SICAONE

NickS,

I was able to add two JL 8W3-D2's and my Xtant 300 watt amp in a custom box for about $600 all said and done. I was going to go with a Nakamichi head unit because the lighting matched the color of the interior lighting but I heard that a few people have had problems with the CD player skipping. I am happy with the current highs of the Porsche radio for know, but I wish it had some more mid-bass to fill the gap. I too will probably change the head unit when I get a chance.

Carlos from Spain

Sicaone, did you change the stock door speakers?

NickS

I was worried about the mid bass too. Thanks for commenting on that. I figured there would be a good gap in the bass. Have you messed with the crossover on your sub to try and blend it a little better?

I would not get the Nakamichi for a few more reasons than just the skipping. It's nice and does match well but the reliability issues I've read about and heard about put me off it.

So for now, I will go the route you did and just add a sub of some sort.

SICAONE

Carlos, I did not change the door speakers. Do you think that could solve my midbass crisis? I am sure better speakers would make a ton of difference for overall sound quality anyway. Did you change yours? The 993 Sound System sucked even worse than the 996's and that is why I changed everything going with Mmats components and amps.

Nick S,
I have messed with the crossover monthly and found you just can't turn it up too much or it sounds sloppy/boomy. Mine is typically set betweem 80 and 100 Hz. This is just my personal preference. I think for true sub bass though, you are supposed to set at less than 50Hz.

Sloth

Sicaone...

I have always found it very difficult to match an aftermarket sub system with any factory system... especialy when you have as much power going to them as you do. The levels are never right and there is almost always a gap in the frequency. IMHO, replacing the factory amp and speakers would really bring the rest of the system to life... along with proper tuning of course.

DoubleNutz

Huh? That I actually took as an insult...just to clarify something- I have built at least one Car Audio National (originally sponsored and conducted by ALPINE) 2nd place regional winning car 500-750W Consumer Class and did not use a drop of alpine, dei, ppi products and nor were any of those even remotely close to me with the exception of the 1st place a/d/s Soundstream car. ALLl of the placing cars had Pheonix Gold SOMETHING in them every single one of them...even if it were cables. My car was primarily Rockford Fosgate and MB Quart. As for Clarion for those of you have been in high-end audio circles I guess you can understand the quality level of the statement he just put into the public domain here.

Hands down the Macintosh Clarion is quite possibly one the best head units made for car-audio in the past 10 years and was first introduced as such in 1996 at the CES very few car audio devices are made to deliver the quality of performance that the Clarion DRX9255 for the money...do your homework on this read it and weep all over the web!

Please let me reiterate- proprietary noise rejection, the Zero bit detector mute circuit and add-on internal processors are their primary benefits. If you are seriously into high end or competition the DRX9255 Clarion has a trick up their sleeve for the price- it features dual Burr-Brown 20-bit D/A converters

I bet if you talk to your Alpine or Nakamichi dealer and ask for the dual Burr-Brown 20-bit D/A converters alone as a prerequirement in your head unit you are quite possibly in for a $2k plus surprise!

When was the last time your system install was so powerful you needed to upgrade the alternator, wiring, fuses etc. in the car? I doubt you have ever built anything that sweet! Your not in my league here- and as for the other commet on using JL Audio 8W3's....geeeeeezus krist...oh my god you guys said you were Audiophiles !

DoubleNutz

I am happy to take photos and post them. It definately means that I will need to remove body paneling as everything is in either the factory enclosures or well concealed, as I said wit the exception of the tuned sealed enclosure in the rear. My 996 was first high-end audio system since my 2nd place competiton car I built several years ago. I knew what I wanted and what to expect in price if I were going to do it again. There are many here in the Pacific NW in Porsche Circles and out that have seen or heard the system in m car and all agree it is a winner. I have no intention of competing it I just wanted a premier audio system that I could listen to with windows up or down at highway speeds. Ironically, when my system is not in need of repair, it is rather awesome.

NiveK

well for your info doublenutz i have won 5 1st place trophies at nationals when i was with Hawk electronics and 2 2nd and 1 3rd place finish when i competed with my friends shop Unlimited, and the last time i had to upgrade wiring for my audio system was about a year ago when i put in my personal system in my bmw, but its all good if you can make it work in your setup, its not really about the quality of the name, but of the install and i was not taking a hit at the quality of either phoenix gold or clarions but of the price that was quoted as compared to the quality components i use that IMHO are better than those to by leaps and bounds just didn't add up, in fact in alllll of my wins at sound comps i have never spend that kind of money into a vehicle, so further proof that either you live where the prices are soooo high that its not even funny or it was a bit of an exaggeration

NiveK

and one more thing doublenuts, the a/d/s you refered to is made by PPI

Carlos from Spain

Definately will improve the midbass response IMO, The door speakers are the responsible ones for that midbass since you can fit a pair of good 6" woofers in the doors which will take over the 125Hz and up range to the mid and tweets freqs of the the dash and fill that gap better. I don't know how much juice you have going to the door woofers, so you may have to put another amp in the trunk or use the same extra one that you use for the sub box depending on the amp's capabilities. Better speakers are going to need more power to move their magnet and will also allow you to push the system more so need more power to back that up too.

Yes I changed all stock speakers, they are useless, I think in the doors I have Rockford Fosgate's top of the line back then, can't remember model name.

Jmac

Can I ask you guys a general question in the midst of this car-audio testosterone? It's a simple one: is it worth ordering the Bose system on a new Porsche if you want a decent system?

Doublenutz - it would still be great to see photos of your system without taking any panels off - I'm interested in how good a high end system looks once it's completed...

TUNER

Hi Guys.

I'm new to the boards and wish I read this post 3 weeks ago. I am working on my new system for a 996 coupe, So far I have installed
an eclipse head unit because of the 8 volt pre outs, 2 Nakamichi Amps
( not sure if I love them Yet) , Focal Utopia separates in the front (love them), MB Quartz Q series in the back( Love them) XM Radio (great) Temporary Bazoka tube ( I stole it from my mothers 500 HP 911 turbo cab)
The real Box should be delivered by this weekend.

In My opinion not having a good Stereo in your Porsche is like not having Hot water in your house, Sure you could live like that but what
is the Point.

Jared W.

Hi All,

After experimenting with MB Quart, Alpine, Eclipse, Nakamichi, a/d/s, Boston Pro Series and others, the best combination for "my ear" is the Mcintosh MX406 head unit, Mcintosh MC420M Amp, with Focal Utopia speakers. Absolutely beautiful sounding system.

I do like the Eclipse head units. MB Quart makes a great speaker.....I think the premier line is jsut as good as the Q series if not better though.

If you have the install done right, you should not have to cut new holes for your speakers. Adding a sub is another issue; well worth it as far as sound, but hard to disguise.

Myk

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jmac
[B]Can I ask you guys a general question in the midst of this car-audio testosterone? It's a simple one: is it worth ordering the Bose system on a new Porsche if you want a decent system?

Jmac:

I'm a car audio nut but I ordered the bose system since I'm leasing my C4s and didn't want to do a major install. For the money the bose system is OK. Not a lot of highs and not much deep bass (but a lot of mid bass!). I'd say if you're not an audiophile it's probably going to sound pretty good, but if you've ever heard a good aftermarket system it's not in the same league.

Myk

NickS

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Myk

Quote:

[i]For the money the bose system is OK. Not a lot of highs and not much deep bass (but a lot of mid bass!). Myk

"No highs, no lows, it must be BOSE"