Arrr_Jay

Hi all,

Been doing some digging to try to find a specific part for when I replace the PCM 1 in my 2001 Turbo. I see the amazon kit -> . And also suggestions on wiring harness as well. Any help for those that have been through this upgrade would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Ian Cooke

Hello, a lot depends on what you’re switching *to*. Some useful info here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...do-i-need.html

ZuffenZeus

You're system is pre-MOST analogy I/O which is good because you have more aftermarket options like the Pioneer you mention. Are you running BOSE? That would be a little snag interconnecting to the amps. The Metra mount is fine, but you'll need their wireharness too.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-2Q76wi...BoCK2sQAvD_BwE

z driver 88t

First off, I'm not a stereo guy, so if any of this is mis-stated, feel free to jump in and correct me. But I've done a lot of digging into this issue. Depending on what setup you have there may be a little more to it.

I have the PCM1 with DVD nav and DSP with the 6-disc changer I've been wanting to swap out for years. My understanding is (from the digging I've done) seems to be that the head unit and factory amp are integrated with the DSP unit. My understanding is that you just can't swap out the PCM1 head unit as a simple upgrade without eliminating the DSP, and then needing to upgrade the amplifier because the factory amp expects to see a signal from the DSP unit which gets bypassed when you upgrade the head unit.

Then upgrading the amp requires a 5-channel amp, not just a basic 4-channel, because the two dash and rear speakers are high impedance while the door "mini-subs" are low impedance. So you end up needing a 5-channel and a custom harness to eliminate the DSP and deal with the low-impedance door speaker factory amp set-up. I've looked all over for anyone that has documented an affordable way to do this and had no luck. So that's a long winded way of saying I THINK to upgrade from PCM1 with factory amp and DSP requires a new head unit, new amp, and custom harness.

The only real plug and play solution I've seen to deal with the amp is from CAI because they offer a custom harness, but their 5-channel amp kit is $850. There plenty of more affordable 5-channel amps on the market and even the Kenwood XR901-5 amp that CAI sells is generally available for $580 or less. So I have a hard time paying an extra $270 for what is basically an installation kit. Which puts me right back where I was years ago, still running the same PCM 1 unit.

This is the CAI link BTW. https://cai-store.com/collections/99...-amplifier-kit

Please update this thread with your solution, especially if you install it yourself.

ZuffenZeus

Actually, most of the (minus BOSE) OE amplifiers from HAES and Nokia are 6-channel amplifiers. 4 channels feed the dash and rear speakers and operate a stable impedance output of 4 ohms, whereas 2 other channels output a nominal 2 ohm impedance for the "full range" door speakers.

Most of the current aftermarket amplifiers are stable down to a 2 ohm impedance and so they will work for all speakers in these cars, but usually the aftermarket amps provide more power and fidelity than the factory HAES speakers can produce. Therefore, it's wise to swap out the speakers if you install an aftermarket amp. BOSE in the pre-most cars is a whole nother ball of wax.

Most of the HiFi cars come with "M490" amplifiers and the DSP setups come with M680 amps. The only hurdle I've seen with the DSP amps when integrating with aftermarket radios or the new PCCM+ is grounding the pin as noted in the Porsche TSB.