New 993 Owner and Rennlist Member
01-28-2013, 10:59 PM
#16
Racer
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Montreal, Canada
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Welcome Jason and congrats for the nice find. I also bought my first Porsche (a 964) from a old p-car nut 
. He gave me a little dragon toy when he sold me his car, saying this was his car (the dragon) and not mine, that I must keep the dragon in the car and pass it to the next owner (what I did). You're right that Rennlist is also part of the experience of owning a p-car, especially older models like ours.
. He gave me a little dragon toy when he sold me his car, saying this was his car (the dragon) and not mine, that I must keep the dragon in the car and pass it to the next owner (what I did). You're right that Rennlist is also part of the experience of owning a p-car, especially older models like ours.
02-06-2013, 01:50 AM
#19
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
993 Stereo System Upgrade Complete!
Thanks everyone for the welcome. @hkspwrsche - Thanks for the 3rd brake light LED upgrade link. I'm tackling this project next. @Tim - Correction: short throw rather than short ratio
I have finally completed the installation of the stereo upgrade. It took me about 3 weekends but I took my time and didn't rush anything. I will say it was worth every penny. All the components were purchased online for about $1100. (not including iPod) The bamboo sub enclosure was custom made for $300. An enclosure can be made for less, but bamboo looks great IMO and no MDF! I stained it to approximately match the wood steering wheel, shifter and brake handle.
Before I started the project, I established three requirements:
Here is the list of components:
Here are images of each component installed with a few notes:
I looked at a bunch of receivers and the Kenwood KDDC-X996 had the best set of features. It was also priced right at about $249. The iPod integration is well done. It also has various color options so it matches the custom blue LED dash in this car. See photo at the end. All songs/albums/groups appear on the 3 line display. The screen surface is highly reflective as others have mentioned. This is slightly annoying but I can live with it considering the feature set. One note about receivers and audio sources. If you want to take full advantage of a high end audio system, CD (old school) or Lossless digital music is a must. I ripped a bunch of CDs in Apple lossless format for the iPod and semi-permanently installed it inside the console. The small removable panel in the passenger footwell worked perfectly. Since it charges from the stereo, I only need to access it to load new music. This receiver provides a very clean signal with lots of controls for advanced users. The HD radio and XM is a nice touch as well.
I chose the Focal Access 165A1 SG for the doors. Much has been written on these speakers as they're very popular for the 993 and others. They were a good fit. I spent some extra time and removed the OEM Nokia tweets from the tweeter grills. I pried with a flat screwdriver and they popped right out. I then hot glued the Focal tweets into the OEM grills. The end result is a 100% stock look here. The PO had installed some low grade Pioneer speakers in the lower door. I retained the Pioneer grills as they blend in fairly well. I will likely end up replacing the grills with OEM grills. The Focal mids have an aluminum look dome which I will paint black when I get around to it. Great sounding speakers for the money.
Some people simply disconnect the rear speakers. IMO you need some filler sound in the rear of the car to make it sound full. These Boston Acoustics 4 x 6 plates did the trick. The dropped right into the factory location with no mods. The screw holes even aligned. The only issue was getting the speaker grills to attached. I ended up using a 5lb per inch double stick foam tape. I took a knife and trimmed it to match the speaker grill frame. Worked well and looks stock.
The JL Audio XD 700/5 amplifier is a great buy. It's a perfect match up for the speakers selected. It provides 200 watts of very clean power to the 8" sub. It also has some really nice tuning features and full frequency controls for each channel. It is nearly a perfect fit for under the passenger seat. Rather than putting holes in the floor panels, I used the same double stick foam tape that was used to attach the speaker grills to the rear deck. Some people may not approve of using tape. Those folks probably don't realize where tape is used today in industry. It's used to bond metal together in industry all the time. The right tape can create a bond so strong that it can't be pried apart with a crow bar. We use this at work for some applications but it would be overkill. The home depot 5lb double foam tape is perfect - strong but could be removed later if needed.
A lot of folks use and recommend Rod at Car Audio Innovations for the sub enclosures. I contemplated going this route but then I found out it was a permanent install. I didn't want to lose use of the back seats. My other concern was this solution didn't appear to create a completely sealed enclosure which may affect sound quality. Also, I really didn't want MDF in my new 993. IMO a 993 deserves better.
