I took some advice from the 996 forum and changed out my Bose speakers to JBL GTO series. This is such an incredible improvement! I have always been very disappointed with the Bose system. Stuffing the subwoofer box with fiber, and lining it with dynamat, helped with the boominess. But the system still sounded muddy. Replacing these speakers for a few hundred dollars is an incredibly easy way to transform the stereo system. And it was very easy! You will need a dremel or something to enlarge the door enclosure, but this only takes minutes.

Here is a link to the original thread:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...in-here-2.html

Justin

 

I like my stock Bose, factory sub is still kicking 13 years later.

 

The only issue after looking at that forum, they had 996 Carreras not turbos and the turbos have an upgraded system over the 911 c2 & C4 cars

 

I am not sure if the premium sound system for the 996 carrera is that different from the turbo, but it appears that the premium sound for the carrera uses at least most of the same components as the premium sound in the turbos. Either way, there is quite a difference in the clarity of sound from better speakers. And although the subwoofer puts out enough bass, putting dynamat inside with some fiber stuffing will cut much of the boominess, while maintaining the low frequencies. This change alone will clarify a lot of the muddiness. Additionally, if you have a car that has a stiffened suspension and hard motor mounts, it will reduce the amount of noise that is generated within the subwoofer box.

I am just so pleased with the improvement in listening enjoyment for myself that I wanted to share this simple and inexpensive upgrade.

 

+1 I won't claim to be an expert in the intricacies of NA996 vs 996tt factory stereo systems, but I wasn't aware that the factory differentiated between the two based on the engine. I know that the 2003+ cars came with the MOST system, so upgrades were more difficult to do at that point. Is that possibly what Kevin is referring to?

 

There is not much difference between the Bose upgrade to the C2and C4, but my point was that was an option. The turbo got the better system as standard.

http://press.porsche.com/archive/pro...oseRelease.pdf

 

That was my understanding, as well, that the turbo system and upgraded Carrera system was the same. Both the standard and upgraded systems suffer from lack of clarity and boominess. Another option would be to go with Infinity speakers all around, which probably would sound even better than the JBL. The JBL GTO series, however, have resistances closer to the stock Bose speakers, so there is less risk of stressing the amps. This is what makes them such a fantastic improvement in the Bose system, since you can use the stock amps and wiring and just spend a few hundred dollars on better speakers.