Abby Normal

I will be straight forward and say that I'm not much of an audiophile.
90% of the time I drive a Porsche, the sound system is off (for obvious reasons)

However I wanted to provide some feedback on the new systems from a "how it sounds to me" perspective.

I will not go into all of the numbers because those are out there for all to read and research. And I can't compare the Burmester because, as you know, it is new to the Carrera.

What I will say about the Burmester system is that if you are the audiophile type don't even question spending the additional money. As good as the Bose is, if I were an audio person, I'd get this system. It sounds so clear, rich and deep (even at low volumes) that you can tell it is some type of really high-end system. The base never feels like vibration. And I also like that this system doesn't have to have "surround" to sound full, unlike the Bose. There is no doubt this system is vastly better than the Bose.

As for the Bose, it sounds much better than the 997 configuration and uses no space in the rear deck for sub woofer box. It now has a specific designed spot in the chassis up front in the dash/bulkhead area. It also uses 9.5 drivers in the doors with inverted magnets, making the design ultra thin, freeing up door panel space for storage. The base is much richer than before, especially at high volume. The retune of the system has produced a better "Surround Sound" setting, and again I find it is much better at high volumes than before.

And fyi, the Ipod interface is now in the glove box. No more cables and mess in the center console was the reason for the move.

Personally, the Bose would meet my needs. But without a budget issue or if I were an audiophile, I'd not hesitate on the additional money for the Burmester because it is a vast difference in the sound. It's very obvious in fact.

HTH

hlee1169

Thanks for the review, Abby.

WCE

I opted for the Bose "pkg" in my base car mainly to get this new integrated sub, my understanding was the standard system has none?
I believe the Burmester and Bose share this sub as well as the other speaker positions with the Burmester doubling the amp power and "upgrading" the speakers over whatever supposed "garbage" Bose provides. I would really have to hear both back to back, properly set up and with the same source material, to gauge the difference which is highly unlikely to ever happen to any of us.
What I did notice during my test drive is the engine and drivetrain noise is still loud enough to make any highend audio system pretty much pointless.
Talk radio fans, take the standard system.
Music fans, get the Bose for the sub and extra power.
Deep pockets and spec'ing your S near $120k anyway, might as well get the Burmester!

Mike in CA

Exactly.

Carrera GT

Short of a Rolls Royce, what's really quiet enough in terms of NVH to be a pleasant place to fully appreciate music. In the context of home audio systems the Burmester is relatively inexpensive. Still, in the context of a $120K car, I couldn't justify the bang for the buck proposition. At say $1500, I'd be in the "why not" camp. I have no doubt it sounds as good as the McIntosh stuff I have in another 911, but having done it once, a bit like paint protection film, I question the value or benefit overall. Special circumstances justify these sorts of things.

As for road noise in the 991, it reminds me that some have questions the suspension. I, too, found the 991 S in "Sport" suspension was surprisingly harsh. I didn't spend a lot of time flubbering around with the suspension "off" but still, the tire noise and harshness communicated into the cabin was surprisingly uncivilized in some cases (just running over the "cat eyes" is a nice, consistent test.) Conversely, when I found some glassy smooth freeway, the 991 settled down, the tire noise was not intrusive and the cabin was free from wind noise and the general "thrum" of drivetrain (engine, trans) noise in the '09 PDK. I'm not a fan of the system Porsche has devised to conduct engine noise into the cabin, but there it is. Maybe it's different if the car is built with Burmester stuffings.

All that said, I will make a point of borrowing a car with the high end gear and see if it appeals when it comes to check the boxes for the next one, especially if I come to the conclusion that the 991 C4S becomes a better all-rounder for my purposes than the 997.2 4 GTS. Anything's possible.

docmalone

I have now had a few days to listen to the Bose in my new 991 and can agree and confirm with the statements that the Bose is much improved from the 997 version. I stream my music from my iphone using bluetooth so no need to plug anything, and using the "surround setting" I was actually impressed beyond my expectations with the sound. I tested some rock, classical, dance, etc and am more than happy with the Bose. I have not heard the Burmester, but for the money I spent I am thrilled with the Bose. More base "thump" than I was expecting, too. I absolutely agree that only true audiophiles or those with money to burn should feel the need to go Burmester.

clutchplate

One good thing about the Bose is the way it decodes satellite reception. Because satellite has such a low bitrate (64 Kbps I think), instruments like acoustic guitars and high hats tend to sound like they're running thru a phase shifter. The Bose seems to do a better job than most including the Meridian system in my Range Rover which is otherwise very good. Other than that I find the Bose just average and its midrange can sound a little glaring.

