A.J. - 95 993

Chris W. : what does it take to power the factory antenna booster? I hooked the antenna cable to the back of my radio, but the signal strength isn't what it seems others are getting. I ran all my own power and ground wires - do I need to power a booster somewhere?

I might as well jump in with my setup:

I have what I consider a budget higher-end system. If you're not satisfied with the sound of the factory system, take it into strong consideration to just bypass the factory system. That's what I did, and the difference is staggering. Had I just changed the speakers, or just changed the head unit, or just added a sub, I would have been satisfied, but would not have known what I was missing. But this is one of the easiest cars that I have installed a system in. It seems flexible enough - if you want to go one part at a time, it should work fine. You can pretty much do what you want to do. The original owner had a fairly serious aftermarket system installed, then removed the equipment and set it back to factory before returning it to the dealer. Lots of harnesses and cut wires under the passenger seat and in the front trunk.


This thing is fairly obsolete by now, but is only two years old. I paid $450 for it (mail order). List was $650 or so. Highly tunable - soundstaging and lots of the goodies that WillBank talked about. NO MP3 capability. I struggle with this. It does have Input capability, so I could hook up an external MP3 player. But I haven't found one that's much better than a few hours worth of music. How much capacity does the iPod have? Surely it doesn't require a Mac to load songs, right? I have been kicking around buying an MP3 indash unit, but haven't taken the plunge yet.



This fits nicely under the front seat. 75Wx4 RMS. $200 from eBay. I have the rear 2 channels bridged together to produce 150W for the sub:



Fits in the back seat. When sitting with the speaker face down, it is stealty and not noticable as a sub. To remove for DE's/auto-x, all I have to do is unplug the speaker wire. I would not have believed the power of the sound had I not happened to sample one in the store. Before this, I thought 10" was the only way to go. It does have its limitations, but the tradeoffs for size and price were impossible for me to walk away from. $200



Decided to buy these (Diamond Audio) after reading reviews on carreviews.com. They were $350 (6 1/2", fits right in the factory opening behind the hi-fi door panel). The reviews all ranked them as even, or better than, speakers costing in the next price range ($700 or more). I've been delighted by them, and the fancy crossovers make me want to build an amp rack and display in the trunk. Of course, it would be removable for the track, saving lost of precious weight. But I don't have time for all that.

I don't have the best or purest system, but it would be hard to do noticably better for twice the money. More details of the system with pictures as installed on my website below.

WillBank

Hiya AJ,

iPod does require an Apple (but that is a bonus ) but its user interface is so good and its capacity (5Gb - but 10Gb now available) is good for around 1200 songs at 160kbps or 2000 at 128kbps.

And batts last for 8+ hours and recharge themselves via the same firewire cable that syncs 2Gb in a minute (or thereabouts).

Sorry... unashamed Apple evangelist. W

Rick

For those of you who have put a new head unit in a Cab, how well can you see the displays?

I put an Sony CDX-C90 in my '95 Cab and while the sound quality is very good you can't see the display at all in normal to bright daylight conditions.

Thanks.

Chris W. - '96 Targa

[quote]Which model/year VW harness did you use?
<hr></blockquote>

Um, I believe it was a late-model Jetta. Basically, I used the connector diagram in the back of the factory radio's owner manual to match up to the connector at my local Circuit City's installation shop. Note there are 3 connectors, labeled "A", "B" and "C". Connectors "A" and "B" are for main power and amplified speaker output, while connector "C" is for the factory amp output. The Volkswagen connectors were only for "A" and "B". There wasn't a "C" connector available. (In my car, this wasn't an issue, as that connector was long gone and there were a bunch of spliced wires everywhere...)

[quote]Chris W. : what does it take to power the factory antenna booster? I hooked the antenna cable to the back of my radio, but the signal strength isn't what it seems others are getting. I ran all my own power and ground wires - do I need to power a booster somewhere?<hr></blockquote>

I think it's just a +12V switched, although this step had already been done in my car so I don't know the details. The antenna connector was already switched over to a standard plug (as opposed to the flat, thinner european plug).

[quote]For those of you who have put a new head unit in a Cab, how well can you see the displays?<hr></blockquote>

Can't speak for a Cabriolet, but in my Targa it's just about unreadable, without leaning way over to the center of the car to avoid glare. Thank goodness for that wireless remote...

-Chris

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

Rolo-
Have you thought about asking Rod Birch at Car Audio Innovations? (I hope he is a Rennlist sponsor, I honestly don't know). My page on Robin's website shows his work in my car: <a href="http://p-car.com/porsche/robert/tt.html" target="_blank">http://p-car.com/porsche/robert/tt.html</a> .

Rod was VERY helpful in my quest to find great sound in a 993 cabriolet. I insisted on hearing the stereo clearly at 80+ mph with the top down. I know, I know, call me selfish. Bottom line is that he was very honest about what would and would not work in a 993 or a 993 cab.

I bought all of my components from him, as well as his custom fit subwoofer enclosures that are done in factory carpet. They were so professionally finished, it is hard to tell they are not factory. You can see my finished product here:

Best of all, my friend and I installed everything and called Rod in California from Tennessee about fifteen times. He was very helpful, cordial and was never in a hurry to get off the phone.

I truly hope mentioning him on here is not out of line, as he is a true Porsche fan, and even more of a 911 fan. I would recommend him to any Porschephile.

SkipSauls

Wow, I thought that I'd gone a little nuts when putting a system in my 993, but it appears that I'm not alone!

