Mo' better tunes...

[urban_legend]

Time to upgrade the sound system...any thoughts here on the OEM rear speaker package, the PNP kit on EBAY or rolling your own system? Just looking for some input.

[rick3000]

The PNP kits have better speakers, but you can pickup the OEM speaker kit for $130, and upgrade the 3.5" speakers yourself later. I have the OEM kit, and don't think I need to upgrade the speakers, but your ears may be more sensitive than mine.
A search will turn up more info on this.

[Lil bastard]

Improve the sound... or improve your rep... two different things.

The oem, or aftermarket rear speakers do a fair job of improving the sound, I recommend them (I have the oem rears, and they were a definite improvement).

But, it's a roadster... the accoustic engineer's nightmare! It is by definition limited.

You can add multi-$$$ sound gear and be able to impress your friends.

But a convertible can not possibly have truly good sound... it's not isolated from the sounds of the street, especially with the top down - no way, no how, especially when compared to an enclosed coupe or sedan.

There is no right or wrong.

If trick gear is your thing, go for it.

But temper your expectations, there's only so much you can achieve.

[Cloudsurfer]

Any serious car audio guy will tell you that rear speakers are horrible for imaging, however, they do help fill in the sound a bit in a roadster, since they are closer to your ears and help to overcome road and wind noise with the top down.

It is certainly an oxymoron to put good audio gear in a roadster, but it can be done. I have a pretty ridiculous system in my car (courtesy of a friend who owns a very high end car audio shop and used my car for a few competitions), and while it seems wasteful, it is quite enjoyable and proves that good audio in a roadster can be done, however it is certainly not cheap to do it right.

The factory head unit actually isn't that bad as far as its output goes, but it certainly lacks for features and a good interface. The factory amp and speakers are pretty bad, however.

The biggest hurdle to overcome in the Boxster is obtaining decent bass response. It's not hard to swap out the factory door and dash speakers for a set of 6 1/2" separates and their own amp, and even this will go a LONG way to making the car sound significantly better, but getting bass is going to require a custom enclosure (likely in the passenger footwell- search for pics of my install on this board if you'd like) and an additional amp to drive it.

Were it coming out of my own pocket, there's no way I would have the gear that I have in my car.