After spending a few days trying to figure out how to hide the sub, I decided to go a completely different direction. I would instead create an awesome looking enclosure that was compact and matched the 993's character. I would have a custom enclosure built from 3/4" bamboo plywood. If you're not familiar with bamboo plywood - it's harder and stronger than the hardwoods, takes a stain nicely, and has a unique, high quality look to it. It can be stained any color from light to dark. I chose a stain that roughly matched the wood trim on the steering wheel, brake handle, and shift ****. The edges were deeply routed to create nice rounded corners.
For the sub, I chose the JL Audio W3v3 8" sub rated to 250 watts. It got great reviews and I can confirm, this is one serious 8" sub. It creates outstanding, tight bass with great accuracy. The best part about it is the manufacturer recommendation for the enclosure is only a 0.3 cubic feat sealed enclosure. It turns out that this is the exact size enclosure that fits behind the 993 seat and and leaves plenty of floor space up front. I set up the enclosure with external connectors so I can quickly remove and reinstall the sub. I considered two subs but after hearing the one, two would be an absolute overkill. Plus, I like the idea that one person can ride in the back with the sub in place. When both back seats are needed, I simply unplug the sub and remove it. In the beginning, I planned to devise some sort of attachment mechanism with a quick release. It turns out that the front seat can be positioned to holds it in place firmly.
By the way, I have an extra Bamboo sub enclosure. Shoot me a PM if interested. $300 OBO.
Bamboo Sub Enclosure in Position
View of Bamboo Sub Enclosure when entering
Custom blue LED lights for dash. This is nice touch but I can't take credit for this as it was done by the PO. Luckily, it was done correctly - they dim as normal using the dimmer switch.
Like most projects, the stereo upgrade took longer than expected but IMO was worth both the time and every penny. The sound quality and accuracy is nothing short of outstanding. Admission: not as good as the sound of the flat 6 at 5,000 RPM. But doesn't the world's most perfect car deserve better than the distorted OEM stuff?
I have finally completed the installation of the stereo upgrade. It took me about 3 weekends but I took my time and didn't rush anything. I will say it was worth every penny. All the components were purchased online for about $1100. (not including iPod) The bamboo sub enclosure was custom made for $300. An enclosure can be made for less, but bamboo looks great IMO and no MDF! I stained it to approximately match the wood steering wheel, shifter and brake handle.
Before I started the project, I established three requirements:
- had to retain a near stock look for everything but receiver
- no permanent modification to the interior that couldn't be returned to stock easily
- the subwoofer could not prohibit use of back seats and must be removable in less than 15 seconds(the kiddos love the 911)
Here is the list of components:
- Kenwood KDDC-X996 receiver
- JL Audio XD 700/5 amplifier
- Focal Access 165A1 SG (doors)
- Boston Acoustics 4 x 6 plates (rear deck)
- JL Audio W3v3 Series 8" Sub (custom bamboo enclosure)
- iPod Classic 160 GB (Apple lossless files)
Here are images of each component installed with a few notes:
I looked at a bunch of receivers and the Kenwood KDDC-X996 had the best set of features. It was also priced right at about $249. The iPod integration is well done. It also has various color options so it matches the custom blue LED dash in this car. See photo at the end. All songs/albums/groups appear on the 3 line display. The screen surface is highly reflective as others have mentioned. This is slightly annoying but I can live with it considering the feature set. One note about receivers and audio sources. If you want to take full advantage of a high end audio system, CD (old school) or Lossless digital music is a must. I ripped a bunch of CDs in Apple lossless format for the iPod and semi-permanently installed it inside the console. The small removable panel in the passenger footwell worked perfectly. Since it charges from the stereo, I only need to access it to load new music. This receiver provides a very clean signal with lots of controls for advanced users. The HD radio and XM is a nice touch as well.
I chose the Focal Access 165A1 SG for the doors. Much has been written on these speakers as they're very popular for the 993 and others. They were a good fit. I spent some extra time and removed the OEM Nokia tweets from the tweeter grills. I pried with a flat screwdriver and they popped right out. I then hot glued the Focal tweets into the OEM grills. The end result is a 100% stock look here. The PO had installed some low grade Pioneer speakers in the lower door. I retained the Pioneer grills as they blend in fairly well. I will likely end up replacing the grills with OEM grills. The Focal mids have an aluminum look dome which I will paint black when I get around to it. Great sounding speakers for the money.
