Double Din Stereo Install W/Amp and 3 ways
 

Cross post - I added pretty much the same info to the "What do you do with your Boxster Today?" Thread


This weekend I managed to take what I learned from a bunch of Stereo posts and installed a double din head unit, an aftermarket amp, and a pair of Focal 3-Way Separates.

I started with a single din Alpine something something 149bt:
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1579657423.jpg


Not a bad deck by any stretch. I could have lived with it. It's for sale if any of you want to live with it. :)

I wanted something more modern to tie into my phone. I picked up a Sony... something something 7000. Same as the 5000 except it has 55W per channel and an anti-glare capacitive touch screen. The deck doesn't play any CD's or DVD's so it's very compact. It's a double din screen with a single din chassis. This allowed me to very easily tuck away any excess wiring under the head unit. I only regret that I can't upload a custom wall paper. Only has 5 or 6 to chose from and they are all very boring.

New Head Unit W/Boring Background:
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1579657583.jpg


My other main goal was to ditch the stock 6 channel amp (yes, I had a 6 channel amp) and DSP. The HVAC panel was moved to the DSP slot.
With that all moved I was able to pull out the 6 disc changer and install a modern amp with built in DSP. Because the car originally had an aftermarket deck in it the install of the deck was extremely simple. Everything I needed for the speakers was located on the big purple amp plug.

I chose to modify the existing CD changer bracket to hold the amp. I used the old amplifier bracket to hold the cross overs.

I went with an AudioControl D-4.800.:
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1579657664.jpg

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I wired the amp directly to the battery with Stinger 4 gauge and a big ole fuse. Picked up remote out from the deck. I ran one set of Stinger RCA's to the DSP. I also wired in a bypass to avoid the whole e-brake nonsense.

I went with some 3 way Focal speakers. (https://www.focal.com/en/car-audio/car-audio-kits-solutions/performance/access/component-kits/165-as3) For whatever reason I didn't take any photos of the speaker install. I followed along with what most folks already found successful. I modified all of the existing Hayes brackets for the dash. For the 6" drivers I carved up the coveted smaller Hayes boxes to embed a 6" ABS mounting ring. I sealed up the edges around the ring and speaker and left the box ported/vented with the existing vent. I used all of the stock vehicle speaker wires.

I'm sending Deck power (50-55W per channel) through some caps to the rear storage compartment speakers (4 - 3.5" speakers). I ran one set of RCA's from the deck to the amp and the rear speaker input wires through the grommet that sits behind the battery. The cables are all routed and loomed nicely to duck around the battery tray. The XM radio antenna is hidden up under the wiper cowl sitting on a CAI audio stand. Signal output is being through channels 1-4 via the DSP. Front channel is through DSP to the cross overs / caps to the tweeters and mid-range on channels 1 and 2. The 6" drivers are being sent directly through the DSP using channels 3 and 4. I am choking down the drivers through the DSP (no highs and minimal mid base). I chose to protect the mids/highs with the supplied Focal crossovers. May remove those later. Not sure. The way this is wired I can fade to front between front (D-4.800) and rear shelf to achieve a nice sound stage. May need to invest in better clock radio speakers behind my head.

Result was great. Need to learn this DSP software (and educate myself on frequency ranges!) to make this sound better. I was honestly blown away with how punchy the 6" speakers are. Impressed so far.

Thanks for letting me share,
Ted

As I can’t find a ‘like’ button, I just have to say it: Me like!

Too bad about not having pics of the door speaker installation, that’ my next step.

Thank you. I may go back into the doors to verify the woofers aren't hitting the door panels. If I open er up I will take a photo of my handy work.

Nice/clean work and set-up! Well done

+1

Thanks for sharing. I’m contemplating a full stereo overhaul on my 2003 S. It only has the headunit and dash speakers (minimum spec). No door speakers and no external amp. The OEM setup makes my ears hurt if I use it.

I’m contemplating an active setup as follows:

Front (dash): two active 2-way tweeters and 4” mids in the dash.

Rear (BOSE Subwoofer box): two active 2.5” tweeters/mid-tweeters, and two active 5.25” mid-woofers wired in parallel as the “subwoofer.”

DSP plus 7 or 8 channels of amplified power (probably via two amps and requiring a capacitor).

I’m debating with either installing a double DIN unit like you did or omitting the head unit all together via a Bluetooth enabled amplifier with music/navigation via iPhone.

I’ll do my best to document it all when I finally take it on.


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Hello Spyder Man,

re: I’m debating with either installing a double DIN unit like you did or omitting the head unit all together via a Bluetooth enabled amplifier with music/navigation via iPhone.

That's a great option which would allow you to simply keep your existing head unit and not muck up the interior. If you go with a unit that doesn't play physical media you get a whole bunch of your dash back! My 'double din' is really a single din chassis.

