Carrera Mike

I have the Porsche factory Radio/Cassette in the 993. I've been wanting to replace it but still wondering which one to install I will replace the component speakers too.

I've been leaning on the Sony with Black and Silver face and changeable display color to match the gage light color.

What after market Radio/CD player do you guys have in your 993s?

OldGuy

I have the factory Becker unit and I am completely happy with
it, however I have had to order muffler bypasses so I can hear
my motor because the becker is so good!

Carrera Mike

OG, That's another reason why I don't find myself getting restless with this upgrade. I seldom use my radio, I'd rather listen to the engine tunes at higher rpms

csertich

I have the Nakamichi CD-400 and it's a great unit and fits the interior very well. There have been quality control issues reported with Nak units in the past but I've had no trouble with the CD-400. It also has two display color settings.
Merry Christmas guys,
chuck

Bill (NC)

I have the standard Porsche radio with an aftermarket Sony 6 disk changer, works fine.

Carrera Mike

Bill, Is your CD changer FM modulated or wired to the Porsche radio??

Chuck, whats the Nakamichi's color settings? (I lived in Japan for 6+ years, Ive always known Nakamichis as the high end systems).

OldGuy

Yeah, I have the becker with 6 CD and one in-dash with HiFi
sound option, works pretty good! dont see the need to do anything
else till I get a louder TT motor sound!!

csertich

Mike,

The color settings are amber and green. You can actually 'mix and match' the colors, so there are effectively more than two settings.

go to: www.nakamichi.com/auto/cd400 for pics and specs.

The green goes better with the 993 interior, imo. The amber would have been a great match for my M3's dash lights.

I have the Nak unit, an arc audio amp and Focal speakers.

chuck

csertich

Mike,

Make that www.nakamichi.com/auto/CD400.

chuck

Steve 96C4S

I love my Nakamichi AM/FM/CD 45Z unit that came with the car I got in January 12 months ago. I don't know if it's an older unit or not, as it simply came with the car. I have had 2 Nakamichi tape decks (LX-3's) at home since 1983 that I've made 1000's of Grateful Dead tapes for various friends over the years. Everytime I bring them in to be fixed, the repair guy tells me that the new decks still aren't as good as these old dinosaurs.

I have major brand loyalty to Nakamichi due to the reliability and sound quality of my old cassette decks.

My Nak unit in my car performs flawlessly!

Cheers,
Steve

Carrera Mike

Chuck, Is your dash light color green? Mine is amber, so the I would think the amber would match.

Steve, thats a nice looking Nakamichi. Subtle appearance but it's showing its quality!

Steve 96C4S

Thanks Carerra Mike! The Sony unit your considering sounds nice. Since they're all going to sound great, I would solely go on appearance and the way they'll fit into the character (lookswise) of your 993. If I had the bucks, I would have definitely gone with a Macintosh head unit. Now THAT'S style. But, alas, I don't have the bucks!

Steve

csertich

Mike,

You'll have to forgive me. I use the amber lights in my car and they do match the heater controls, etc., very well.

I worked all night last night and then all day today (I work at a major air shipping company and these last two days are our biggest of the year). So, I believe sleep deprivation is my excuse for telling you I used the green lights when I really use the amber. DUH! It's either that or I'm so excited about the Bilsein HD's that are under the Christmas tree (don't tell my wife I have this figured out).

Use my second link to take a look at the unit. But get rid of the period at the end of the link and then it will work. I'm obviously technically challenged this evening. And I haven't been drinking either!

The CD400 is a very classy looking unit like Steve's. I believe mine is a later model than the 45Z, which was reported to be a great unit. The only unit I heard 'bad' things about was the CD700.

My CD400 actually has a volume control **** and don't have little video shows on the display like the ones the ricers like to put in their cars. For an aftermarket unit, it really fits in with the classic look of the 993 interior. Simple controls, nice features, good power. etc.

Steve, funny you should mention the Grateful Dead. I made a CD copy of Dylan and the Dead just the other night and listened to it in my car yesterday and today. I had to make a copy because my 13 year old wouldn't let me have the original CD.

I read something that Bob Weir said the other day: "I can't believe he (Garcia) loved drugs more than us."

Goodnight to all. My best wishes to each and everyone of you for a happy, safe, and joyous Holiday.

chuck

Jim Morton

I am currently running an Alpine 7909 Lim. Ed but am thinking of switching to a Clarion DRX-9255. Just not sure. The classic Alpine looks right at home in the 993.

With all respect to the Nak lovers out there, I had a CD-700 before switching to the Alpine and had trouble with it. The unit sounded awesome but jammed quite easily during a simple CD load. It would have been OK, accept how Nakamichi handled the repair/warranty claim. Put simply, they did not cover a thing. They sent me to a third party repair facility. It took $100 and 16 weeks to fix a $9 part.

Personally, I will not buy or help support another Nakamichi product after this incident. It was a smaeful way to handle support on a $1700+ piece of high end gear.

OK...got that off my back. Returning you to your regular program.

DrZ

Naks have excellent electronics but the transports on the 45Z, 75, MB-100, and CD-700 are known to invariably and repetitively fail. Furthermore customer service from NAK/USA is nearly non-existent. Many dealerships gave up on the line due to high defect rate even initially with factory sealed units. Furthermore, repairs have been farmed out to independent shops which vary in quality and price. Because Nak has not supported these shops with available spare parts turn around time can be several months. Newest model CD-400 is alleged to be better designed, but service if necessary will still be an adventure.

I have a CD-700 which has jammed on me once already. I would highly recommend Tap Electronics in Buena Park, CA for repairs. Toshi is a staight up guy who does consulting for NAK as well. Only charged $95 to repair broken control arm and showed me how to remove a jammed CD which will only be matter of time.

McIntosh MX-406 is a good HU but lacks fast scan and looks may not appeal to all. I like it especially if you have a lot of aluminum accents. Best deal from an authorized dealer( valid warranty) was $820 delivered. Store name was either Stereo or Audio Exchange(found it on a Google search).

Better deal is to find a old Clarion 9255 which is the same as the McIntosh(actually a little better in some ways) and sells on eBay for around $300.

New Denons are high end and really nice looking but are now orphans as the distributor has since bailed. Top Alpine and Pioneer models have accessory processors and are very expensive. Personally I don't think their looks works for a Porsche anyway.
IMO unless you are going for an audiophile level system, stick with the stock Becker and spend more productive dollars on the speakers and amp.