Some people simply disconnect the rear speakers. IMO you need some filler sound in the rear of the car to make it sound full. These Boston Acoustics 4 x 6 plates did the trick. The dropped right into the factory location with no mods. The screw holes even aligned. The only issue was getting the speaker grills to attached. I ended up using a 5lb per inch double stick foam tape. I took a knife and trimmed it to match the speaker grill frame. Worked well and looks stock.
The JL Audio XD 700/5 amplifier is a great buy. It's a perfect match up for the speakers selected. It provides 200 watts of very clean power to the 8" sub. It also has some really nice tuning features and full frequency controls for each channel. It is nearly a perfect fit for under the passenger seat. Rather than putting holes in the floor panels, I used the same double stick foam tape that was used to attach the speaker grills to the rear deck. Some people may not approve of using tape. Those folks probably don't realize where tape is used today in industry. It's used to bond metal together in industry all the time. The right tape can create a bond so strong that it can't be pried apart with a crow bar. We use this at work for some applications but it would be overkill. The home depot 5lb double foam tape is perfect - strong but could be removed later if needed.
A lot of folks use and recommend Rod at Car Audio Innovations for the sub enclosures. I contemplated going this route but then I found out it was a permanent install. I didn't want to lose use of the back seats. My other concern was this solution didn't appear to create a completely sealed enclosure which may affect sound quality. Also, I really didn't want MDF in my new 993. IMO a 993 deserves better.
After spending a few days trying to figure out how to hide the sub, I decided to go a completely different direction. I would instead create an awesome looking enclosure that was compact and matched the 993's character. I would have a custom enclosure built from 3/4" bamboo plywood. If you're not familiar with bamboo plywood - it's harder and stronger than the hardwoods, takes a stain nicely, and has a unique, high quality look to it. It can be stained any color from light to dark. I chose a stain that roughly matched the wood trim on the steering wheel, brake handle, and shift ****. The edges were deeply routed to create nice rounded corners.
For the sub, I chose the JL Audio W3v3 8" sub rated to 250 watts. It got great reviews and I can confirm, this is one serious 8" sub. It creates outstanding, tight bass with great accuracy. The best part about it is the manufacturer recommendation for the enclosure is only a 0.3 cubic feat sealed enclosure. It turns out that this is the exact size enclosure that fits behind the 993 seat and and leaves plenty of floor space up front. I set up the enclosure with external connectors so I can quickly remove and reinstall the sub. I considered two subs but after hearing the one, two would be an absolute overkill. Plus, I like the idea that one person can ride in the back with the sub in place. When both back seats are needed, I simply unplug the sub and remove it. In the beginning, I planned to devise some sort of attachment mechanism with a quick release. It turns out that the front seat can be positioned to holds it in place firmly.
By the way, I have an extra Bamboo sub enclosure. Shoot me a PM if interested. $300 OBO.
Bamboo Sub Enclosure in Position
View of Bamboo Sub Enclosure when entering
Custom blue LED lights for dash. This is nice touch but I can't take credit for this as it was done by the PO. Luckily, it was done correctly - they dim as normal using the dimmer switch.
Like most projects, the stereo upgrade took longer than expected but IMO was worth both the time and every penny. The sound quality and accuracy is nothing short of outstanding. Admission: not as good as the sound of the flat 6 at 5,000 RPM. But doesn't the world's most perfect car deserve better than the distorted OEM stuff?
02-06-2013, 05:08 PM
#21
Banned
Congrats - and WELCOME!!
Of course, your choice of a WHITE 993 says a lot for your taste - which is beyond reproach. As well - all of us in the know, know White 993s are the most trouble-free 993s to own - and actually (while I can't prove it??) - offer an additional few to the HP numbers..??
BTW - before anyone tells you to lose the picnic-basket handle - let it be known - I love mine..??
Now, about the bumperettes...
- and welcome to the slippery slope!!
John D.
Of course, your choice of a WHITE 993 says a lot for your taste - which is beyond reproach. As well - all of us in the know, know White 993s are the most trouble-free 993s to own - and actually (while I can't prove it??) - offer an additional few to the HP numbers..??
BTW - before anyone tells you to lose the picnic-basket handle - let it be known - I love mine..??
Now, about the bumperettes...
- and welcome to the slippery slope!!John D.
02-07-2013, 05:33 PM
#28
Pro
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, Canada.
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Nice car, and welcome aboard. I like your stereo set up. It's exactly what the PO of my car had installed, minus the sub enclosure, which is a custom black carpet covered pod behind my drivers seat.
