randr

Buy what makes you happy - the delta is very small, however, if you stick with the BOSE and end up unhappy with it - it will be with you everyday and drive you nuts.

Configure the car exactly the way you want it, and it'll put a smile on your face everyday

Having said that, I went with BOSE largely because my GTS is very loud and I felt there was no point going the next step.

THPorsche

OH...just get the Burmester then. I had BOSE in my 997.1 and Burmester in my 991.1, the BOSE didn't sound too good back then.

squid42

This is really a more complex question. Typically radio uses compression (audio compression, not stream size compressio) before sending, but that is not necessarily the case with all radio stations, especially those that are for music enthusiasts.

On the other hand many piece of modern music are (audio-) compressed to death and it doesn't matter whether you have CD or not. In fact a lot of re-released/re-mastered CDs are trash because somebody remastered them with heavy (audio-) compression.

It is very important to understand that audio-compression, including multi-band compression, is a completely different concept from file/stream size compression. A size compression with losses does not necessarily have audio compression in the resulting music. In fact, expansion is equally likely.

Likewise, there are size compression schemes that are lossless. They neither lose any of the frequency spectrum nor change the dynamic in any way. For files FLAC is the typical example. For streaming and transport method lossless blutooth is an example (lossless blutooth has other problems so maybe talk about later).

As to the systems themselves, none of the Porsche systems are worth the money. The $1500 Bose is a bunch of $10 speakers. The Burmester is what I would pay $1000 for. The Burmester also has practical problems by now, namely it does not have a user-controllable multi-band EQ and I am pretty sure it dropped the analog line-in, which is a bonehead move IMHO.

squid42

Do you know whether they made any improvements to the Bose during 997 times, maybe when going 997.1 to 997.2?

They changed the name of the option, I wonder whether that represents a technical change, too.

spiderv6

Totally agree with that.

And again, everyone is focused on the speakers when in fact the most important thing is the source, which, whatever way you cut it, is bad to start with in a Porsche.

If you really really want/need a 'good' system then you have only ONE option and that is to go aftermarket.

911seeker

As a former and disenchanted audiophile, I completely disagree with the quality of the source or the use of compression as being the main key to the sound quality of the system.


Speaker and acoustics of the room(car) > amp (enough power to move speakers to avoid distortion) > source.


****ty source with (reasonably) compressed materials, if the quality of the original recording is good, can sound close to perfection provided you have good speakers in an acoustically engineered space and (almost) any amp with power enough to move the speakers appropriately.


Just my 2 cents

spiderv6

Audiophiles can argue all day about which part of the chain is the most important. Lets talk about $500 cables?

Buying yourself a brand new state of the art giant 4K screen is all well and good, but then plugging in your favorite movies from your trusty VHS player is going to spoil the party every time. Source Source Source.

Anyway, the deciding factor in this argument is ALWAYS the ears that are in the car. If you like it, it's good.

Gary JR

^^ Me too. CD or equivalent like 320k Spotify + Burmester gets you 99% of the best you can do in a car.

cmjohnson

I have the lowest imaginable opinion of Bose the brand and all Bose products. The presence of Bose equipment in a Porsche is, to me, hardly less insulting than a lavish banquet spread and when the main course cover is removed...it's a fresh stinky turd in its own sauce.

I would choose the Burmester sound system as my FIRST option. I would order a base carrera with a Burmester system. If I could not afford a base Carrera then I'd order a base Cayman with a Burmester system.

I'd tick the DELETE STEREO SYSTEM box before I'd have a Bose system in my vehicle.

I freely admit I am rabidly unreasonable and hateful toward Bose. I will not have it in my car even if I have to rip it out and settle for no stereo at all.

But I have my reasons.

GodLy

Bose on 997.2 sounds like crap! Confirmed

911seeker

Fine. But, in your example, changing the brand of the BD player (or, in the car audio, the radio or the CD player) or using a lower compression rate (reasonable) is not going to make an audible change


I you don't believe it, try it. I have done it with high end audio equipment, and came to this surprising realization, like many other ex-audiophiles who used to spend a lot in sources and cables. You might end saving a lot in those too. And if you decide you still want to believe in Santa, go ahead, it is your money, but don't preach "source, source, source", because for many people that is simply a "post truth" statement.

spiderv6

Go ahead and start feeding your car with the lowest grade fuel you can find and see how that works out. Garbage in, garbage out.

911boy

Only as good as the weakest link..........

TerryC4S

I am not an audiophile but an audiophile friend put it best. There is nothing you can buy, no matter how much you spend, that can make the music sound better. All you are trying to do is limit the damage. His advice was to demo the gear and buy what sounds best to you. That's why I went back to vinyl as a source with a decent system so I can pretend I'm 16 again listening Springsteen's Born to Run for the first time, only on a much better system.

911seeker

The point is, the "weakest link" is not going to be the source...


Clarifying:
-If available, use the best recording possible, without going crazy (for low end or car applications, doubt the soundstage or stereo effects are going to be well perceived in any case)
-As long as we are in the digital / modern realm, source type (SACD vs CD, etc.), quality/price/brand or compression rate (avove a minimun threshold) are not going to make a difference in the sound quality. The quality, even in the low priced components, is "high enough" not to be the weakest link.
-Cables don't make a difference AT ALL.
-Amp will only make a difference (for the worse) if it doesn't have power enough for your speakers. Otherwise, all are valid.
-Speakers are key.
-Your listening position is key.
-The place where you are is key (and the car is a difficult place to optimize any system).


And I leave it here, this is ultimately a car forum and I left audiophile forums a long time ago not to repeat this discussions ad nauseam...