When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
This is a recent project that was completed at Musicar Northwest in Portland, Oregon. This particular client had originally come in for a high-performance radar-laser defense system for his 2015 911 Turbo S. After learning more about our approach to audio integration, he felt comfortable that we could recreate the listening experience he's grown to love from his high-end 2-Channel home audio system in the Porsche.
The first step in the process was the initial audio analysis of the factory Bose sound system. Information we gather here includes speaker size and location, factory signal paths and frequency response, as well as possibilities for new equipment locations.
Here are the notes from that analysis:
991 Bose System Overview
The Bose system in the 991 is a decent upgrade from the standard "base stereo" option, but still lacks the dynamics and response we would expect from a $100k+ car. The subwoofer provides decent output for the average listener, but lacks impact and immediacy which makes it sound sloppy and underpowered. The tweeters are harsh and fatiguing, which comes from a combination of the small diaphragm and the factory location that requires it to reflect off the glass.
The midrange and woofer response are the best parts of the factory system, which isn't saying much. The Bose midrange is probably one of the largest I've seen in a European platform, and has a well-designed paper cone with an oversized voice coil. The response is fairly linear and precise for a factory driver. The large door woofer seems to give us most of the bass response we hear, but fights with the dash subwoofer and causes a bit of cancellation in the cabin.
Overall, the 991 Bose system is probably a satisfying sound for the average radio listener, but lacks the resolution and precision that most of us music lovers would prefer. Most tragically, it's a terrible complement to a phenomenal car.
Speaker Size & Location
FRONT WOOFER: 220mm [ Lower Door ]
FRONT MIDRANGE: 100mm [ Mid Door ]
FRONT TWEETER: 19mm [ Outter Dash ]
FRONT CENTER: 80mm [ Center Dash ]
REAR MIDRANGE: 100mm [ Side Panel ]
REAR TWEETER: 19mm [ Side Panel ]
SUBWOOFER: 130mm [ Left Sub Dash ]
Frequency Response Measurements
Woofer[ Independent channels from the Bose amplifier ]
Midrange/Tweeter[ Single output from the amplifier with a capacitor on the tweeter to limit the frequencies ]
New Location Opportunities
Tweeters[ Sound that reflects off the windshield can cause coloring and harshness in the response. For a system of this caliber, new location at the sail panel will be optimal ]
Amplifiers[ The factory Bose amplifier is in a small cavity under the passenger seat. for this project we'll need more space for the three amplifiers that will eventually be installed. The lower portion of the boot/frunk will work perfectly ]
Subwoofer[ The factory subwoofer location in the dash has little to offer for the true audiophile. We'll be fabricating a custom enclosure to fit within the rear parcel shelf of this 991 coupe ]
Aria System Design
Now that we have an accurate assessment of the factory system, we can design an upgrade the meets the expectations of the client. One of the major elements the client appreciates in a great sound system is the "air" and "sparkle" in the top end of the response. Knowing this, we'll be using a large Class-A amplifier from Mosconi of Italy to power the Dynaudio tweeters. This is where the project's name "Aria" comes from — meaning "Open Air" in Italian"
Main Project Goals
Achieve a "critical listening" level of audio performance
Incorporate processing to correct the stereo imaging
Maintain usability of the boot
Keep the car looking as OEM as possible
Retain the ability to revert to factory condition
Equipment List
Dynaudio Esotec MD102 [ Tweeters ]
Dynaudio Esotar E430 [ Midrange ]
Dynaudio Esotar E650 [ Woofers ]
Morel 8" Ultimo Titanium [ Subwoofer ]
Mosconi A-Class [ 2ch Tweeter Amplifier ]
Mosconi AS100.4 [ 4ch Midrange and Woofer Amplifier ]
Mosconi AS200.2 [ Subwoofer Amplifier ]
Mosconi 6to8 DSP [ Signal Processing ]
The DSP processor and amount of amplifier channels allow us to run this system in an "active" configuration. That means we'll have an independent amplifier channel for each speaker in the new system. The DSP processor also has a channel dedicated to each amplifier output, meaning we can electronically set the frequency crossover points for each speaker. This negates the need for bulky passive crossovers that would typically take up space, use more power, and introduce the opportunity for more noise in the system.
We wont be running rear speakers or a center channel in this setup. This can become a controversial topic for some audio guys, but I'll explain our reasoning behind the choice to delete them. The best in-car stereo systems have a true center image in the direct center of the dash. When this happens that means your left and right channels are wide and for the most part, equal. With the time correction built into the new DSP we can achieve a perfect image for the main listening position. Using a center channel speaker can help give that experience to both passenger and driver, but at the expense of a some focus in the imaging. Because we wanted to create the best possible sound for the driver, no center channel is needed.
As far as the rear speakers, listening to reflected sound from behind you is, yet again, another good way to make the imaging and focus suffer. The front stage is the most important in any reference level audio system. After all, music is recorded in 2-channel stereo, not 5.1 surround — we're not watching mission impossible on the PCM.
Anyway, enough of the background info. Let's jump into the build log. This project took a little over a month so there are a lot of pictures. I'll be splitting them up into a few posts to make it read easier. More coming soon....
First section we tackled was the subwoofer. The main goal here was to create the opportunity for much more impactful and responsive bass without making the car look like it had an aftermarket system. The plan was to build an enclosure that completely hid the speaker and looked like a factory part. We started with a design sketch:
The core structure would be built from baltic birch. The subwoofer would be oriented in a down-firing configuration and a fiberglass cap would hide the motor structure. The base would be upholstered in a factory-matched carpet to mimic the current parcel shelf floor. We'll even be repurposing the factory tie-down as a mounting point for the whole assembly.
