BMWDavid

I forgot to add that in any case I would for sure save the OE speakers that are removed.

David

Jay H

I've seen custom enclosures that fit behind the rear seats and still allow the rear seats to go up. That would entail a bit of custom work and isn't cheap. I've used very, very "thin" sub enclosures to fit in tight spaces, but I don't like how they sound. Even if the air volume is there, it still must be something about straying away from the .6 to 1 to 1.6 optimum dimensions for a speaker cabinet. I've taken the same driver from a very thin sealed cabinet to a very standard sealed cube cabinet with the same power amp, car, system and the sub came alive with the more regular cabinet. It's not just air volume, it's cabinet design too.

So, a single 8" driver like what Rod Birch does in one rear passenger footwell could be enough to round out a system and sound good as well. Gotta choose a high quality driver with ample power since a single 8" isn't all that much cone either.

When I started car audio in the late 80's, 6x9 subs were common enough and that would work with a new rear deck in a 911 in a free air type setup. There are companies that make new rear decks to fit 6x9's too. However, a good pair of free air style 6.5 inch subs may do the same in the rear deck with some fabrication. The air space and mounting depth back there isn't all that much, so the safe route would probably be a single driver in a rear footwell if you need room for that 3rd person.

I'm sure Rod could also build removeable enclosures for the footwells too if you wanted dual drivers. There are plenty of quick connections for speakers that would allow you to yank the cabinet, pull the 'plug' and get the rear footwells back for feet.

I've seen new rear seat side panel enclosures for subs that were custom made.

There are also very small enclosed "all in one" type sub woofer systems that can fit under one seat. These typically use pretty small drivers, so they probably won't blow the windshield out, but may just round out the system a bit.

If you don't mind cutting up door panels, you could find a pair of 6.5 inch subs for the front doors and then get mid's and highs from the rear deck. Not many people like the rear stage sound, but that would keep the passenger compartment clear and the doors have ample volume for a free air type sub mounted in them. Power the subs right and you could have a very tight system. Small subs are quick.

You can get pretty creative with a good stereo shop and a good craftsman.

Hope this helps,

Jay

Jay H

David, what exactly is bad with the front door speakers?

Have the foam surrounds degraded? I can't remember what driver Porsche used in '89... The Blaupunkts that Porsche used during that time are notorious for having their surrounds just flake away.

If the foam surrounds are the only problem, you can restore them with a simple refoam kit. I did that to my '90 964 since those surrounds on those speakers basically disintigrated due to age. The paper cone was just flappin' around on the voice coil with nothing holding it to the frame other than the voice coil/spider assembly! I got an $18 kit from a vendor and essentially cleaned off the old surround, glued on a new surround, waited for it to dry and remounted the factory speaker. Very simple, doesn't take all that long and completely keeps the car stock. I've done the same procedure for home speakers.

Good Luck!

Jay
90 964
84 3.2

dmwallace

I just replaced my door speakers in a '89 - they were Blaupunkts and the surrounds had disintegrated. I believe speaker technology has improved over the years; it would seem that finding current speakers that would fit under the factory grilles might be a good way to go if you are focused on keeping the look exactly as from the factory.

David

'89 3.2 coupe

Jay H

I'll agree that the factory speakers from this era are really pathetic... The whole factory system is really pretty useless as a sound system. Thin sounding, unbalanced, low powered, etc... You'd need a really good eq (like a big Audio Control unit!) to level out the factory system. I think the upgraded audio system in my 964 in 1990 was about $440 for the amp and rear deck speakers. That was a lot of coin for a cheesy 20 watt x 4 channel amp and two mediocre rear deck speakers...

The restoration of the factory drivers is really for the purist or the concours person. My 'restored' factory drivers still sound very average. But, it's still factory...and was very cost effective too. I never turn the system on much anyway...

BMWDavid

I checked with my dealer as well as with an online dealer and the OE speakers are still available. About $35 each.

So I'm going to go that way first-keep it all stock. I know the sound quality won't be that great. I just want the radio/sound system to at least be usable.

The real sound system is from the back of these cars!

