Ekofisk

Hello all,

I bought a 2009 997.2 Targa 4S last october, and have been very happy with it. Except for the audio quality of the sound system. It is dreadful. It is the stock one (no Bose, no Burmester). So I want to see what options are available. I have checked out a great number of threads, but still am a bit unsure what to do. A local car audio dealer suggested something like this:

https://www.pioneer-car.eu/eur/products/avic-f88dab

Does anyone have any experience with this? The new HU would probably increase the sound quality some, but not all that much, so ideally I would be looking at speaker replacements also. The car audio guy also told me options were very limited as there's very little room to do anything, really, in these cars. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks a lot!

Skyhawk172

Ekofisk

Unless you have steering wheel inputs think about at least having a volume dial pushing volume up and down is a pain in the ___. I put a Kenwood receiver in my Boxster but hated that to work the volume you had to keep taping the button where as with a dial easy pease.

Ekofisk

Yeah, I've thought about this. I agree, constantly tapping a screen and/or button really is annoying. But I don't think I can live with the sound quality and no BT music for much longer, and as such, am probably willing to sacrifice the **** for the extra features and hopefully improved sound.

I saw the other thread about the Seicane factory looking unit, but apparently it only works with the 997.1 (and not sure about the actual quality).

Skyhawk172

The Cayenne Guys rave about it i thought about putting it in my Cayenne but have decided not too as it is not my daily driver. I'm not a big music nut listen to country music mostly and use my ipad mini for maps. now if it was my daily driver i would put something in i did like my Kenwood set up in the Boxster.

ocgarza

I was lucky my 2009 C4S came with the Bose system and while far from perfect, it's pretty good. My understanding is any head unit swap is complex because all kinds of non-music electronics are controlled through it. I'll leave it to the experts that know a lot more than I do about that issue. I agree with Skyhawk172 about having a volume dial - do not get any system that has the push screen volume control. That's what's in the Cayman and it is less safe and convenient than a dial.

Vincent713

My 2008 screen died and I'm either looking to replace it with a use OEM replacement or should I get an aftermarket head unit? My steering wheel does not have any stereo control so I don't have to mess with that. How much does a typical head unit with navigation and bluetooth go for with installation cost these days?

Ekofisk

I agree, just touch screen would be a nightmare. The one I linked to has actual physical buttons (+ and -) for volume, which I guess I slightly better.

Skyhawk172

only slightly it takes your eyes off the road for a second to find the right button to push where a dial you just reach for it feel it then turn. that being said it is doable if you can not find a receiver with a ****.

Skyhawk172

For my Kenwood install in my Boxster a couple years ago was about 1500.00 but it did not the navigation part but did have Apple play that allowed me to use Apple map. but if you have the PCM in your car already Porsche use it to can settings for a lot of things that you will not be able to do if you switch it out so i heard.

Bruce In Philly

Your assumption that changing the speakers will have a bigger affect than the head unit is false. The devil is this Becker head unit. I had the opportunity to compare my car, side by side, two 2009s in my driveway. In my car, I have the Bose premium system where I swapped out all speakers for Focal units. My friend's car had the base system but only changed the head unit. I don't remember what it was. The sound out of that car was far superior than mine. It really made music. Mine sounded like the old system with a bit more detail. More detail on low fidelity is ... well sketchy at best.

Even without a comparison, the moment I switched on my system with the new Focals installed... well it was an incremental improvement at best. I am not sure it was worth the big effort to replace them. BTW, from my reading, it appears easier to replace speakers on the base system as the Bose speakers are in these oddly shaped plastic cages that are then mounted into the doors.

Futher, the head units on the Bose Premium and the base systems is the same. There is a software switch that a dealer can flip. For base, there are 4 sets of pins providing an analog out FL/FR, RL/RR. The Bose premium head unit has those pins dead but the digital out is active... that then connects via optical cable back to a processor/amp under the passenger seat. This link uses propriatary comms protocols and there is no "converter" made as of a few months ago.

Common mistake is blaming speakers..... the devil is usually in the electronics...... and I witnessed the proof by comparing two cars side by side at the same time.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Vincent T.

$1500 is way too much for a head unit that doesn't even have navigation. I was assuming they are around 500-700 with installation. I don't have the Bose system so should I change the speakers? Anyone have more knowledge about the PCM and how it would affect an aftermarket stereo?

grscha

I have a 997.1 with Bose, so things might be slightly different. But I replaced the factory HU with a Pioneer unit like the one above. I also replaced the stock amplifier. I didn't touch the speakers. This gave me a vastly better HU with modern features and greatly improved sound. I felt this approach was the best value for the money. Replacing the speakers would have made the project significantly more expensive.

Vincent713

Got a photo of your HU on your car? I like to see how clean it looks. Also, how much was total bill?

Raky

Ekofisk

Thanks for all your replies. I guess I'll try the Pioneer-route and look into exchanging the stock amplifier as well.

I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks again!