mdrums

My last 2- 997's had the Bose sound system and I did not order it with my new 2009 997S. I am happier than I thought I would be with this decision!

Background:
I am a musician, professional drummer and work in the music industry. I have worked in studios as a player and mix engineer. Also I am what I call an audiophile and have a few nice systems through out my house.

1st I totally understand that the cabin of a 997 is not the perfect listening environment. This is due to the cabin shape/volume and all the road noise inside a 997. However it is nice to have a good sounding system.

What I found with the Bose system is that the low end of the sound spectrum lacked punch in the 60-125hz area but the 30-50hz spectrum of sound seemed loose, bloated and over accented. I have some sound CD's with pink noise and a RTA (real time spectrum analyzer) and found what I was hearing to be true with the low end. Also with the Bose system the high end from around 8k on up seemed somewhat harsh but yet muted. The Bose system has some real weird equalizing going one that can not be changed with the simple bass and treble controls.

I figured I would not order Bose on my 2009 and with the saved money just upgrade the stock speakers if I felt I needed too. Well the stock system has really surprised me. It is not perfect or what I would call high quality and the low end does not contain the sub lows in the 30-40hz range as strong as the Bose system..BUT...the stock system has much better punch in the low end 60-125hz section. The bass drum sounds much better and can be felt better with the stock system. Where the stock system really outshines the Bose system is in the mid-range and high end. The stock system mids are much warmer and natural sounding and the high end is not nearly as shrill as the Bose system and there is more clarity and air in the stock system high end sound spectrum. The stock system also will play very loud as well.

I am extra happy with my decision not to get Bose this time around. Also to me Bose is low end Hi-Fi and does not belong in a high end car like a Porsche. I'd rather spend the money from not getting Bose on better speakers for the stock system or other options for my Porsche Carrera S.

DanJK

"What I found with the Bose system is that the low end of the sound spectrum lacked punch in the 60-125hz area but the 30-50hz spectrum of sound seemed loose, bloated and over accented."

Welcome to Bose - fine marketing.

points

Hey....at least I got a little sticker.It looks nice and kinda sporty.

Alan Smithee

I don't have any experience with the old Bose system...is the new standard stereo improved over the 997.1 standard stereo? And do you now if the new Bose improved over the old Bose?

The standard stereo in my 997 didn't bother me much until I sold it and have since been driving cars with much better systems, to the point that I am seriously thinking about getting Bose for the next 997. Obviously the 997 interior is compromised, but I'd be happy if I can get a decent system without wasting money (and weight!) on the Bose.

Texarkana

no highs no lows must be Bose

_Nathan

I'm not an audiophile but I agree with mdrums. I'm not very impressed with the Bose system in my 08 997S. The very low frequency subwoofer sound is often booming and muddy sounding. If I turn down the bass enough to attenuate the very low frequencies then the there is not enough overall bass sound. This thing needs an equalizer. The factory sound system in my Ford Expedition clearly sounds better but that may be due to the acoustics in an SUV vs a sports car.

mdrums

Alan, I am not sure about the old 997.1 stock system but from the 997.2 cars I have sat in the Bose sounds the same...no punch in the low end and horrible highs with harsh thin mids.

The Bose is still very unnatural sounding to me in the 2009 car...especially when I listen to well recorded acoustic music where I know the sound of the instruments and the recording. On heavy rock cd's with a super punchy bass drum like the last 2 Nickleback cd's the Bose really lacks the overall punch and sounds shrill at higher volumes.

The stock system I bet would totally kick the Bose butt (not hard to really do) if you had the stock speakers swapped out. The stock system seems to have some power but I'd check the effeciancy of the replacment speakers and this would save weight over the Bose system. Plus save money and get you much higher quality speakers for around the same amount of money or less than the Bose system.

I hope this helps...

texas911

Love the Bose, sounds great for an OEM radio. Better than my Range Rover or Mercedes.

Jlangmd

The Bose in my Porsche is better than the Bose in my MB, but not as good as the Harmon Kardan in my other MB.

These poor highs and lows, are they the sound processing or the speakers?

sws1

The sign of a poor system. Every different CD required playing with the EQ to get it to sound right. Some CDs have too much bass. Some have not enough. Inherently some strange spikes in the overall EQ curve.

Of course, it makes the stereo in my GT3 sound like garbage.

zizu

Thanks for the Bose review mdrums. It's very informative and nice to have a professional point of view.

Also the Bose system is very heavy with the 2 subwoofers, too bad in a sport car.

Please let us know what to use to replace the stock speakers.

CBejbl

I guess I can be thankful (at least in part) for the hearing loss I suffered during the 90's while flying USAF jets...

...I've never been an audiophile, but the Bose system in our cars sounds pretty good to me. All of the options are grossly overpriced as no doubt the Bose option is. But it works just fine.

GreggT

Thanks for review.
I suspected as much ...... but unfortunately added it to the list last month.
$1,440. gone.

clutchplate

Hyundai gets a Lexicon sound system while my 6 figure 911 gets a crappy Bose?? Go figure.

968PORSCHE

Funny your description perfectly describes my wifes A6 Bose system. I've always hated it but couuldn't quite put it in words. Your description is perfect. Perhaps Porsche will follow Audi to the B&O systems. That would seem more appropriate for such a pricy car.