Thanks

 

I stand corrected on the wiring issue. I would imagine that Nick would have crossed over the tweeter/mid combo wire to take out the lowest frequencies or maybe now the tweeter has its own separate wiring that can be crossed over at whatever frequency he deems necessary. We won't know until her weighs in here.