Quote:
Originally Posted by AttyGirl
Here is the question - I am being told that I HAVE to bypass the factory amp because if I don't, the sound will be worse than it currently is with factory unit. In order to do this, I will need to rewire the entire car. Crutchfield told me that the two harness sets worked with a 2002 Boxster - the guy who is going to install is the one telling me that it won't work. He said that the problem is that the Alpine unit will amplify the sound, then the wires will de-amplify it, and once it passes through the factory amp, it will be re-amplified - and finally the sound will go to the speakers and be crappy. He told me that this is a Porsche issue (and one of the joys of ownership).
I am confused (to say the least). If it needs to be completely re-wired in order to sound good, I'll do it. It's just after browsing through info on the web, I'm not sure if I need to. The reviews on Crutchfield for the harnesses say nothing about reduced sound quality - and several of the posts are with respect to Porsche Boxsters.
Also, the guy at Crutchfield told me that I should spend money and replace the dash speakers - and the guy installing said that I should only replace the door speakers. Thoughts??
I'd really appreciate any information. Thanks!!
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This is complete nonsense. The head unit you are looking at has both amplified and non-amplified outputs, as nearly all systems do these days. When I replaced the head unit in my 97 base, I used this adapter:
Metra Part # 70-1787 | Volkswagen wire harness | Audi wire harness | Metra Online
it plugs straight in to the boxster harness and provides non amplified feed to the amplifier and amplified feed direct to the dash speakers. There are a couple of wires to connect to the harness that comes with your head unit, but all the wiring can be done outside of the car, there is no need to touch the harness in the car at all. Please take your car somewhere else if they insist on rewiring it.
There is a handy DIY here:
Pelican Technical Article: Changing Your Boxster Stereo Head Unit / Installing Boxster Ipod Integration - 986 / 987
As far as replacing speakers, the dash ones are the ones to do, it does make a big difference.