The details of my system can be found at <a href="http://www.skipsauls.net/carrera/stereo.html" target="_blank">993 C4S Stereo System</a>. It has more power than I really need, but then so does the car itself. The clarity is unbelievable, and it can reproduce sounds that many home stereos have a hard time with. The rear footwells are now filled with subs and the front trunk is all but unusable due to the amps and CD changer, but hey, I didn't buy this as a practical car anyway.

Here's a shot of the trunk:



And the head unit, which is a good match for the car and not too obnoxious looking:



The graphics can be switched off if desired. When the car is shut off or the unit turned off, the unit flips over and looks like one of those detachable systems, without the hassle.

There are more pictures and details about the components on the page. I'm quite happy with it, with the only complaint being that the bottom of the seatbacks is scuffed from the subs. I'd put some padding or other protection there if I did it again.

graham_mitchell

The Apple iPod is now available in a PC version AND with 20GB (that's 4,000 songs!)

Two pieces of good news

I think I might do away with the extra weight and volume of my CD changer, and use an iPod instead. 60 songs v 4,000 songs

With the added bonus that you can take it away with you and use as a personal stereo too.

see:

<a href="http://www.apple.com/ipod/" target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/ipod/</a>

Jim Morton

FWIW:

I installed a 1 MY old Alpine 7949 in my 993. Choosing a head unit was a very difficult choice. I definately wanted a pre-amp only head unit and found that most manufacturers have gone for the more mass market. Being more into sound than flash, I felt that the slightly older Alpines matched the 993 interior better. I had no trouble finding a new in the box unit via Internet searches. Cost was good too. Less than $200 for a new unit that retialed for over $500. Cool. As a note, there is also an Alpine 7941 that is a good head unit that has a rotary volume ****, if that is important. Same high end CD-Reciever, just less "display".

The only other unit that still "calls to me" from time to time is the Nakamichi CD-700. Quite a unit, but $1200... Ouch.

Hope this helps.

Jim Morton
<img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

Rob 97 993c2

graham-
I have an alpine 7894 installed. I do not have a CD changer or preamp. If i get an IPod, how would i install it to the alpine as an input? Where would I put the Ipod and still take it away when im done?

Rob 97 993c2

graham-
I have an alpine 7894 installed. I do not have a CD changer or preamp. If i get an IPod, how would i install it to the alpine as an input? Where would I put the Ipod and still take it away when im done?

graham_mitchell

Rob,

Don't quote me on this but...

Yes, your Alpine 7894 has an auxiliary input. The same Ai-net connector for adding a cd changer can also be used as an input for the iPod sound when you buy the kca-121b adapter.

see <a href="http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=KCA-121B" target="_blank">http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=KCA-121B</a>

You might want to check with your Alpine dealer

You then need a RCA to stereo minijack cable (costs a few dollars) which you leave installed in the car.

It is up to you where you install the iPod. You could attach a velcrose pad to the back of it and the other velcrose pad somewhere convenient around your dash, for example. Then there is just one cable to connect/disconnect when you add/remove the unit.

I also have an Alpine unit, the <a href="http://ecominet2.alpine-usa.com/pls/admn/item_info?p_item_name=CVA-1006&p_category=10&p_subcategory=50&p_main=10" target="_blank">CVA-1006</a>

Good luck, and if you go ahead, let us know how you go!

Graham

Anir

This is a great thread. I've been wanting to upgrade the stereo for 2 years. I was particularly impressed with the clean look of Skip's installation, and the fact that his head unit masquerades as a detachable faceplate when not in use. Very nice.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with the McIntosh MX-406 head unit. It's a pre-amp only model, and I agree with Jim that this allows you to go with a cleaner external amp. I love my McIntosh home equipment, and have a friend in NYC who has offered to sell me his used 406. I like its old fashioned analog look, which I think would suit the 993 dashboard. It would also blend in well with the carbon fiber pieces.



Anyone know a good car stereo shop in Cincinnati?

AvsFan

I was pleased enough with the deck/CD changer but wanted more power and clarity for top down highway speed driving. I was aiming for the "stealth" approach so as not to affect the factory look in this case.

I went with a Diamond Audio 600/4 amp which the shop I used custom mounted in the bonnet without drilling or any alteration of stock. They rewired the whole thing and used an Alpine component speaker system behind the existing grills in doors and rear.

Sound is absolutely incredible! You even get plenty of bass punch without subwoofers. It isn't hip-hop ground shattering, but nice and tight and loud enough for me.

The only thing I have to go back for is that at low volume you hear the all-too-familiar aftermarket acclerator whine. That is, a high pitched ringing when you accelerate permeates your speakers. It does not increase when you turn up the volume.

I think it is an issue of interference from the cars wiring system and the stereo cables running too close together. The shop guarantees they can get rid of it with creative wire routing and grounding.

This system is incredible. Just another option for you all...

Caveman

Hi Rolo,

I went with the Alpine head unit (CD Radio). If you get one with their BBE bass circuitry it makes a hell of a lot of differemce to what you can play through the standard speakers. Next I put Infinity 3x6 "plate" component speakers (Fit straight into rear holes with standard covers. This beefs up the sound a lot. Next I'm due to put decent speakers in the front and finally I'll go with a decent bass tube or box though there seem to be various options. Do use the Alpine though as they are very good.

Cheers,

David
<img src="graemlins/drink.gif" border="0" alt="[cherrsagai]" />

Jack Ennuste

Rolo

You should consider also Nakamichi. They have main units MB75 and MB100 what swallow 6 CD-s and fit into 1 DIN hole (as in Porsche). Pros: no external CD Changer, no extra space needed, no cables; very convinient to change CD-s in the cabine. Tuner itself is top-class with RCA-s to hook up to external amp.