AviBen

As I consider placing an order for a 718 Boxster GTS, I'm wondering about whether to get the Bose or the Burmester sound system. I have the Burmester in my 911 TTS, and it's great, but I don't know how good the Bose is and have doubts about whether the Burmester is worth the large cost over the Bose. I'd appreciate the thoughts of those with actual experience of the Bose in a 718. Thanks in advance.

Dr.Bill

I have a 981 Boxster GTS with Burmester. Probably not worth it in a Boxster. The cabin is just too small. Would be better in a Cayman or 911 IMHO.

Plus, although it sounds great, that is easily defeated by putting the top down. Note - I'm not an old guy who has the top down and windows up, and I don't use the goofy thing between the head rests. Probably would be less noise if you drive in GOMER mode - top down & windows up.

okie981

If it's possible, don't get either. The Sound Package Plus or whatever Porsche offers that was in all GT4s sold in North America is the superior stereo, IMO. I had a GT4 with this stereo, and have a BS with Bose. Bose is crap, IMO. Burmeister I've listened to in 981 cars sitting in dealerships is not worth the money. If you really want a great stereo, go aftermarket. A search on RL in the 981 section for Bose stereo will give you plenty to read on the subject. Oh if I could only get the Harmon Kardon from my E92 BMW somehow inserted into my BS...... Now that was a nice OEM installed stereo.

Yogi911

I have burm. And my buddy has bose. (Both 981 cayman). We decided the burm is not worth the money because the cabin is just too small. The only advantage is the burm does not distort as much as the volume increases. Soooo in a boxter that could be a factor i guess depending on how loud you like your music (top down). We decided a 911 or bigger porsche it would be worth it but not on cay/box.

Lapis

Really don’t know what planet the other respondents are on...

In last 3 years I’ve owned a 981 Boxster S with Bose, a GT4 and a 991.1 GT3 with Sound Package Plus, and both a Panamera Turbo and 981 Boxster Spyder with Burmester.

The Burmester rocks vs the others, especially in the Boxster due to the noise when top is down. Much tighter mid to low base without distortion. Crystal highs. Lots of volume without distortion. Worth it.

Bose on 981 Boxster also sounded very good IMO. But not as good as Burmester.

Sound Package Plus barely acceptable. Ok for talk radio and occasional tunes. Drowned out when windows down. And distorts at higher volumes. No punch. No warmth.

In in a larger car like 911 or Panamera, With windows closed, there is less of an advantage to Burmester vs Bose IMO, not the other way around.

JCtx

I wanted Burmester, but after numerous reports it wasn't worth it, scratched it as a deal-breaker. And as expected, it was one of the very few options my car didn't have. Two things on the Bose: it sounds better than I expected, since Bose has always been crap on my other vehicles. And second, no way SP+ sounds better than Bose. Not even close. Well, unless a serious hearing issue is the reason. But it's far from great indeed. Having said that, the best sound by far is with Spotify Premium with its equalizer tweaked the right way. Forgot how I set it up, but it's close to the 'electronic' setting. Since you can listen to music downloaded without service (offline), it's now my main source of music (vs USB stick).

okie981

No serious hearing issue here, Bose in BS is crap. At least the speed control volume with Sound Package Plus works. The Bose version called Audio Pilot is brain dead.
The muddy bass and mids in the BS with the large door mounted speakers vibrating the door panels is like a really bad version of a Magnaplanar home stereo speaker.

Aftermarket FTW.

GregWormald

I heard the Bose and the SPP--bought the SPP.
If I decide I want to ruin my hearing with volume at speed with the top down I'll get a good 3rd party system installed.
Bose is not good and the Burmester is $$$.

john weires

Although I have not owned all the combinations of Porsche sound systems in the various models that Lapis has, I ran a high end audio stores for 45 years. Based on that experience coupled with sonic evaluations of all the different Porsche sound systems I have heard, I generally agree with what he says above. I diverge a little bit in that I feel for a more critical listener a less noisy environment is better allowing more musical detail and nuance to be heard, or conversely more problems to surface if the system is mediocre. Listen for yourself if possible with a lossless CD quality source setting the tone controls flat and surround sound off. Avoid thumping bass and screeching highs, which although they may impress at first, are fatiguing over time. Of course whether the Burmester is worth the cost or not is up to the individual.