Carrera GT

The satellite audio quality is a strange thing. I read a recent review (which I can't find now) that explained the technology differences between where you are on the planet, whether its XM or Sirius infrastructure, and even which channel, to determine the encode/decode quality constraints. I can't say I tried to study the material (if I want to listen to music, it's not off the satellite) but it was interesting to see how "shoe string" the whole operation runs.

The thing I don't understand is why cars are not running 4G cellular -- not even the Tesla S is 4G ... and it relies upon Google Maps for nav, so it's map rendering is feeble.

rpilot

I can appreciate the fact you do not like the system above 50% volume but you say you have tried both bose and burmester systems in the 991 extensively?

I enjoy good audio but I can't say that I am up to date on the terminology used by audio system vendors. In that spirit Porsche's marketing materials do state that the Burmester uses digital amps to drive the speakers and I believe it is the same for Bose. If digital amps mean that the amp has the DAC on-board or at the very least take the DAC output directly from the PCM and run it thru its own pre amp circuits, your argument of a sub-par preamp output (analog) from the PCM unit is moot.

Please clarify and let us know how you reached your conclusions.

rpilot

Also, for what it's worth, I do not put much faith in magazine reviews of hifi gear, but this reviewer seems to have a high opinion of the Burmester in the 991

http://www.whathifi.com/blog/hands-o...r-sound-system

simsgw

Can't type much tonight. Using an unfamiliar portable, but I have to endorse these comments. I just drove about 300 miles on California freeways in this Winter storm and found the Burmester to be superb. Depth of the musical field is almost palpable (if I'm usijng the right term. I mean you feel like each instrument has a separate place out in front of you or to either side).

Ironically, given someone else's comment, I was just thinking on the way up our 10 Fwy that this Porche manages to give me feel for the road while absorbing rough transitions and harse surfaces. Remember, I'm the guy who couldn't drive his 997 with PASM more than twenty minutes. I didn't check the over the road timer but I left home at 10:00 AM and just got to my hotel after a charity dinner 300 road miles distant. And I'm fine thank you. Of course, I don't use sport mode for the suspension for ordinary driving. In 'normal' mode, this car will run down any other Porsche model, so I save sport and sport-plus for track work.

But on topic,the Burmester was a real aid to relaxing in this traffic. If you care about music and can afford it, it's a great buy that I almost didn't bother with.

Gary

fbroen

Convenient, yes. But also sound quality killer, in my experience.

I think you will find that plugging in your phone yields a vastly better sound over the compressed BT connection. Try it.

rpilot

+1

solomonschris

So you put the shocks in sport mode and drive over " cat eyes" and find the tire noise and suspension harshness to be uncivilized . Doing this test in your 997.2 would be quite a bit worse on all counts. The quietest car I have ever owned was a Citroen DS 21. Now there was a car worthy of a great sound system. I'm at 6,000 miles on My C2S and find that i am never in default mode ( I call it Buick mode). I am in sport, with the symposer tube plugged, and the shocks in normal 90%. I probably use the paddles 1/3 of the time or less. The Bose is more than adequate for these old ears. I am more impressed with the car with each passing week

Carrera GT

Reading back over my post, it's poorly written, but it can be understood that I'm using examples of where the 991 has strengths and weaknesses -- relative to the 997.2, the 991 suspension and cabin noise is as bad or worse, except as I noted when finding smooth roads where the more slippery aero of the 991 and the refinement of the drivetrain apparently pays dividends.

I have an errand to run this afternoon and the roads will be too treacherous (heavy rain and windfall) for the 991, but soon enough, I want to stuff something in the symposer and see if that stimulates the aural pleasures.