To answer the original question:

Base sounds very similar to the S

Get PSE and enjoy the pops and bangs.

You won’t be disappointed unless you really want a loud exhaust. You can enhance with sport cats to get a louder turbo sound and mild enhancement (it won’t affect your warranty). And if you really want to party, get the Akrapovic with sport cats

 

I ended up purchasing a base Carrera in 2020 with the sport package, sport chrono and sport exhaust (pretty sure the sport exhaust is a separate option (PSE) so make sure you check that box). I drove the S and base Carrera back to back before I made decision. I could not feel any difference in power or speed (I'm not tracking my car either). The base with the PSE sounded amazing. This was my 3rd 911 (a 2020 992 Carrera cab in aventurine green PDK). Interestingly, I sold the car a week ago and replaced it with a 2020 Carrera 4S cab Manual transmission with PSE). I still feel that the base was just as quick and powerful and I think the base with PSE sounded better than the 4S with PSE (this might be a function of the PDK vs. the manual as well).

I am building a 2022 right and I would have built another base except that you have to step up to the S to get the manual.

And in case you were wondering, the manual is heaven. Separate post on that coming soon.

Best of luck to you on your build. You are going to love the 911.

 

^ I mean, the S has about 65 more HP than the base. They don’t have the same power.

But I see no reason why they would sound different.

And the base is a very fast car. Matt Watson at Carwow got a 3.5 sec 0-60 launch

 

If you're going to say a Cayman is the best car in the Porsche line, and I'm sure there are many who would agree with you, most of those would say it's the GTS 4.0 manual. It is the one I would purchase if I were not 6'3".

I have a 992 base on order, no PSE, as I think it sounds great as is. I hear 2 of them go by regularly when I am out for a walk in my neighborhood.
I am also in a very significant minority liking the look of the square-ish base exhaust, because the larger size breaks up the monotony of the large black plastic valance.

 

Both Car and Driver and the German magazine Sport Auto corroborate your impression of not feeling any difference in power between the base and the S.
They found only 0.3 seconds difference 0-60 mph and 0-100 kmh respectively. (both with PDK)
That is right at the threshold of discrimination.

 

I said it was the best sports car. I think the 911 as a model, overall, is the best car. That's why I chose to purchase a 911 base vs a GTS Cayman.
It's amazing how one word can change the content - you just have to read for content to see that word.

 

Coming from a BMW 2020 M2 comp, I preferred my current 2022 992 C2; a much quiet exhaust. Just my personal opin.

 

It was implied that I meant best sports car.
Let me not imply it and just say it explicitly: of the non-GT cars, IMO the manual Cayman GTS 4.0 is the best sports car.
I and many others consider the 911 to be a sports car.
As someone else has pointed out on Rennlist, many if not most 911 wins have been in GT classes.

 

The 992 cabin might seem more quiet due to the lack of synthetic engine sounds blaring over the speakers like the BMW.

 

I thought the sport package was only available on the S models, not the base.

 

Exactly. The 992 with PSE is not quiet on the outside.

But the fake engine noise is one of the things I hate about my BMW. I’m glad that the 911 doesn’t have it

 

I recently test drove a 2020 Base 992 with PSE and Sport Chrono. One of the things that surprised me was how good it sounded actually especially inside. I imagine it was fully stock.

I don’t imagine much sound difference between base and S. The GTS is supposed to be louder though.

None of the 911s will be as loud as AMG V8 though, that was the hallmark of those cars.

 

AMG's aren't as loud post MY 19 since Merc added particulate filters to the V8 AMG's and or did a software tune.

 

I think you are correct on this one @westcoastj . I had the Sport Chrono and the PSE options. I think (but not sure) that the only difference is that the Sport Package on the S includes the PASM as part of the package. In any case, I think the base is an excellent car and with the PSE it sounded just fine for me. I forgot to mention this in my prior reply -- but I did drive an S without the PSE and I wasn't a fan of the sound.

 

Get the Base with PSE. I’ve had both an “S” and Base. Sound is the same with PSE. I would add a sport cat like Fabspeed or Soul. That will get the sound just right. The PSE muffle is amazing and no need to replace it. If you do choose to replace it, all you’re doing is putting strait piping which will spit out black carbon water every time you start the car. It’s a pain in the ***. The sports exhaust is still for the car perfectly. Just the right amount of blood pressure and sound and refinement. Doing sport cats helps free up the otherwise restrictive 700 or 800 cell catalytic converter that’s on the car. They only have to put that on for emissions. You can get a sport cat that’s around 200cell that doesn’t throw any codes and still provides about 90% more airflow and 10% more sound.