With the core structure complete we can start to work on the top cap. One of the biggest things we focus on in a build like this is integrated design. Meaning we want any visual additions to stay true to the factory Porsche interior design language. You'll see a lot of that come into play here.
The cap starts with a birch skeleton to create the basic shape. From there we layer fiberglass to almost 1/4" this to make sure it's as structural sound as the rest of the birch enclosure. Once the fiberglass cures we use filler to smooth out the rough surface and create a seam for the upholstery, which will be a factory-matched Alcantara.
The flared opening at the face of the enclosure is where all of the subwoofers energy will escape. This piece probably has the most "flash" of any other part of the interior build. We started by machining a trim ring from cast acrylic that would eventually be painted trim black to match the interior plastics. Then a perforated aluminum grill was custom pressed to cover the opening. This final touch was a hand-milled aluminum badge that was brushed and then laser etched with the project logo.
Finally, we get to the upholstery trim work. Like stated previously, a combination of factory-matched carpet and Alcantara was used to make the entire assembly appear as a factory upgrade. We even laser etched the crest into the top cap.
With all the parts complete and the upholstery done we mounted the enclosure in place using the factory tie-down bolts. I forgot to get some shots with the back seats up, but essentially the new carpeted base is level with the seat backs, so the grille disappears and all you really notice is the Alcantara top piece.
Next up is the new tweeter housings at the top of the doors. Stay tuned!
It sounds like it's really expensive to make the turbo cars sound great though, us NA people have a little button with a picture of a pair of ***** that activates the 4-channel system at the rear of the car.
It sounds like it's really expensive to make the turbo cars sound great though, us NA people have a little button with a picture of a pair of ***** that activates the 4-channel system at the rear of the car.
Truth, NA+PSE is a musical wonder in and of itself. However, unless you consistently drive like a teenage hoonigan, the audible experience of the car leaves something to be desired within the confines of daily city traffic — a well-rounded musical experience if you will.
By the way, the owner also has a pair of GTS Targa's to fill in those gaps
Now, on to the tweeter housings. Like I stated before, in a system like this, having tweeters that reflect off the windshield is less than optimal. Because of that, we fabricated a pair of OE-look housings for the Dynaudio tweeters. This not only took care of the reflection issues, but also allowed for a wider soundstage by bringing the tweeters out to the widest point of the cabin.
Just like the subwoofer vent trim, we started with a layered cast-acrylic frame. From there we machined the flat pieces to shape them like the factory panels in the car. We used acrylic for the core tweeter mount as well. separating the mount from the housing allowed the tweeters to tilt toward the driver for better on-axis response.
The tweeter housings get a healthy coat of satin black to match the factory interior. The tweeter opening also gets a few neodymium magnets that will hold the grille cover. Once that's done the assembly is bolted onto the door using machine hardware. The holes for the hardware are at the very front of the door panel so that if the car ever needs to go back to factory the plastic OEM panel will cover them up entirely like nothing was ever done.
Truth, NA+PSE is a musical wonder in and of itself. However, unless you consistently drive like a teenage hoonigan, the audible experience of the car leaves something to be desired within the confines of daily city traffic — a well-rounded musical experience if you will.
By the way, the owner also has a pair of GTS Targa's to fill in those gaps
Haha so true! Those tweeter housings look awesome.
I certainly would like to hear this setup both on and off the road.
I appreciate passion and design.
I once sat in Jean Banchet's Testarossa at a CES show that had been customised by an Audio company. The company people thought I wanted to hear the sound system but all I wanted was to sit in the Ferrari! Turns out it had no leg room so I was saved from pursuing the car.
My 991.2 C4S has the Bose and the P Zeros are so noisy that I don't think any upgrade will be useful.
But I do appreciate a good sound systems.
We have a B&W 600 series 7.1 with Denon 5200 currently with 65" Samsung. Good for knocking pictures off the wall!
-Richard
Vision, skills and willpower -- though not for me, pretty darn amazing. Congrats.
Originally Posted by Porsche_nuts
Wow. Seems like every time you post, it is something new and always seems better than the last. Awesome. Encore, encore!
Originally Posted by Dewinator
Haha so true! Those tweeter housings look awesome.
Thanks for the compliments guys! It thrills me to be able to share the work with a community that appreciates the passion and effort we put into these builds.
Originally Posted by budrichard
I certainly would like to hear this setup both on and off the road.
I appreciate passion and design.
I once sat in Jean Banchet's Testarossa at a CES show that had been customised by an Audio company. The company people thought I wanted to hear the sound system but all I wanted was to sit in the Ferrari! Turns out it had no leg room so I was saved from pursuing the car.
My 991.2 C4S has the Bose and the P Zeros are so noisy that I don't think any upgrade will be useful.
But I do appreciate a good sound systems.
We have a B&W 600 series 7.1 with Denon 5200 currently with 65" Samsung. Good for knocking pictures off the wall!
-Richard
Richard, it's an amazing experience listening to this car. I was listening to it in the showroom one night and had to call people to convince me to get out and go home!
We thought about the road noise, and that's definitely a negative factor that comes into play on the road. We suppressed A LOT of the noise by acoustically treating the entire interior. We used a combination of butyl damping for resonance and mass-loaded vinyl for road noise. I didn't get a lot of pictures during those two days, but here are a few that show the rear floorboard and the doors:
04-23-2016, 04:56 PM
Project "Aria" - An Audiophile's Dream 991
