$6000? LOL no thank you

 

I was convinced the center channel speaker of the Bose system my 991 cabriolet was blown and then I found out that...no, that speaker just sounds like that. I don't really care too much about the sound system in a cabriolet though. The Bose system in my new 992 is leaps and bounds better. I'm pretty happy with it. Let me rephrase that...I have no real complaints with it.

 

As someone with a 981 Cayman with a 6k aftermarket stereo - don't go overboard on it. My stereo sounds incredible when stopped, but the road/engine noise drowns out a lot of the fidelity I paid for. It's a sports car after all, but it's my daily driver and I like to listen to music.

Go for midrange speakers/amps and get a DSP tuned properly. You'll be shocked at the difference it makes.

 

just like I said...

 

i have a 8k aftermarket system in my F150 and it sounds great .. tuned it myself .. its also my daily .. i would never do such a system in the 992 .. even though the F150 motor should sound better than the 992 .. the 992 sounds so sweet at any rpm .. the engine is like its own sound system

 

Has anyone done this or similar upgrade? I wonder how it compares to Bose, Burmester and Musicar stage 3 upgrade.

 

I don't have an answer, but the Focal speakers for houses I've heard are so good. That said, I just don't think having a high-end stereo in a car like a 911 (or, for *me*, any car) makes a lot of sense. In order to hear the real differences between high-end gear I need a quiet listening environment and I don't think the subtleties apparent in great gear can be discerned in a mobile, loud environment.

It's cool stuff, though :-)

 

it will sound better.. but probably not worth it. if you're going from base then its worth the cost of the Burmeister price difference. Also there are much better equipment options for a better price point. Focal is mid to high level tier car audio at that price point you have to listen to all the competitors to see which one suits your needs. Some have warm tweets some have piercing tweeters .. some have accurate mid bass some have muddy mid bass.. car audio is like picking the right exhaust or seats .. what everyone shouts from the masses might not be the right pick for you and more important it will depend on the type of music you listen to constantly. Then as mentioned earlier you have to setup the environment for the optimal audio experience .. sound deading is the first step .. then imaging (speaker placement) then tuning

 

I realize that the car is not the best listening environment. I do most of my music listening in the car though.

Good point about every person having different needs. I'm sure that taste, choice of music and even difference in their ears makes a difference. I guess the answer is that I need to find a shop that has various choices of equipment to listen to.

A stereo that is too good also has disadvantages. You start to hear the differences in the quality of the performance and recording. I don't understand why recording companies can't get rid of the static in the background. I thought that maybe it was because of the CD but listening to the music online is the same.

 

For the expert audiophiles, how much do you think a good subwoofer upgrade would make on a Bose set up in a 992. I've done that in a few cars in the past and for my needs the sound improvement was very appreciable. At moderate volume levels it just felt the system was not strained as prior to the subwoofer upgrade. Any thoughts.

 

The base system sucks monkey *****. It is waaayyy worse than the Bose system. OP's view is not surprising. Nor is the common response by some people on RL about how 'totally fine' it is...

The problem with aftermarket upgrading is a) the amp's gotta take up space in the frunk, and b) the only place for a sub is on the back sill.

 

FIFY

 

First of all, what are you listening to? Radio? Sirius XM? Apple iTunes? Spotify? They all sound like garbage due to compression, regardless of which audio system you have. Listen to CDs and/or uncompressed TIDAL and notice the huge difference between rich uncompressed audio and compressed tinny garbage audio like XM and iTunes. What you think may be an audio system issue might actually be a media issue. Second of all, the 992 is a loud car, so loud that Bose and Bermester especially are a waste of money. They sound pretty good with the engine off, but running, being an audiophile is pointless and just enjoy the sound of the engine/exhaust first and audio second. Third, the 911 interior wise, is acoustically terrible, regardless of engine noise. All that said, it’s actually easier to upgrade aftermarket with the base audio VS the Bose or Bermester. In that case, take the car to a reputable car audio company. Look at the work the guys as Musicar Northwest are doing. Expect to spend a good amount of money in this department anywhere you go that is decent. Bermester makes a lot of sense in something like a Cayenne or a Panamera, but the 911? Not so much. The car is too loud to appreciate it fully.

 

Many thanks again to those with helpful direction. As correctly identified I am neither seeking, nor expect an audiophile experience. The base system sounds as if someone took a discount bluetooth speaker and tossed it somewhere in the frunk... this is not a symptom of the audio source and I had perfectly listenable sound (fine, not mind-blowing, not awful) via Apple Music through wireless CarPlay in my M4 and also thought similar (fine/acceptable sound) in a friend's 991.2 GT3rs that has the Bose (for those insisting that acceptable sound is impossible in a loud car) via Apple Music through wired CarPlay.

In pursuit of that goal, a reasonable budget, and with an eye on not "killing resale value" as was highlighted by others... I have decided to work with Haas Entertainment in Los Angeles to replace the existing speakers with much higher quality versions of the same dimensions, and replace the existing amplifier under the passenger seat with an 8x85watt to drive those speakers. This should be fully reversible in resale, appear fully OEM, and create no new holes in the car.

Will provide updates if interested.

 

Doesn't address the question from the OP, but i do completely agree that the stock stereo is a complete POS. Bose sounds good enough for day to day, but that stock stereo is awful. It does literally sound just like something from a Yaris or Versa ($13K cars!!!). I guess that's how Porsche gets 99% of buyers to chip in an extra $2K to upgrade to Bose and those extra few to go all in at $6K+ for Burmester.