Sound Package PLUS Demystified | Why The 992 Base Stereo Sucks
#31
Former Vendor
You are much better off getting the base model or Bose and doing a Musicar upgrade. Your dollar will go so much further.
#32
Well, hopefully. Still waiting to see the cost of the solution. There's a point at which a stereo is not worth more than a dollar amount, and the Burmester I think is about at that limit. I don't know what I'll be able to achieve with $5k including install costs.
#33
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More listening notes today —
Against my better judgement, I tried installing new speakers on the factory power. The speakers I used were the same as what we've used in other Porsche platforms, the custom Elate Carbon system from Morel of Israel:
To my surprise, they sounded better. Rather than it sounding like AM Radio playing on a $20 bluetooth speaker, it now sounds like FM Radio playing on a $20 bluetooth speaker!
It still sucked, it just sucked slightly less, and that's not in any way what I would consider a win. Just as suspected, the tonality was improved but only at the lowest audible volumes. At moderate volumes(normal listening levels) we has the same harsh midrange and lackluster bass response. In fact, the bass response was even worse.
At this point we have really well-built speakers in a more acoustically optimal environment, yet the sound is still devoid of any life or presence. This is because good speakers are designed for more power. Just as high-performance tires are typically designed for more capable vehicles, we lack the proper driving force to realize the improvements from these components. Without install and mounting, we've now spent about $3,000 in just raw materials and the sound is still terrible. Sure, we could try other speakers that are far more efficient, but the reality is that unless we find something more efficient than the cheap factory speakers, we won't see any notable improvement. Even if we did find the perfect speaker setup for the power, we're never going to fix the factory EQ in the background.
Don't waste your money installing speakers — We NEED better power and processing.
Against my better judgement, I tried installing new speakers on the factory power. The speakers I used were the same as what we've used in other Porsche platforms, the custom Elate Carbon system from Morel of Israel:
To my surprise, they sounded better. Rather than it sounding like AM Radio playing on a $20 bluetooth speaker, it now sounds like FM Radio playing on a $20 bluetooth speaker!
It still sucked, it just sucked slightly less, and that's not in any way what I would consider a win. Just as suspected, the tonality was improved but only at the lowest audible volumes. At moderate volumes(normal listening levels) we has the same harsh midrange and lackluster bass response. In fact, the bass response was even worse.
At this point we have really well-built speakers in a more acoustically optimal environment, yet the sound is still devoid of any life or presence. This is because good speakers are designed for more power. Just as high-performance tires are typically designed for more capable vehicles, we lack the proper driving force to realize the improvements from these components. Without install and mounting, we've now spent about $3,000 in just raw materials and the sound is still terrible. Sure, we could try other speakers that are far more efficient, but the reality is that unless we find something more efficient than the cheap factory speakers, we won't see any notable improvement. Even if we did find the perfect speaker setup for the power, we're never going to fix the factory EQ in the background.
Don't waste your money installing speakers — We NEED better power and processing.
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#34
#35
Former Vendor
Most decent modern processors have what is called an input eq. Better ones have the ability to also correct phase and timing on the input as well. Correcting the frequency response curve of the input signal isnt nearly as important as correcting timing and phase so you can start off with a proper stereo signal that you can tune to however you need on the outputs without needing to worry what kinda BS the factory system is throwing your way.
#36
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VarTheVar (09-27-2023)
#39
Upgrading from Base stereo will probably cost more in the end than upgrading from Bose. So I advice you to add Bose in your build. Especially the center speaker or subwoofer in the front dash is a major difference. This is almost impossible to change afterwards. And most people are pretty happy with Bose. And Nick has great options to change from Bose.
#40
Upgrading from Base stereo will probably cost more in the end than upgrading from Bose. So I advice you to add Bose in your build. Especially the center speaker or subwoofer in the front dash is a major difference. This is almost impossible to change afterwards. And most people are pretty happy with Bose. And Nick has great options to change from Bose.
#41
Upgrading from Base stereo will probably cost more in the end than upgrading from Bose. So I advisyou to add Bose in your build. Especially the center speaker or subwoofer in the front dash is a major difference. This is almost impossible to change afterwards. And most people are pretty happy with Bose. And Nick has great options to change from Bose.
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#42
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This. Changes. Everything...
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#43
Upgrading from Base stereo will probably cost more in the end than upgrading from Bose. So I advice you to add Bose in your build. Especially the center speaker or subwoofer in the front dash is a major difference. This is almost impossible to change afterwards. And most people are pretty happy with Bose. And Nick has great options to change from Bose.
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#45
It sure sounds like Porsche simply put a crappy bare system in our 992's as they expect either a) anybody who cares a little about music spends the extra $1600 for Bose on a120k car or b) really does not care about music and if they could they would have offered the base with no sound system et all.
I can attest the Bose (and better even with any of the musiccar upgrades) fits the bill for most normal music consumer.
I can attest the Bose (and better even with any of the musiccar upgrades) fits the bill for most normal music consumer.
IMO this was 1 of them. LCA is another.
One cannot entirely blame them… They are publicly traded company for expected to maximize profits… and they do exactly that with our consent.