David

elayne bray

porsche says they have the rear speakers for my cabrio that are on the side panels in the back. I ordered them a week ago and the grills are in but not the speakers.

The door speakers are a nightmare. It's back to performance products in the morning. I took out my stock speakers to put in the blaupunkts and they sounded great in the door but did not mount flush to the door. then i discovered they don't use the original grill. back in the box! I found the catalog and it is clear they are for '86 and prior, not for my '88. do I just go find a local chop shop or do I do some shopping on line?

thanks guys,
douglas
88 911 cab

Jay H

The stock front door speaker from the '80's (up to '87) is a single paper cone driver with very flat mounting flanges. This driver was designed for very flush mounting both against the door panel and against the grill. It's a very purposeful design most likely engineered for OEM applications and car manufactures like Porsche probably designed the door opening and grill based on the speaker design. The separates used from '88 and up are pretty similar with thin mounting tabs on the woofer that fit in a mounting ring in the door (IIRC). Again, another difficult speaker to replace with aftermarket components if you want to use that factory plastic mounting ring.

Porsche never used a co-axial type speaker. As we all know, co-axials typically have a tweeter that protrudes further out past the mid range cone. Also, aftermarket speakers are made for fitting many applications and have flanges and such that don't allow for the very flush mounting that is needed for 911 grills. Therefore, the stock grills rarely work with aftermarket speakers and most people forgo the stock grill and just use whatever grill comes with the aftermarket speaker.

I've searched a bit for replacement drivers for my '84 and it's been almost impossible to find anything that will work with the factory grills and still look decent.

Russ L.

DAVID;
LOOK SERIOUSLY AT "MB QUART" OR JL AUDIO FOR SPEAKERS.THEY WILL PRODUCE THE BEST RESULTS FOR THE SIZE OF DRIVER. IF YOU HAVE 6X9'S IN THE REAR...THE MB'S OFFER A SET OF COAXIALS THAT WILL DO A GREAT JOB.
I PRESONALLY OWN AN 84 CAB...MY BASS RESPONSE STINKS AT BEST...I HAVE 5.25" IN THE FRONTS, AND 6.5" IN THE REAR INNER 1/4 PANELS. THE MIDS AND HIGH END IS GREAT SO IVE BEEN WORKING WITH A CAR AUDIO SHOP IN FABRICATING A SINGLE 10" SUB MOUNT IN THE PASS FLOOR WELL AREA BEHIND THE WOODEN FLOOR BOARD. THERE'S PLEANTY OF ROOM AND BASS IS NOT A DIRECTIONAL SOUND IN MUSIC USUALLY...THIS HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST WHEN THIS BODY STYLE WAS NEW.
TO THE JOB OF HOME SOUND...HOW DEEP IS THE WALLET? ATC SPEAKERS ARE THE AMAZING BUT PRICEY DOESN'T EVEN COME CLOSE TO DESCRIBE THE PRICE. B&W SPEAKERS ARE WHAT ARE IN MY HOME...AGAIN PRICEY BUT SKYWALKER STUDIOS (GEORGE LUCAS) USES THESE ...DARK SIDE OF THE MOON WAS MONITORED AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIO ON A SET OF 801'S
THE NEW 5.1 VERSION OF DARK SIDE WAS MONITORED ON ATC'S THOUGH.
I OWN 4 802'S FOR MY FRONT AND REARS 2 HTM-1'S FOR FRONT AND REAR CENTER AND A PAIR OF DS-7'S FOR THE SIDES.
YES...I CAN SHAKE MY NEIBOR'S HOUSE LOL AND NO I DON'T NEED A SUBWOOFER.
I ALSO PLAY BASS GUITAR AND HAVE A SMALL RECORDING STUDIO IN THE BASEMENT..I TAKE SOUND SERIOUSLY! GOOD LUCK AND I HOPE SOME OF THIS HELPS.
RUSS

ajmarton

I have an 89 Cab and upgraded to MB Quarts and kept the wiring / speakers grills, etc. in the front door. You cannot tell that I upgraded the speakers. I had to go with Blaupunkts in the rear because of space issues.