Rennspec.com

Really, the only way to get more volume/bass would be to add an amp.

Swapping out the woofers would provide improved clarity, but the weakest points of the Bose system are going to be the tweeters and mids.

If you have the doors apart, sound deadening is a great idea.
I suppose there are, but we haven't actually had a car with Burmester to try and upgrade, so I can't say for sure.

Scott P

Thank you for the quick answer.

12v Nick

We have our 992 development car in the shop right now and we're struggling with just how dreadful the OEM Bose sounds in this new platform. Honestly, I feel that offering a tweeter-only upgrade isn't enough to make the system livable. Sure, it sucks slightly less but that's not really Musicar's goal when it comes to audio upgrades — we want to offer what sounds great and not just what physically fits. We're working on development of something that's a bit more involved but a MUCH better solution overall. I don't have a lot of details to share publicly just yet but I would expect more information on that by Christmas.

AlterZgo

I bought a really great performing level 3 system w/ DSP and subwoofer from you guys for my F80 M3 about 5 yrs ago. Looking forward to what options you guys come up with for the 992.

Jassim09

Having experience with audio, I would think the real problems with the 992-s sound potential are the listening space, speaker placement and cabin noise. None of those are correctable aside from actual sound abatement which I would think would deprive a listener of the real music (the engine). So I haven't even thought about audio mods.
https://100001.onl/ https://1921681254.mx/
Are my assumptions faulty?

Dr. G

Sort of.

You are correct in thinking that the listening environment is unfavorable. It comes down to what can be done to overcome some of the shortfalls of the listening environment. If upgrading the tweeters allows for more clarity at higher volumes it will better cut through the road noise. That's not to say it will make it more like an audiophile experience, it will just make it easier to hear the music. That would be what I would consider the biggest benefit of upgrading the tweeters with a lot of background noise.

When I evaluated the Bose, what I heard was not necessarily just a problem with the high end. The midrange started to fall apart at moderate levels. For anyone who is used to listening to moderate to high end systems it's very apparent. Mind you, it may not be so apparent at higher speeds in the car but, again, adding clarity will only help the situation.

Of course low distortion at high volume can also help when there is a lot of road noise, but then we get into the discussion of hearing loss - and that's not really what this thread is about.

I'm sure @12v Nick will have more to say about this.

CodyBigdog

As a recovering audiophile (now 10 years into my sobriety), who owned many elaborate, state of the art home systems, I have two comments:

(1) IMO, Way too much engine and road/tire noise in the 911, any 911, to allow you to really 🦻 appreciate any high end audio investment. One can try to overcome all the “extra” noise associated with driving a car (and especially one like the 911 that has minimal or no sound deadening)…but all you are essentially doing is pumping in a higher volume to try and mask the unwanted noises. I found with my own high end audio systems at home…the quality, the purity, the fidelity of what I hear is not only dependent on the components I use, the music source, but also, on my home’s acoustic set up. Like a audio studio, if I want to really listen to music, I go to my listening room…,if I just want background music, to listen to, I can get that on my Alexa.

(2) One of the things I enjoy the most out of my car is the growl as the engine comes to life. Anything that masks that beautiful sound is counter to one of the reasons i got the car.

Tupper

^ The best way to properly "mask" the loud cabin noises is by driving with the top down. Then all you hear is the flat six. That's all I ever want to hear. DAMN this cold weather!

Anyhow, I have Bose and it's good enough for me. Better than the HK in my new BMW, at least

Dr. G

In the Touring I ordered the Bose - but I honestly don't see myself using it much with that engine.

CodyBigdog

I couldn’t even tell you what I have in my M4? HK’s, I think? Just the speakers? When I bought the BMW, the audio system was absolutely the last thing on my list.

PS - If you haven’t already had your BMW coded (I wish Porsche would get onboard), highly suggest getting the “video in motion” coding from BIMMERCODE. I’m old school and really enjoy all the live / concert music videos available. No audio system can duplicate the whole experience like being there…and adding video is just another component to the concert experience. Crank it UP:

You Tube

12v Nick

You're half right — The acoustic environment and speaker placement are definitely major shortcomings in the 992, but those are the same limitation we have in nearly any car audio system design. When I first got into car audio 20 years ago this was only "correctable" through changing the speaker locations and adding 100lbs in damping material. Luckily, that's not the case theses days. DSP, or digital sound processing, is what allows us to compensate for those shortcomings without modifying the car physically. Being able to truly equalize each channel/speaker in the car allows us to achieve a more neutral acoustic response at the listening position.





We also have time-correction/delay built into the processor, and that element is what yields a real stereo image in the car and a true sound stage. We can place the vocals and instruments across the dash in the locations they appear in the recording. We can also convert the rear speaker into effects channels that don't play center information and create the illusion of a larger acoustic stage with spaciousness.

When it comes to cabin noise, yes the 911 is more of a victim to this than a BMW or Mercedes, but not so much that the audio system can't still be enjoyable and engaging. With the proper amplification we can improve the dynamic range to a point that you still get a phenomenal experience at 80MPH on the highway(ask @Big Belly 711 who just took a 3 hour drive with this technology retrofit into his 718 GTS). Is it going to be the same as our home listening room or 2-channel system — of course not! But for starters, the investment is nowhere near what your home audio costs, and secondly, your home listening room can't pour into a corner on a backroad at 90MPH.

At the end of the day, yes the acoustic environment in a car is compromised, but not so much so that you can't still have a fun and exciting stereo to play your favorite tracks on when you go for a drive.

The Bose in the 992 is absolutely abysmal. One of the worst factory systems I've heard in a sports car. You're right, it's not just the tweeters that have major issues. The midrange is terrible and the amplification is overprocessed and underpowered in a big way. THIS is exactly why, in my professional opinion, I believe that a speaker-only upgrade in the 992 is a waste of time and money.

(1) If that were truly the case, and great sound quality was not attainable in these platforms, I would have gone out of business by now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You have to separate your home experience from the car — they are two vastly different environments that yield very different experiences. I love both of them for what they uniquely offer and understand they are not going to be the same. A I stated above, that's why you won't see a $200k car audio system and your home audio system won't go 100mph — there's a balance to be realized here.

(2) I absolutely love the sound of a flat six growling and snarling as I bang through the gears and pour into the twisty backroads. Does that mean your stereo should suck when you're not driving the car that hard? To me, it's like buying a beautiful $4M house on the CA coast and optioning an easy-bake oven because you don't cook that much — if you had a nicer oven, don't you think you'd cook more often and get more enjoyment from the house as a whole?

xstnte

@CodyBigdog

What is your current home audio system?

Mech33

@12v Nick Will that more comprehensive solution cover Bose systems only, or also the base sound package plus?

12v Nick

Eventually we'll cover the Sound Package Plus 992, but we've yet to find a local development partner that can loan us a car. Seems that every 992 we've worked on this far has had Bose or Burmester. Would love to connect with someone in the PNW that wants to help!

Pad Bender

Anyone know the safest way to get the A-piller off for the tweeter swap?