IrishAgent

Finished the install on the XAV-AX200 and backup camera. Note that this is basically the same install as the XAV-AX100. The backup camera was a PITA! Basically had to remove the bumper cover, the spoiler/wing, all carpet in the trunk, the driver's seat roll cage carpet pillar, the driver's door sill plate, the fuse box carpet cover to route the cable. All other install was as described elsewhere.

Here's a few tips:

—You will need the antenna adapter. Both the antenna adapter and connecting the blue/white sony wire with the white factory wire are necessary for proper radio reception.

—The Spiral Audio cage fitment was not great for the 987 nor the HU. It was a pain trying to get the cage to stay where it should (about 1/4" gap on top and bottom of factory hole) in order for the HU to sit where it needed to. No blocking is included so you have to MacGyver something on your own. But, hey, it was a cheap bezel kit! Color is pretty good.

—You will need a fuse tap to wire in the ACC line. Mine was a double fuse (2x10amp) raised tap. I used fuse B9 (7.5amp) which is the telephone cntrl I believe. I forgot to order one, so I grabbed one from a local car stereo installer.

—I wired the included SONY USB extender cable instead of connecting an iPhone lightening/USB because I wanted the option of plugging in any USB device (flash drive for firmware installs or images or whatever). I routed this big cable behind the console and out below the cigarette lighter carpet in the passenger footwell. Sure, it's not fancy, but its out of the way and accessible.

—Make sure to disconnect the battery, for many reasons (airbag, door open drain). You'll be connecting/disconnecting many times to test things. But better safe than sorry!

—You need to connect the red danging (trigger) wire hanging off both ends of the backup camera video cable. Otherwise the HU will not switch to camera-mode when you go into reverse. You connect one end to the blue/white taillight 12v power along with the other red power wire from the camera harness. Then connect the red end on the HU side to the Purple/White trigger (reverse in) wire on the SONY harness.

—For the XAV-AX200 (because it has a DVD) you must connect the green brake line wire or DVD video will not play. I connected this with the black sony and MOST ground wires to the factory brown ground. (total 4 wires). Doing so allows the DVD to play anytime. If you connect it to the brake, as directed, the DVD video will only play when you are stopped.

—I didn't connect the orange illumination wire, but wish I did. I may go back and do so. Some connect this to the cigarette lighting bezel in the center console to indicate the lights are on. The main problem with both the AX100 and AX200 is the dimming feather. It blows. There is either OFF (full bright), AUTO (which only works when the orange cable is connected and if not, full bright), or DIM (which is like 60% of full bright and has no level adjustment). The HU screen is really bright, even on DIM, at night. You can change this in the settings manually, but having it auto dim would be nice. Though some complain about the AUTO because they use their lights during the day, which makes the screen (especially carplay nav) too dark during the day.

Otherwise, I love the HU. The volume **** is better than buttons or touchscreen control, but is still crappy. The **** is small and doesn't adjust very quickly. It is also slightly blocked by the Spiral audio bezel frame making it semi-difficult to get a grip on. I love the backup camera, especially on the boxster with the top up, but boy was it a pain to run that wiring!

JustDriveIt

Irish,
Was your install on a Bose system?

Thanks!

IrishAgent

Yes, it was. All the tips apply to the Bose hookups.

After 3 months with the install: I love it. Would absolutely do it again, even the backup cam, as it is very handy when the top on the boxster is up!
Sound is good. It isn't great. I just dont think you'll ever get great sound in a tiny cockpit. But it sure beats the hell out of the Bose stock HU.

shyamvenky

Just waking this thread up.. I'm about to do the exact same thing:
* Sony XAV-AX-100
* Seicane MOST box
* ASWC for steering controls (this requires CAN Hi and CAN Lo)
* Wiring harness adapter from factory into the MOST box + Sony Head Unit
* Antenna adapter

Am I missing any major parts here??

I've done a similar thing on a previous 997 - that was easier since I had the NavTV kit (so harness was near-ready)
This was a few years ago, but I have some questions regarding the wiring this time around.