Lapis

Only way to know for sure is to try out on your own ears. FWIW, I’m thrilled with the sound quality of the Burmester system in my 981 Spyder, whether the top is down or up.

Notes:

1. All audio systems sound bad if you play a bad source. You can’t draw conclusions from listensinh to XM satellite radio, for example, which has atrocious audio compression quality compared to even older MP3s. Ideally take some music you like that’s on your iPhone in a high quality format (Apple Music downloaded to your device is fine). if you can’t do that, try tuning an HD Radio station. Much better than Xm sat radio.

2. EQ settings has a lot to do with perceived sound quality. Some say test it flat. I disagree. Test it to the settings on each device that make it sound best to you. In my opinion, Burmester in Porsche souds best on its “LIVE” setting, which increases warmth, and yes, bass, but not excessively so. Likewise, if you have a paired device like iPhone, it has EQ settings that affect playback too. Personally I like iPhone EQ on “Late Night” setting best. “jazz” is also pretty good on iPhone EQ settings.

3. Some insist audio quality doesn’t or shouldn’t matter on a sports car. You should listen to the engine music they say. I agree—when you’re carving canyons or on a track. But on your way to or from that great canyon drive, it’s great to enjoy some great 🎶.

Lapis

Last point...

Don’t muck up a $100k Porsche with a 3rd party stereo! It will hurt the resale value of the car by FAR more than the cost of such a system because Porsche buyers are very sensitive to modified cars. Also, I strongly doubt if you’re on the fence about whether the various factory audio systems are “worth it” or not that you’re the kind of audiophile who would find the audio quality you could get from a very good 3rd party system better than what you’d get with the factory Burmeister system.

Long story short, you’re defeating yourself on any potential money savings from getting, say, the cheapest standard factory and installing a 3rd party system vs paying for the upgraded factory system that meets your needs. Because any savings you might realize up front will be more than wiped out on eventual resale/trade-in from the fact that your pricey Porsche has been bastardized with a 3rd party stereo.

Now if if we were talking about a Ford Mustang or Dodge Charger, then go to town. But not on a new $100K+ Porsche.

AviBen

Many thanks for the multiple relies. I'm leaning towards Burmester; using the lens of future regret, that seems to be the best path -- I might kick myself for not going high end, but, fortunately, I'd have a lot less regret about paying a little more than I had to.

Marine Blue

I love good sound and I genuinely appreciate a good soundstage and balance across highs/mids/lows but I personally could never justify spending any serious amount of money on audio for a vert. The sound is completely wasted the minute you get over 30 mph. My opinion of course.

JCtx

Once you understand its limitations, Bose is a big improvement over SPP. I'm sure BM is a similar improvement over Bose, but you have to pay double for that, so the best bang for the buck is Bose. As mentioned before, no way I'd consider any aftermarket 'improvements' on these cars, but to each his own. Just turn down the base and it's not that bad, but of course you cannot expect the bass of a Meridian system on a Land Rover. Our cars are small, so already compromised even without the issue of cabin noise. And slightly more so on the Boxster, due to the rear speakers being behind the seatbacks, but not by much. With the top down, I wouldn't turn the radio on. And neither with the windows down on any of the 2. Only with windows/top up, as the cabin is already noisy enough like that. Maybe the Burmester has enough ***** for top-down listening without distortion, but not the Bose.

NelsonF

I concur with most of the above. Had SP on my GT3 and it was crap but had that 9k redline to offset. My Panamera Turbo with Bermester was the best stock system I've had in any of my vehicles. On the Panamera I thought it was due to the larger interior space but was surprised with the sound in my Spyder. I haven't heard the Bose or SP in a Spyder but doubt it would be better than the BM in mine. I was especially impressed with the sound with top down as it was better than expected up to reasonable speeds-no magic but clear with no distortion when cranked up a bit. Glad I have it over the other selections!