pcarhombre

Before I begin, I know what some of you folks think about stereos vs the music of the motor. Since I have my FD2's, there is much appreciation for the wondrous sound of the car. But forgive me: sometimes I like a little tune with my travel. The 210 is ok and the speakers have been upgraded. I really need BT for phone and streaming Pandora and also carry my ipod. (This unit allows me to insert the ipod in the internal) tray and still connect my Droid to give me navigation via the front USB. So despite the fact that I cannot "dial-in" the illumination color to match the rest of the dash, I'm close to pulling the trigger on a new Sony for the ipod plus all the other stuff I need. It made a statement about how to wire it and I wanted to know if anyone here knows the best way to wire it.

"Whether using the internal 52W x 4 high power amplifier for your speakers or the 4 Volt Front, Rear and Sub RCA pre-amp outputs to feed an external amplifier, you can dial in the output for optimum sound."

AFAIK, I don't have premium sound just two speakers per door (little round and larger one) and two speakers in the rear deck. What is the advantage of not using the internal amp? Is it more powerful than what we currently have? Do I even have a choice about how to wire it? Some of the sellers provide a "custom wire harness. Do I just match the colors of the wires solder, heatwrap and call it a day?

TIA

BTW: Sony DSXS-300BTX is the unit.

Warpig

IMO if you don't have aftermarket speakers in your doors (preferably separates) dont bother with an out board amp. That deck has plenty of power to make stock speakers sound as good as they are going to.

Nick

os993

Correct, you do not have "premium" sound option, or what is commonly referred to as the "hifi" option.

Interesting choice in HU - I'm also in the hunt for a new HU (I have the same setup you have) and am interested in this Sony HU. Aesthetically, a bit more blingy than I would like in my 993 (I liked the Nakamichi CD-400/500 look better), but the price is right and the features are nice.

Good luck. In terms of an adapter, do a search - there is a common adaptor purchased via Crutchfield that a lot of folks have used.

pcarhombre

@Nick: The speakers have been upgraded by the PO to Polks all around. Would that change your opinion? Don't we have some kind of amp already under the seat or somewhere? Do you have any clue about its output?
@os999: The "bling factor" is really the only thing that sort of annoys me about this unit. Kenwood has one that can be self-adjusted to fit whatever, but folks complain that the face is too shiny and the menus are a mess. Sony also has one with good-old-fashion-buttons for radio presets. I like that too, but it would leave wires coming out of the face and I figured I'd trade the blue or red for a clean appearance I'd like to give Crutchfield the business (they are so helpful) but I can get that unit elsewhere on-line for $50 cheaper.

Warpig

Yes that would totally change my mind. It depends on the model of speakers installed and whether they are co/tri axial or separates with a custom crossover network. I'm a big fan of clean sound so I myself would go with a more powerful aftermarket amp than the speakers require and than what Porsche provides. Only because I would rather supply good clean sound/power to the speakers using lower deck and amp volumes than driving the crap out of everything. Everyone has differing opinions and depending on your goals for sound you will likely hear many... I didnt go ape **** on my system but I surely went with much more than the "Listen to the flat 6" crowd would allow. I LOVE music so it's important to me. I honestly dont know about the Porsche Amp under the seat. I put an an aftermarket amp in the trunk and wired my speakers directly from the trunk to the doors pulling new speaker wires into the doors through the door jamb rubber booties. Again thats me.. I have seen others post that they pulled the Porsche amp and replaced it with a similar sized higher output brand name unit under the seat and have been happy.

Nick

richardew

The OEM amp is a toy. If you put another amp there you are limited by the width of the seat rails. If I had only one upgrade to make to the audio system it would be an amp. There is so much ambient noise from the car that you will never have an audiophile experience in the car while driving. I have the upgraded hi fi system. I have an amp in the trunk for the subs and one under the seat for the other speakers. I have an alpine head unit and I plug into it my Ipod and my XM radio. I also buy from Crutchfield whenever I can. It's worth a few extra bucks to keep stores like them in business.

pcarhombre

Thanks for all the responses. Rich and Nick I agree that I am limited by the listening environment unless I want to really take it to the next level. I backed off the Sony unit because so many reviews cited a finicky toggle **** that does 7 different things. I went for a Kenwood excelon and am amazed how much quality and power come out of the Polk speakers. There are a million ways to shape the sound and so far, I'm really pleased. HD radio, BT, ipod control, Pandora all are amazingly smooth so far. The amp in the HU puts out a healthy 50w x 4 peak. The second reason I went with the Kenwood was the model number. KDC X995. Not quite a 993 but pretty damn close lol. I can also make the display match the dash. The cable does come in through the rear so there is no clutter in the cockpit. The only thing I gave up with this model is the streaming of music from my Droid via BT and the ability to store the ipod inside the unit. All in all, I hope I continue to love this HU. I'll see what it sounds like when I'm under throttle tomorrow

Warpig

Sounds like you are all set. Great! many Deck's these days have respectable power and sound good when driving a nice set of speakers. To many that is enough. Far better than stock at any rate.

Nick

pcarhombre

Yeah. I'm pretty happy with this upgrade! Next stop: short shift and golden rod. FD, I'll be in touch soon

Warpig

I have the FD Golden Rod and Short Shift Kit. If you ask me Porsche should have done it this way from the factory.

Nick