Money2536

If I haven't made enough "real GT3 owners" that drive their car as intended scoff, this one is going to make some heads explode.

After seeing 'StepininMA's audio install from Sound in Motion and taking my seats out to for the GMG poser rollbar in my car, I got to thinking about doing an audio upgrade myself. I really, really wanted DynAudio tweeters, but I was pretty certain they wouldn't fit in the dash. Sound in Motion did it, but the problem is that they are like 1,500 miles away from me.

https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3/...de-report.html

I came up with an idea that I wanted to run by you guys. I know a bunch of us like to play in the garage doing stuff ourselves. But I've read that Porsche electrial systems are not to be messed with. So I went to Sound in Motion's Facebook page and then picked up the phone.

I explained to Jim what I was hoping to accomplish:

1. I don't want to screw up the electrical system.
2. I want to create a turn-key DIY audio system that sounds significantly better than the factory system.
3. I want to keep the factory PCM head-unit.
4. I don't want to add a ton of weight.
5. The system needs to be easily removed and reverted back to stock should someone want to sell their car and the new owner is a "real car guy."
6. I want DynAudio drivers.

The idea is that Sound in Motion would build a package with everthing we need: Amp and Amp Rack, Trim Rings for easy install of the DynAudio speakers, Removeable and relatively light weight sub woofer and box, Processor, all necessary wiring, sound deadening for the doors, etc.

We are talking about:
-Genesis Series III 4 channel amp
-Custom Made Amp Rack that holds the amp and mounts to factory holes in the front trunk.
-Amp Cover that is carpeted like factory to hide the rack and wiring.
-DynAudio Esotec 242 6.5" woofer/Silk Dome Tweeter Separates.
-Custom Made Trim rings for easy install of tweeter and woofer into the factory locations.
-Mosconi DSP. We are checking to see if Sound in Motion could simply email or remotely load their custom, time-aligned tune into our processors.
-Illusion Audio 10" Subwoofer
-Custom Made lightweight subwoofer enclosure that pressure fits into the passanger footwell.
-Speaker wire, power and ground wiring.


The plan would be to create a set of instructions that clearly explains how to install the system. They would ship everything ready for install. Now, this will still require some mechanical ability but shouldn't be super painful.

A few of the quesitons I had were.

What are my chances of messing up the electrical system in the car?
Minimal as long as you follow directions. The audio system in the GT3 is analog and is a separte wiring system from the main electrical systems in the car. As long as we leave the factory PCM unit alone, we shouldn't have a problem.


I don't know how to capture the audio signal coming from the PCM unit and get it to the amplifier?
The factory amp is under the seat. We can simply identify which wires are the low-level signal and bring those into an control unit like an Audio Control/Mosconi DSP that will be placed under the seat. Then we run RCA cables to the amp in the frunk.

What other wiring will be need?
We will grab the wires that go into the factory amp and use them for the tweeters in the dash and woofers in the doors. The factory center channel and rears will simply not be connected to anything. Since it's such a small cabin we only need a front stage and sub. You will need to run a power wire to the battery and ground the amp. Finally a speaker wire needs to be run to the sub in the passanger footwell.

What about the sub enclosure? Does it need to be bolted down, and is it really heavy? How much space will I lose in the passanger footwell?
The enclosure weighs about 15 lbs. and simply pressure fits into the footwell area. You lose about 4" of foot space. The box is easily removeable for track days.

What do you all think? Is this something that would be of interest?

Mike in CA

Sorry Money, I wanted to carefully read your post, but as you warned, a few lines in my head exploded......

MMbtu

How much would the kit cost and rough estimate on install?

DaveGordon

Interesting idea - could be in depending on cost.

Money2536

I'm working on pricing. I think it will be smart to come up with a low-end and high-end option. I'm guessing the high-end is going to be in the $7,000 range. That would mean we probably have $1,500-$2,000 that could be shaved off for some less expensive speakers/amps/processor.

porschedog

"the GMG poser rollbar in my car"
LOL

Motoki

How about ship the car to Boston, install, one way jet blue ticket, road trip down the east coast with your new tunes? Sounds like a good plan.

911993

I'd be interested in a prepackaged solution. It would save a lot of time and hassle which would be worth it. As great as the car is, the audio system needs help. You've clearly spec'd some really high end components.

I'm thinking the interest in a group deal would be higher if there were at least two options. Perhaps the second option would be a system with a total component cost closer to $3,000 and include something like Focals/JL Amp/8" JL sub. The improvement from stock to a $3K system is huge. The improvement from a $3K system to a $5-6K system is marginal and may not be appreciated by many. Just my 2 cents.

rijowysock

short answer,

dont do it..

LAGinz

+1. That price range is about perfect for me. Gotta love Money, but his system involves too much...errr...of it for me! I want a good to very good system. I think the nuances of state of the art audio will largely be lost on this car any way.

Lodi

You will probably pay an extra $1K to have a system in the range you are talking about installed, and in my opinion its 100% worth it. Anytime you dismantle your vehicle you risk damaging something, especially when removing interior panels. There is some expertise involved too (properly running wires, tying into the electrical system, mounting things so there is no vibration, setting up the equipment, etc). The time and materials required to build a sub enclosure alone will eat up a good portion of your budget and it may be tough to get professional looking results. Then, when you get everything installed you will need a shop to properly tune the system on a scope, so there's another hundred or two. If something goes wrong you wont have anyone to stand behind the install and you will end up spending a bunch more. I'm not trying to be negative. I love the idea of doing things this myself, but I know from experience that its usually more complicated that it looks. Just my .02! Good luck if you take on this project. Ill be anxious to hear how it goes.

Money2536

I forgot to preface my post with the fact that in my former life I was in car audio sales/installation, so I have some level of expertise. The keys to this turn key solution will be the sub box, amp rack, trim rings to hold the mid range and tweeter, and then most importantly the instructions. You should be able to use lower-end components to keep the cost down.

I will be creating with photos and videos. I'm really not getting anything out of this other than sharing the project.

I agree with Lodi that stuff will come up that I'm not considering, but I'm hoping this is simple enough by leaving the PCM head unit intact. The hard part is going to be figuring out the wiring, but Sound in Motion has already done several cars and is going to create a diagram for me.

Sound in Motion is going to be doing another GT3 at the same time they are building the templates for my car. When they tune the system, they will save the digital file and pre-load the DSP prior to sending. The tune should be relatively close across GT3 cabins.

jlanka

Matt, can't wait to see the results.

My audio upgrade should be finished this afternoon. I spent quite a bit more than what is being talked about here though. I will be taking pics and audio and will start a new thread with all the info.

Jeff

Money2536

I can't wait man! I want to hear and see your results before I pull the trigger.

jlanka

I got it back today - I'm going to start shooting video and stills. They're not finished with the frunk cover yet, will have that for me next week. They did a really nice job with the sub covering. Stay tuned.