Jay H

I used to have a large system in place on my '84 coupe. Alpine head unit, big a/d/s power amp, new speakers, sub, crossover, etc. After awhile, it just becomes almost fruitless to try to get decent sound in an old, noisy 911. I have fresh 4x6 speakers in my rear deck since the paper ones failed decades ago, but otherwise,I returned everything to stock and it's more fun to toss in a cassette from the '80's and listen to the stock system for a few songs just 'cause, well, it's an old car and a very old audio system.

wwest

Why car amps use DC-DC converters.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...n-IjDSM7jkBV3A

SARGEPUG

Agreed, that's why I didn't want to go nuts and just replace the damaged speakers that I had. At most, I'll look into the amp wwest mentioned.

SARGEPUG

Thanks and I will look into this for sure!

rusnak

My 911 came with 3 Soundstream 800 watt amps, and 4 3-way speakers and a huge subwoofer in a custom enclosure. The guy who had the car was a very fussy guy who made custom guitars and amps. I would have never ever in a thousand years put that stuff in myself, but I must say the sound is simply astounding. There must be over $800 in cable alone, not to mention the custom woodwork. Instead of sound that you sort of kinda hear, it has sound that you can almost "see". Total immersive environment, and I can sorta kinda hear the motor, hahah!!

SARGEPUG

That's the type of system in NYC, that's considered the "two car lanes over". Back in the day, a shop would ask if you want the car in the next lane to feel your bass or two cars lanes over!

SARGEPUG

Is there any other way possible to improve the performance of my stock Monterey, without going the amp route, other than obviously replacing it?

wwest

Can't think of any. In my '78 Targa the Kenwood 4-channel amp (~50W/chan.) and multi-CD player are mounted to the bottom of the passenger seat. Heavy duty wiring for 12 volt supply directly (fused) from the plus and minus battery posts.

rusnak

No, I have the gain turned almost to "0" on the amps, maybe just 1 or 1.5. They are there to provide plenty of clean power to each system. The sub is there and you can definitely feel it, but I don't need to play it loud to enjoy it. It's sort of magical, the way the space is just filled with natural sound.

wwest

Sounds more like UN-NATURAL SOUND to me.

rusnak

^ Haha!

Nope, I have the same speakers in my 'SC that run just from the deck alone. No comparison. The Infinity Kappas love to run off of amplifiers. Otherwise they sound like poo.

Jay H

Audio is meant to be fun. Regardless of how it sounds.

I'm an audiophile. Designed more car audio systems than I can shake a stick at. Got a degree in music and audio. Have been trained by some of the best live sound engineers in my area. I have a decent system in the living room and 4 other systems around the house. But, one of my worst home systems right now on paper is one of my most fun. It plays only vinyl on a $400 entry level turntable into an old Adcom pre into some no name 8 watt mono tube amps into some entry level Kef's from the '80's (I Love The '80s!). Got a old paper cone sub for frequencies below 63 hertz (selectable on my Sumo crossover). Horrific gear (well, the crossover is pretty cool!) if you list out the stuff on paper.

However, it's a blast to listen to. I love how it sounds.

I enjoy the heck out of my stock system in my '84 Carrera coupe. It's a horrible system. Downright sh*ttie. But, it's fun to listen to how the factory set up the car for audio. After awhile I just turn it off since it's so bad, but I do seriously enjoy it for a few songs. Isn't that what it's all about?

So very respectfully, wwest, don't take yourself so seriously. Know how they work, but skip the specs. Use your ears, not a piece of paper. Enjoy your system. We'll enjoy our stuff too.

SARGEPUG

I am a huge fan of the 80's as well. Huge decade in my life, being that I went from 10yrs old in '80 to 19 in '89! I have an audio closet in my house that is piped into all the rooms, w/ a source panel on each wall, etc. I still have my '85 JVC receiver and double cassette deck operational and on the system! I actually run my ipad / pandora thru the receiver as well. Funny how compared to modern receivers, it weighs a ton! I will ride them until their demise, it's just one of those things.
The music that suits me most, when driving the Targa, is Pandora's Depeche Mode channel. It just sets the perfect mood in the car.

awhenry

Check with Amazon for generic speaker covers. I replaced the rear speakers with the Kenwood 4x6 and the generic covers look like stock. I replaced the front 6" speakers with Polks from Crutchfields. No the sound doesnt compare with a modern system but having come from 18yrs of Miatas, the sound you can obtain from the 911 is pretty good. System works good until you hit a bumpy interstate section then the accumulated rattles of 911 overwhelm it.

wwest

I do.