Porsche_nuts

Really doesn't count if you did not do the install yourself -- having an installer do it for you is just plain cheating!!!

Duke I

Is the capacitor required?

STG

I'm a good idea guy, but not always the best DIY on some things. I'm no "Plenum" on here.

Washing a car?? Nobody can touch me.

STG

Most guys haven't done them so far. Good insurance I suppose? I guess filters out the bass which shouldn't be going to the tweeters anyway I've gathered?

DrCGuerra

Sorry that I am late to this thread. Why rip your CD to MP3? If your system can play back ALAC, you can rip your CD to 44.1kHz/16-bit and get CD quality vs. 320kps? If you use ALAC, your file size will be larger but you will get closer to 800-900kps and the sound quality is much better. If your system cannot play ALAC, you can buy an iPod Classic and use a simple iPod cable to interface with your Bose stereo and that will play ALAC at 48/24. I am not sure the Bose can interface with FLAC players but, if it can, that would be the best way to get 192/24 Hi-Rez files played on your system. Playing back Hi-Rez files is one of the reasons I opted to go aftermarket on my player head, amps, and subswoofer. However, I know this thread is about maximizing the sound of your Bose stereo so one way to improve sound is to improve the music source. Garbage in, garbage out. The higher the resolution of the song, the better it will sound.

MasterJohn

Audison Prima 8.9 which has built in DSP, can hook up with PC and customized. 35w X 8 with sub pre-out.
Looks like a good Bose replacement which can be installed under the passenger seat.

lunarx

DrCGuerra, unfortunately the Bose does not play ALAC.
I have some 24bit WAV files (converted from FLAC), for my HQ Content, but I found a 24bit FLAC to 320k mp3 conversion sounds plenty good also.

What head unit did you use for your full aftermarket install?
Someday I hope to ditch the Factory PCM.

Master John, this product looks incredible.
Seems like it would be an easy retrofit (if ditching the PCM).

MasterJohn

Audison Prima 8.9 accepts high level inputs, so speaker outs from Bose amp can be plugged into this unit direct, then rerouted to speakers. No need to change PCM 3.1. You will have active channels/speakers tailored to your liking. I will do this upgrade and post shortly. Audison unit is about $750 shipped from Italy.

MasterJohn

Its small enough to fit right next to the Bose amp, under the seat.

DrCGuerra

That's odd. A friend of mine took my advice and burned all his CD to ALAC 44.1/16 and he says Led Zeppelin never sounded so good. He has a 2015 GTS and I do not know if the PCM changed from your model year. Also, did you rip your files to 24-bit from CD or did you purchase them from HDTracks or similar and converted them to WAV 24-bit? If from CD, you are adding extra information when you artificially increase the bit rate from 16-bit to 24-bit. I am guess that your Bose will integrate with an iPod. If it does, rip your CD to 44.1/16 ALAC and your FLAC files to 48/24 and play them back on an iPod Classic (I think the largest one they make is 160 GB). As for the digital processor, my custom installer can install one for around $2,500 (that includes processor, installation, and tuning). For not much more, you can get a new head and amp. Mine plays FLAC, ALAC, etc. It also has CarPlay. I am running 600 watts to the main speakers and 600 watts to the sub. It sounds fantastic and I am still using the stock speakers. For all that believe the stock stereo sucks because of the speakers and head unit, it's not the speakers. It is the head unit and, mostly, the amp. It will probably even sound better with the Bose and/or Burmester speakers. I will probably swap out my speakers for MB Quartz, Hertz, or Morel around Christmas but, right now, they still sound awesome so I am still debating on it. My custom installer does not believe I will really get that much better sound if I went with aftermarket speakers. He was really impressed with the sound of the stock speaker. If you want to see pictures and my entire system, below is my thread. It also included a custom V1 and ALP jammer install. The sub fits behind the rear seat on that shelf space.

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9208...o-upgrade.html

Jabs1542

The best I could get out of the PCM unit (Bose) was 16:44 WAV. I tried several variants of FLAC and WAV, 16:44 was all that works - of course I didn't expect DSD to work, and it didn't

My car is a 2013, PCM is at 2.74 (I think)

DrCGuerra

That is the maximum you can get from a CD so you, at least, get CD quality and that usually is between 600-800kbs vs. 320kbs. So your quality will be nearly 2-2.5 times the resolution. Some would argue that you will not be able to tell that much of a difference between 320 vs. 600+ but you can. It's not like doubling HP in a car but it will make a difference, IMO.

Chad996Pgh

I just finished upgrading to all Burmester speakers in my 981 (I didn't add the dash sub as the 8" door woofers now put out a ton of clean bass)! To drive everything, I installed the Audison Prima 8.9, running all 8 channels active. It's 35W x 8 @ 4 ohms, but puts out 65W x 8 @ 2 ohms - which is what Burmester & Bose speakers are... so needless to say - it's plenty of power and sounds amazing! Note that I have the base radio (CDR31) which doesn't have an outboard amp, so I simply used the high level signal out of the oem head unit into the amp. It's is an amazing amp/dsp, with a ton of flexibility. There is def a learning curve as some of the crossover settings aren't intuitive unless you do your homework, otherwise you'll have phase issues, etc. I've been tweaking these setting for a week, which honestly is a lot of fun!

MasterJohn - I'd be really curious what crossover points and settings you chose and I'd be more than happy to share my results as these changes make a huge impact on the sound!

MasterJohn

Thanks, Chad996. I will definitely share DSP settings once I get them all hooked up, Active! Did you use low level or high level input to your Audison? I would have to get to the Bose amp to find out to see if there is identifiable low level from PCM.

DrCGuerra

I owned a 981 GTS and I used the same system that I put in my 991 GTS but I was able to get away with the same 600 watt JL Audio amp to drive my speakers and 6'sub. JL Audio make a great 6" sub with kit that fits in the back hatch corner so it doesn't take up any room and makes a huge difference. I have the 6" sub and box and do not know what to do with it. If interested, DM me and I will see about selling it.