Agent14

Hi Rennlist family. I had an account years back (2004?) when I was restoring two 944's, but havent been around much since then, other than to lurk and poke around. Im on the hunt for a 955/957 these days, so ill be around more.

So, im checking one out next week. It has the Bose sound system, and apparently the PO removed the aftermarket radio before selling. Thats no problem, as it means that most of my work has likely be done (hopefully correctly). The car is about 2 hours from me so im doing my homework before heading out there. Im awaiting a photo of the cavity to see what he left in there. Hopefully he got a totally diff car so the MOST system wont be useful to him. =D.

Little about me: ive been working on cars and bikes for 15 years and am very competent with a wrench and soldering iron. I have owned and maintained several fun cars over the years. Porsche 944, Audi Coupe Quattro, Merkur XR4Ti, Volvo S60R, etc, and have fixed/altered sound systems in many of these (just to update them, im not a crazy bass head anymore).

Anyway, assuming I have nothing needed to install a radio right now (including the radio), is there a way I can test the factory amp without it? Maybe a little jumper wire between two speaker pinouts and pos? I know some tricks for this with analog car audio, but unsure of these guys.

Thanks!

thesteve

Hi. Well if it does still have the adapter, just give it power (and ground) and feed it a signal through the RCAs. Maybe just touch the center pin and listen for a hum. Or show up with something portable that outputs line-level audio via RCAs.
If not I'd say quick answer no, since it's fiber optic in.
Then I'd say that few people have had any issues with their Bose amps, so it's unlikely you'd have a dud.
Lastly, I'd say there's one on eBay for $135 with free shipping, so of all the things to worry about in checking out a used car, that would not be one of them for me.
Best.

Agent14

This is exactly the answer I was looking for. It's low on my list of things to worry about, but also one I knew the least about.
Thanks much.

Malibu955

You had me at S60R A good friend of mine has one in the proper blue color, although with the automatic. I always loved the "silver baseball" manual shifter in those.

Are you looking to install the original PCM back into the car, or upgrade it with something more modern?

At thesteve said, I cannot recall ever hearing about a dead Bose amp, so I would not worry about it at all. What year is the car?

Agent14

ah yes. The “space ball” as it is affectionately called. I truly adore her, but I’m shuffling her along to another owner soon. I just don’t drive her anymore and my lifestyle doesn’t see any need for her in the future. Time to let someone else love her.

I would be installing an aftermarket in there for CarPlay, etc…but still want to hang on to a PCM for stock reasons. I’ll source one when I care.

good to know about the amps.

Im taking a look at two different 2006 models next week, hopefully I’ll soon be making a formal “a introduction post” again.

Agent14

Got some pics of what’s in the cavity. I’m not sure what I’m looking at here. This look familiar to anyone?

Malibu955

I *think* the first pic is of the Porsche OEM iPod interface. Is there an iPod and/or aux connectors in the center console? It should be the old 25-pin style, not a lightning connector.

The Gryphon unit is a relay, possibly to switch between different audio sources. Not sure if that's aftermarket or part of the OEM Porsche iPod interface.

The black multipin connectors are the factory radio connectors/wiring harnesses. The yellow FAKRA plug is the OEM AM/FM antenna.

In the last pic, behind the RCA cables you can see the orange fiber optic MOST cables. Do those go to an interface box somewhere?

Agent14

Nice, thanks for the info. I am about 2 hours away from this vehicle so im operating on the photos sent to me. Stock iPod interface? Do these cars come stock with a 25 pin iPod interface?! If so, how did I miss that?! Thats huge. I still often use my 30gig iPod and it was the "juke box" in the s60R for years (which I just sold last night). I would love to move it over. The biggest concern was the MOST adapter...buuuuuuuttttt

Im taking a look at a different 06' S tonight. Lower miles, better condition, bone stock except for turbo wheels. Id rather make radio changes myself so I know its done right. And, if there is an iPod interface...thats really all I need anyway.

EDIT: Ok never mind. I see now that I was being overly hopeful. Ill just go the MOST route when I get to it.

Malibu955

I'm pretty sure the iPod interface was a dealer-installed accessory rather than a factory option. Could be wrong though. I'm not sure what the take rate was on it but I don't think it was very common. If it's installed there will be a connector for it in the center console.

If you are interested, I have a MoBridge MOST iPod unit that I'm not using anymore now that I've changed the PCM out for a Dynavin N7. If you want to keep the stock look of the PCM and add iPod functionality, I would be happy to work out a price with you for it. Otherwise, plenty of options out there to add CarPlay and iPod connectivity in the aftermarket.

Turbo wheels look great on these cars.

Agent14

@Malibu955 , thanks much! I wound up purchasing the '06 I mentioned above, and I think im going to go the Bluetooth inline FM Modulator route like so many have. I really love the original look and functionality, and this gets me all I need.

And yes, it has turbo wheels on it. That was part of the reason I chose this one.