Could anyone give me the pinout for the factory harness?


(A1... A8, B1...B8, C => looks like I'll only need C1 and C2 but which is hi and which is lo??)

A => The bottom plug is for accessory power (4), ground (8) - correct?
B => The middle plug is for the speaker wires - which I'm guessing all will come from the MOST box's RCA connectors - so I don't need this at all??
C => The top plug has CANBus connections - 1 is CAN Hi and 2 is CAN Lo - correct?

I would really appreciate it if someone could help me out in getting the pins figured out.
Any other tips and instructions would also be great.

Thanks
Shyam

alexb76

Question, how does the install/setup differ on a non-Bose system?

gsruff

FYI, you should be EQ'ing a system with pink noise, not white noise. Pink Noise vs. White Noise

Love the finished look of this setup, and no doubt it's a massive improvement over the stock system. Well done, and thanks for the write-up and pics.

Skidly

SAN997 I want to do exactly the same thing.

I was worried about driving the door base speakers with their own channels as I have measured mine and they are only 1 ohm and I am scared they will draw too much current and damage the amp?

oronymo

I had a new head unit installed in my 997.1 Targa with Bose system. We used the MOST HUR adapter from Nav TV. It works fine and I was even able to tune the sound to be really good using the parametric equalizer on the Alpine unit.

However, there is a slight hiss present whenever the music is paused (which is fairly often - for example when using the navigation but not listening to music). I contacted Nav TV and they basically said "Yes, that's just how it works." If this was a cheap wire adapter for $50 I'd understand, but for a $600 unit it's ridiculous!

So I'm debating whether or not to ditch the Bose camp (and MOST adapter). Your install is AMAZING and I like that you used a 6 channel amp in order to power ALL the speakers in the car - I would like to copy it if possible.

QUESTIONS:

- So do you pull out the existing stock HU <-> Amp wiring?
- If so, does that mean you have to run all new wiring (presumably RCAs) from the HU to the amp?
- Can you run the HU directly to the factory Sub using RCA line? (I want to keep the factory sub and have the HU "see" it as a sub)
- Is the power provided for the Bose amp enough for the new amp? Or did you have to run additional power line?

- When it's all done, do you get any whine/noise/hiss? (really the only reason I would attempt this)

BF951

Also pulling the plug and using this and other threads as my guide to replace the factory HU and BOSE amp in a 997.1
Does anyone know the pin-outs for the factory wiring harness connected to the BOSE amp?

This guy-

code7rpd

The pin outs on my 997 S are:

Yellow = Center Speaker +
Yellow/Brown = Center Speaker -
Green = Front Left Bass +
Green = Front Left Bass -
Purple = Front Right Bass +
Purple/Brown = Front Right Bass -
Red = Front Right Treble +
Red/Brown = Front Right Treble -
Grey = Front Left Treble +
Grey/Brown = Front Left Treble -
White = Rear Left +
White/Brown = Rear Left -
Blue = Rear Right +
Blue/Brown = Right Rear -

Hope this helps. You can always verify with running a AA battery from the + and - wire to the speaker to ensure the color codes are correct.

oronymo

You sir are a hero.

Does anyone make a plug-play adapter for connecting an aftermarket amp to the Bose speaker wiring harness?

code7rpd

Glad to help. This forum has been invaluable and it’s nice to give something back.

Check out the first post in this thread. There is a link for the adapter. I ordered it and it was perfect.

oronymo

duh. Thanks.

byrona8

Where did you get the amp harness?

Bruce In Philly

FYI for anyone who may be interested or confused.... the 997.1 is totally different animal from the 997.2. So be careful. The 997.2 (PCM 3) is a 5.1 surround system where the head unit talks a proprietary protocol to the processors/amp located under the passenger seat. This system and protocol is very different than the 997.1. Further, the 997.2 was sold with a premium vs base stereo option and the head unit in the dash, is configurable by the dealer to be either.... this activates/deactivates the pins/optical connections in the rear of the unit. Said another way, if you have a 997.2, your are in for careful analysis.

Peace
Bruce in Philly