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You need a subwoofer, not more power to the main speakers. I don't think more power is dangerous per se, but you have 2 factors working against you for Bass.
1 - No subwoofer
2 - Cabriolet
I was never able to get good bass in my Jeep with soft top. You can improve mid-bass by upgrading your amp and speakers, but without a sub you will not get low end, and the soft top will bleed that energy anyways, so even with a sub, you are environmentally challenged and likely will be underwhelmed.
Originally Posted by 7 treasures
I am a recent newbie to Porsche after oh, about 45 years of dreaming of owning a 911.
This is my first post on Rennlist although I have been a longtime reader and found the information here most helpful.
about 3 and a half months ago I finally bought my first Porsche, a 2010 997.2 S Cabrio.
It hit just about everything I've wanted in my dream 911 with two exceptions. First the color. I wanted a dark metallic blue but they have been almost impossible to find in the configuration I wanted. So I went with the metallic black and I am happy enough with that.
But the other issue that I want to try to fix or upgrade is the sound.
From the spec sheet, this vehicle only had the standard base stereo and speakers.
This means (as far as I can tell - I haven't yet confirmed and I can't seem to get the info online) that the unit had 4 outputs at 30 watts each.
There are 2 door units with a tweeter and a mid-range (although it is supposedly a woofer) and then the two back seat speakers.
The previous owner upgraded the unit with a Pioneer AVIC-7200 NEX system that is pretty outstanding as an "infotainment" unit. However, it's output is 50 watts at 4 channels.
The result in my car is that I have a clear sound and the mids and highs are very clear but there is NO bottom end.
Now I'm not looking to got a ridiculous booming low rider bass kit going, but I would at least like to be able to hear the bass and low end and right now I cannot hear almost any low end.
So I went to a car stereo dealer-installer that the local Porsche dealer recommended and this guy is recommending me installing a 400 watt power amp that feeds 4 channels at 100 watts a channel to stick in the frunk.
I am thinking that this is just going to blow up the factory speakers eventually.
What would any of you recommend?
Are there speakers I can just install myself in the door and rear that would give me just some bass?
Or do I REALLY need to get the power amp and just new speakers that can handle 100 watts each?
And is there a way to upgrade the number of speakers and really go from the base system to the Bose system or similar? Or does the Pioneer keep me limited with basically the four channels?
Any thoughts and/or input would be greatly appreciated!
Make sure you are getting advice from a solid Installer/Integrator. Look for installers that sell speakers like Focal or Dynaudio, and Subwoofers like JL. If they install Kickr and such, don't let them touch your car
Those products are not BAD necessarily, but no one skilled at this would install Big Box store speakers.
Originally Posted by steve0827
Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess I have a lot to look into before I jump into this.
Yes sorry. There are 4 analog channels (8 connections with + and - for each of the 4 channels) at the back of the PCM. They are only active if you have the Sound Package Plus option configured. They are there whether you have the Bose option or not. I had the Bose system but reconfigured the PCM to Sound Package Plus so I could get the analog channels turned on.
BTW, I had tried the Mosconi DSP but it did not handle the differential signal coming from the PCM and got alternator noise. I ended up going with a Helix DSP that can handle the differential input.
I agree that if you want more bass, you need to add a subwoofer and a subwoofer amp. I used the rear speaker signal to drive a subwoofer amp. Took out the back seats, replaced them with a custom subwoofer system that fit in the pockets of the seat wells.
Last edited by PapaC4S; 02-26-2019 at 10:36 AM.
Reason: add picture
I really wish the PCM had a sub out discretely instead of having to strip it from the rear channels. I will eventually look into replacing my BOSE system at CarTunes here in Atlanta. I don't really use the Sport Chrono lap functions, but I am curious as to what else I lose when replacing the PCM. Much to gain...like backup camera, but what do I lose...
Originally Posted by 911-targa4s
Yes sorry. There are 4 analog channels (8 connections with + and - for each of the 4 channels) at the back of the PCM. They are only active if you have the Sound Package Plus option configured. They are there whether you have the Bose option or not. I had the Bose system but reconfigured the PCM to Sound Package Plus so I could get the analog channels turned on.
BTW, I had tried the Mosconi DSP but it did not handle the differential signal coming from the PCM and got alternator noise. I ended up going with a Helix DSP that can handle the differential input.
I agree that if you want more bass, you need to add a subwoofer and a subwoofer amp. I used the rear speaker signal to drive a subwoofer amp. Took out the back seats, replaced them with a custom subwoofer system that fit in the pockets of the seat wells.
I may go against the grain a bit, but the Porsche cabin is small. The door woofers, with proper power, should be able to give enough punch with the top up. It's not gonna rattle your teeth, but it should be enough. For top down, you're gonna have to have a sub. Again, depending on power levels and sub size, you'll be able to get enough. Budget is always the limiting factor. A Dayton 10 UM series, off the top of my head, has like 25mm of travel. 500-1000 watts would tickle your insides. But where would you put a box like that? Back seats? Not for me. But may be an option for you.
I would do it correctly. That is, adding an amp and a subwoofer with matched components for the speakers.
If space is an insurmountable concern I'd say that adding matched components with a focus on woofers that will give a good low bass reproduction is a decent compromise. Either way, yes for the power amp. You already have a great head unit that is installed so thats a big part of the cost and potential hassle.
Out of curiosity, what do you mean by matched components? Do you mean matched for the 4 speakers in cabin for timbre matching, or matching the speakers to the sub? Matching to the sub is unnecessary, but an amp for a sub would be.
Originally Posted by Fined
I would do it correctly. That is, adding an amp and a subwoofer with matched components for the speakers.
If space is an insurmountable concern I'd say that adding matched components with a focus on woofers that will give a good low bass reproduction is a decent compromise. Either way, yes for the power amp. You already have a great head unit that is installed so thats a big part of the cost and potential hassle.
02-26-2019, 09:12 AM
