MalibuSooner

Today, I purchased an '06 987S and will certainly post plenty of pictures once I receive delivery later in the week.

It has PCM but not the Bose stereo. After reading the comments about the Bose system here, I decided it wasn't worth the $1K extra and otherwise the car has the options I want (heated seats, xenons, PCM and not much else).


I obviously plan to keep the head / stock stereo but was wondering if anyone has specific recommendations about upgrading the speakers and/or adding an amp.


Thanks in advance.

mbodo

Welcome!

Short of having to gut the entire system and replace it with an aftermarket one, I'm nut sure there are many options. The system is one of these MOST fiber optic bus systems; with all of the data transmitted to/from the amp/head unit via fiber.

Not being an expert in this field, I don't know what sense this makes to do this in an automobile much less a home theater system (digital is digital; signal is either there or it isn't; sound is a fairly set data rate).

Btw, your 987S is a Boxster or Cayman? Congrats!

MalibuSooner

Thanks for the warm welcome and input.

The car is a Boxster, guards red w/ black interior and manual tranny.


I guess there isn't a good forum anywhere dedicated to Porsche audio? I haven't had much luck in my google search.


I'm really stoked about the car now that I've pulled the trigger. I had a 944 back in the mid-80's and loved that car for the time, but have relegated myself to more practical rides since. I finally decided just to keep my practical car (a Lexus SUV) and then get something that would be serious fun.

I'm lucky enough to live near some fantastic canyon and mountain roads and look forward to dropping the top and tearing them up!

mbodo

Sounds like a winning color combination! Wait until it stops hailing; you'll love the car even more!

You know, the manufacturer of our sound systems does have a US-based board, however I've found them to be more on the technical side of the house and very helpful in answering questions of anything related to vintage Harman/Becker auto sound.

Unfortunately, the only response that seems to be received from the main technical guy there is "Sorry, that's the way Porsche wanted it, so that's the way we designed it". (shrug)

I don't have their website off hand, but I'm sure someone on the board will be able to provide it.

Budget M3

I extensively researched this for my '06 Cayenne--same basic stereo setup as the Boxster (CDR23 head unit, no Bose, MOST amplifier). A former MOST engineer who used to frequent the Cayenne forum, said basically the same thing as mbodo. Several Cayenne owners have replaced their OEM stereo, so you might try a search over there...

raman

I must say that the FM tuner part is the most sensitive one that I have owned in 20 years. No complaints here. RDS also works well. The amplifier is clean sounding and offers ample level for the stock speakers.
With a little bit of nudging (bass + 2dB, treble -1 dB) the stock speakers sound not bad at all. Give it a good listen, you will probably like it.
If you still want better quality, first try to fit a new hi-end woofer, maybe from Focal. This may be harder than you think, as Porsche seems to use a loudspeaker size which is not really standard. And you also have no idea which impedance it is.

Norsk

I would just save my money and leave it stock. Any sound system in this car has so much to contend with (soft top up/down, exhaust, tire noise, engine in the passenger compartment, etc.) that even if you installed a Krell amp and Magneplanars it would only sound good standing still. Just crank it and control the real audio with your right foot