alex98ti

Hi All. Just like many of you, I was not able to get the Bose sound system due to the chip shortage in 2023.

I remember the day I picked up the car I realized how terrible the base stereo is. Recently I decided that I cannot live with it anymore on a daily basis and I just stopped listening to the music all together.

After a ton of research for local shops in Toronto I found a reputable shop called Number 1 Sound and talked to them about the upgrade. The owner George has been around for 35 years and is very knowledgeable.

We decided for stage 1 upgrade to keep the OEM speakers and not add any subs. He recommended MATCH UP 10 DSP amplifier plus MATCH MEC Analog, both seen in below photos.
​​​​​​The DSP amplifier is a award-winning device made in Germany and is highly recommended for a powerful output.

Currently the base stereo outputs 150 Watts which is terrible and we are looking at increasing it to 520 Watts with this upgrade. Also he might add another hardware, URC.3 universal remote control seen below.

Estimated cost for parts and labor is $2200 USD

We started the project today. I will keep posting updates as I get them..

VarTheVar

Are you adding any sound deadening to the doors?

shrimp money

I'm surprised you would even go through the effort and keep the factory woofers and tweeters.

VarTheVar

This was the implied upgrade from Musicar wasn't it? But maybe I misunderstood.

alex98ti

I wanted them to touch or open the least amount of panels for now until I see the result. Might do sound deadening on the next stage.

alex98ti

You are 100% correct and the option is on the table to change the speakers. It all depends on the result. The installer and few other guys on the forum mentioned that factory speakers are more capable with a better amplifier. Will see how it turns out and decide the next step.

gellie

i would feel the same. You can always change out the speakers at a later time.

sandwichman

Is the remote control required to change volume or just a future subwoofer? I have the T with base audio as well. Do we have an optical output or are they going to get the signal another way?

Thanks for posting this, I’ll do the same when I choose a shop.

shrimp money

I only remember their upgrade Stage 1 which was new tweeters and sound deadening to the Bose system. Stage 2 was DSP and amp.

alex98ti

I think it's an analog output and not optical.
​​​​​​sorry I am not too technical but from what I understand he needed this control to manage the low line output from head unit to the amp and I think with this I won't be able to use the OEM fader and balance anymore. I will ask him in detail about this specific hardware and will update!

VarTheVar

But I thought in their review of the base system, they said speakers don't really help the situation cause the stock amp was only delivering 150watts of total power. So I would imagine an amp would be necessary with Stage 1. I don't know what happened to them. I'm honestly just annoyed with their whole business model so I don't care anymore

6172crew

I had an update delivered to my 992 yesterday and a noticeable degrade in the way to steeeo sounds in my base stereo. It’s horrible now.

im following these stereo threads closer now. Basically the update removed the amount of bass and total volume levels so there is no distortion to the main speakers.

shrimp money

I saw the same updates were done OTA. It was navigation maps and infotainment. I was avoiding the dealership because I knew they’d apply it unless you opt out.


I drove it to the gym yesterday and swore it sounded different. Thanks for confirming I wasn’t crazy. My car has the Bose system that’s now neutered.

Jeff Whitten

Play with your Bass and Treble settings and see if that helps. I leave my Bass at 6 and treble even. Another tip I picked up is to set the balance towards the front bias. Rear speakers are small and largely for some fill. This helped with my setup. Another option is play around with equalizer settings on your phone for content streamed from there. On my iPhone, I can dramatically hear the difference between different equalizer presets, and I prefer the bass heavy ones.

Pad Bender

I'm doing a sound upgrade with George and Number 1 sound too!

Match Up 10 dsp will crush it.

On my Bose, I had them layer sound shield on my doors and upgrade speakers which made a huge difference. No rattle or vibrations. I have a Musicar amp/dsp on order for install by them.

I'm sure you will be back for speaker changes. Audison ap8 are a perfect fit and kick out some serious bass. I used focal bmw coaxial 100s for door mids as they need no adapter.

If u r a rocker...u don't need a sub but door treatments are essential.

George is a pleaser...so get ready!