Terry Adams

After checking every important performance and comfort option, I remembered I am half deaf. And passed.

Kodachrome

Read up on Musicar. They advise just this and use the Bose wiring harness and swap it out with speakers designed exactly for the car. Not cheap but I think $ better spent than the Burm.

yrralis1

I have owned 6 Macan's . Five had Bose . On my most recent order there was a Bose stop sale . At that time owners were also facing delays . I thus ordered Burmeister and at the 6K . Its. total waste on guy like me . The only way to appreciate it is to get something like Total which streams HD music . I dont even listen to the radio that much . I regret buying it but could not deal with just a base system in a 100+K car . Bose . although not great is adequate and a good middle ground .

Shandingo

I have the Burmester system in my Macan GTS and I think it sound good. It doesn’t sound as good as I expected it would for the money, but to me the most impressive aspect of the system is how clear it is when played at higher volume levels. That is when I really notice the quality of the system.

isugoo

I have 911 with Bose and followed Musicar upgrade options (same speaker options like Musicar but with more powerful amp) and it was really night and day on 991.2.
Audio upgrade isn't cheap and aftermarket used audio parts are not really worth much so it's tricky upgrade that you will not get much return other than your own pleasure.
But on the other hand, not many people look for used car with Burn options either so you can just upgrade with Musicar and enjoy while you own the car then get at least something back compare to Burn.

chong0

Burmester in gts
currently in a macan loaner with bose
bose in cayenne
Burmester in my 992

If you get by on podcasts and radio, bose is fine. Midrange is adequate.

If you turn up the volume as other people have said, the midrange becomes too shrill and you realize 2k for bose is a donation.

Burmester if you like to hear music no matter what vehicle, but it's no high grade audio system compared to other car manufacturers (pretty much any other car maker has a superior high end system that is better than what porsche offers although I have heard the taycan system is quite well tuned)

Tim Cooper

Glad i ticked the Burm option for my 2018, it is specced for reasonably low background noise so 20" rims and air as i regularly do long trips to the South of France (from UK!).

Like all systems you need to sit in there for a morning to get it tuned in to what you listen to, i certainly appreciate the sub.

The Bose in the 996 is definitely struggling, probably just no space for a decent system, the custom Pioneer in the 928 was good but replacing the speakers was a nightmare.

Xs or harsh sounding treble can be down to our hearing damage or tinnitus but can certainly get good settings on mine. You'll never get Metallica to sound like HiFi.

supercup

I have Burmeister in my 2023 GTS along with insulated glass. It is a big upgrade over stock and Bose - it gives you a nice system, you can listen to music at any volume and enjoy it. It is not the end all, but it is a very good system for the $. I also had it in my PTT with insulated glass and it was even better in that platform.

For me it was an easy box to tick, to avoid an aftermarket upgrade that may have issues and not deliver. Always a compromise - the Burmeister offers a nice system at a Porsche price. If you listen to music all the time and don't want an aftermarket hassle you will likely find value in it. If you don't listen to music regularly then I would skip the box and get the Bose.

GLWD - enjoy your new ride

luv2sleep

I had the Burmester in a 911 and I have it on my Macan. I’m half deaf, so I can’t claim to be an audiophile but I like my music. To my ears, the Burmester sounds very good and I wouldn’t think twice about paying a premium for it in the future. The BOSE in VAG cars are a joke. JMHO. If you enjoy listening to music while driving, it’s money well spent.

WillinEvergreen

If your half-deafness causes you to be unable to hear given frequencies, then perhaps the Burmester allowed you to discern them better. For people without hearing issues, the Bose is just fine, and allows for easy upgrades such as Musicar or what have you. But, as you said, JMHO.

luv2sleep

I have some hearing loss due to the nature of my profession and from banging on the drums in my youth, but I'm not "clinically" half deaf. I do, however, have minor hearing loss according to the VA. What I dislike the most about the BOSE is that the highs, mids, and lows are extremely weak. In addition, the cheap paper subwoofer does not produce solid bass; at best, it's just muffled. In order to improve the bass, you’d need a decent aftermarket amp & sub. And when the volume is turned up, fuged da bout it! With the Burm, you can turn up the volume without distortion. B&O, B&W, and the Burm are all in the same class of quality systems, IMO. The stock system in my kid's MINI Cooper sounds significantly better than the BOSE in VAG cars.
If you enjoy listening to music with solid bass and clear highs, mids, & lows, I recommend the Burmester. You can definitely get a better aftermarket system but it will be more costly. My days of tinkering with aftermarket audio components are over. For everyone else such as my wife who listens to podcasts and AM radio, the BOSE will do.

Terry Adams

Now I regret not upticking to the Burmeister. Half deaf or not. Especially because I opted for the noise insulating glass, which helps too.

luv2sleep

It’s possible to upgrade the BOSE. As some have pointed out, Musicar makes good plug ‘n play speakers from what I hear. I don’t have any experience with Musicar. My M3 came with HK and the B&W wasn’t even offered. The HK is a better system than the BOSE, IMO, but needed some work (amp & subs) and found a few online stores that cater to bimmers. As always, the internet is your friend.

WillinEvergreen

Well, good. All in all, I think the OP should just test drive both variants to see if the increase is worth the difference...

gtr

The standard Burmester system in the Benz is worse than the newer Porsche Bose system, and it hurts my ears. You need to get the optional high-end Burmester 3D system, which sounds good. I like the Bose in my Macan GTS better than the Bose in my Panamera Sport Turismo. Therefore, I have a regular Macan now with Burmester, and I wish I had specced that on my old Macan GTS. However, the Burmester sounds horrible in the 718, so the car itself matters. I like it as much as the decent Bose system in the C8. I also vaguely recall liking the Rockford Fosgate system in the Lancer Evolution, but that was a long time ago, and that car had a lot of road noise.