Fast4525

I need some info on the factory 964 stereo. I already have an aftermarket headunit but I need to know if the factory set up uses an external amp and crossovers?

My plan is to have a very simple and light weight "system" by using the headunit to power a pair of 6.5" coax speakers in the doors and some upgraded 4x6" speakers in the rear shelf.

If the original 964 system doesn't use any external amp or crossover then it should be very easy and I will be able to reuse the old wires.

Does anyone know?

hans57

My factory set up had the Porsche CR-1 cd player in it and with that had the separate amp under the passenger seat.
The previous owner replaced the head unit with a typical JVC cd player and wired the speakers directly to the head bypassing the under seat amp.
I am doing just the opposite, going back to box stock factory and am looking to reinstall the original radio, if for looks only. Who needs a radio, the sound of the machine is music to my ears.

What factory unit do you have?

tjr

Depends - an external amp was part of an optional system I believe. Look under the passenger seat for the amp - that's where the orginal one will be I believe. Chances are if it's still there it will have been by-passed when the orginal head unit was replaced.

MisterRisky

Mine had the Porsche amp under the passenger seat which had been bypassed when PO installed an after market head unit. They way the PO did mine was to run speaker wire from the head unit down under the front seat where they spliced it to the wires that go out of the amp to the speakers. That way the factory amp was totally out of the loop.

I decided to replace all the wiring in mine.

TR6

I seem to remember that deep_uv did an extensive write up on his stereo upgrade. Hopefully, he'll see this and chime in. Or just search for his post.

newsboy

I did the same thing with my car. Got rid of the pre-amp under the passengers seat. You will probably need to adapt the old Porsche radio wiring to the wiring harness that comes with your new unit. I used a Blaupkunkt which I got from Crutchfield, and they provided me with the wiring diagram. I brought the speaker wires from the unit to the passengers seat and picked up the wires that previously went to the pre-amp and spliced them there. One tricky part was getting the wire to the passenger side door speaker.
After a litttle struggle, I was able to feed the wire through the door rubber.

MisterRisky

I routed wires though both door rubbers. It takes some fiddling but not too bad. I found about 7" of wire and some soapy water made it all go easier. The bear for me was running new wires to the back deck. I ended up going up the right hand side. That was harder than the door rubbers. In a couple of places I had to route them through sound deadening so that was a pain.

deep_uv

Here's my chime in:

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ghlight=stereo

Don't know if it'll help you or not. Hope it does.

MisterRisky

Steve's post is excellent.

One alternative for the iPod control, however, is to run it back to the tape holder behind the parking break. The actual cassette holding part of the tape holder comes out and you can put a simple floor in the bottom of the tape holder. I put tape on the bottom and then used epoxy to pour a floor. It makes a great iPod holder. Of course the downside is that the iPod is visible. I didn't want my iPod in the glove box because I take it in and out a lot and didn't want it scratched up.

bull30

My Roadster had a CD2 (made by Alpine) connected to an amp under the passenger seat via a DIN cable... I decided I wanted to still have a Porsche head unit... So, I decided on the CDR-210... I picked up a unit in outstanding condition and installed it in the dash running the speaker wires out of the head unit to under the passenger seat where the speaker wires were connected to the factory amp... You will also need a Euro-Motorola antenna adapter to do this install...

With the wiring still under the passenger seat, I will eventually get a 3-channel amp to power the front speakers and the subs... The radio amp will power the rear speakers as they only provide depth to the soundstage (if you can hear them, they are too loud)...

I'm currently working on molding the sub-woofer cabinets out of fiberglass which will be covered in stitched leather to match the interior... When completed I will use 2 JL Audio 8" subs... I'll be replacing the front door speakers with KEF car audio speakers...

I'm hoping to have this project completed by the spring...

doug751

I have a 1989 C4 now, had a 1993 C2 before. The amp is under the passenger seat, made by Nokia or Blaupunkt depending on model etc.

Here is what you can do. Call SW Stereo : http://www.swstereo.com/
This guy is really nice. Buy a nice Becker for Porsche and make sure that you get the one with the "swapped" faceplate. The guy from SW knows what this means. The normal Becker that he has is made for the Boxster or newer 911 and it sits closer to the center of the car. The LCD is not visible from the side, so since we have an older 911 and the radio is to the right, they modify the LCD.

Fine, now you have a sweet looking radio that matches the interior and lighting, sounds OK and has an AUX input. Please do not screw this up and cut the wiring. This same guy will make a harness for you one of two ways. Use the amp (bad, ground loop noise) or skip the amp (good). IF he makes the harness to skip the amp, you only need to plug in the conversion harness and then run the speaker output wire that he made for you under the seat, and then these plug directly into the wires that you remove from the amp that would have gone to the speakers (the outputs). All plug and play so far, no cutting, no fuss. The wires go along the console tucked under the carpet mats. Not the best for sound, but good for your car and resale value. Then, you remove the amp (if you wish). It only weighs less than a pound! The power lead for the amp should be taped off the prevent a short.

Now for the speakers. Buy whatever 2 way that you like and that will fit. I bought Boston Acoustics, do not remember the model. They fit fine and look normal, unlike most Japanese speakers. I also bought BA rears, simple plate speaker that had a foam dome tweeter, a small paper woofer and a cap for a crossover. The rears are plug and play, and then you use a dab of clear caulk in the corners to fix the original grill the to BA plate speakers which are lower profile. Sounds silly but works great (the caulk that is).

Now, for the doors. This is bit more trouble if you are like me and want to avoid taking the door panel off. First remove the lower speaker. Remove the lower clips from the door panel and stick you hand up into that opening. You will cut your hands... sorry. Pull the wires out that would have to gone from the amp to the crossover. The crossover is up in the armrest, but you cannot take it out unless you take the door panel off. But you can find the 2 wires that enter the front of the door by the hinge, and yank them from the crossover. And guess what, they plug right into the new 2 ways that you will install.

Sorry for the less than perfect grammar and spelling; in Germany now after 2 days in Tiblisi Georgia so a bit loopy!

Good luck!

mamsp

I agree with the last post... I bought mine from sw stereo and the wiring harnesses also....worked like a charm. I went with the cdr210.