I completely understand why you might go 7/8 channels in a closed cabin car where you can really noodle with the sound signal and get the quality you're looking for (with the separate channels for tweeters and mids). I just didn't see the value in an open top car. Once the top goes down a lot of those nuances will just go flat, won't they?

That was my thought process as to why I fed the tweeters and mids from the same channel and just used the Focal crossovers. I could use a similar set for the 4 speakers behind my head (in the storage box).

I'd love to hear how the bose box works out for you. I'm also in the Bay Area. Shoot me a PM if you go that route. :)

I need to spend more time with the DSP this weekend and try to clean up the sound a bit. I noticed a bit of an echo in some of the voices.

TRP, nice and I especially like the bezel.:p

Completely replaced Bose/MOST in 2003 Boxster S
 

Here's what I did last year:

I recently replaced the entire factory Bose sound system for higher quality components. The Porsche/Becker/MOST system really limits the available options. Like you, I wanted Apple CarPlay and BT. There are lots of head units out there, but if you're wanting CarPlay, do your research, read reviews of head units to find a reliable, easy to use model. The factory amp is a five channel, under powered, MOST-only component. Amps are relatively inexpensive. You can interface with the factory speaker wiring and there are several websites that have the wiring diagrams. I think theRennTech site has posted several. The dash speakers, for the Hifi and Bose are component, 1 in tweeters and 3 in midrange drivers. The Car Audio Innovations website (cai-store.com) has adapters to mount 4 in coaxial speakers in that space. That's a great upgrade, and can be relatively inexpensive. The door speakers are 5 1/2 in.

If you have the Bose system, the wiring from amp to speakers is a bit wonky so that Porsche/Bose could use a cheap amp to get acceptable sound volume. The speaker drivers are fairly low quality, but can be made to sound good with a cleaner amp w/ a bit more power. But, they wired the door speakers to 2 ohm load and the rear "subwoofer" enclosure to a 1 or 2 ohm load.

Wanting Apple CarPlay in a double DIN configuration, I replaced the CDR 23 head unit and amp in my 03 Boxster S with a Kenwood HU and amp. That solved the MOST nonsense. The installer wired into the existing speakers. Sounded much better. CarPlay is wonderful. BT is handy. But, the Bose drivers are flat, bass is muddy, dash speakers not clear but very biased towards voice and "bright".

Next step, replace all speaker drivers. Rod at CAI Store helped with great advice and a few products. Some research online helped with other aspects. I ended up the CAI Store dash mount Hertz 4 in coax speakers. For the doors, I mounted Hertz 5 1/2 in woofers from the component set and put the tweeters in the rear deck speaker enclosure where the Bose tweeters were previously. The crossovers are mounted in the trunk next to the amp. The woofers in the rear box were replaced with Morel 5 1/2 in woofers. (I stumbled across this build plan on the DIY Audio website)

How does it sound? Wow!!! It's an amazing transformation. Certainly, the signal processing capabilities of a modern head unit help tremendously (Kenwood DDX 8905S and Kenwood XR 901-5 amp). The speakers are very clear and driven by an amp that has enough power to drive them efficiently. The rear deck subwoofer has "deep" tight bass. To say that I'm pleased would be an understatement.

I don't know if there's an easy way to get where you are wanting to go. The MOST bus is severely constricting to adding modern audio.

Oh? This sounds like it's right up my alley. Do you happened to have a link to the build plan? Is it this article by chance?

Thank you for sharing your info,
Ted

Alternatively I found this one: https://www.diymobileaudio.com/threads/please-help-design-a-sound-system-for-porsche-boxster.156035/

I have the speaker box itself but not the Bose version. Looking for a Bose unit is something to think about of you (Elmer) think it's a worth while addition.

Yeah, I’m considering swapping the Morel 5.25” speakers into the rear BOSE subwoofer box as described on DIYMA.

The catch seems (after researching those speakers more on Parts-Express) that they are 8 ohm speakers with high power requirements 150W RMS and up to 1000W Peak. That’s a lot of power for a car audio system. Also they are mid-bass woofers so most “subwoofer” amps won’t provide a signal that goes high enough to make full use of these speakers. The speakers can play up to 3000 Hz cleanly and most subwoofer amps cap signal at 250 Hz or so.

This all got me looking at higher performance amps and Digital Sound Processing. Which leads to an expensive sound system overhaul.


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Double Din Stereo Install W/Amp and 3 ways
 

Thanks for sharing. So you’re using the Kenwood 5-channel amp to drive all the speakers? Are the Morel mid-woofers in the rear box wired in parallel? That would put them at 4 ohms and 300w RMS.

Stop worrying about the rear speakers, concentrate on the front sound stage. At concerts the don't put speakers behind you. I have a similar speaker setup with Audison speakers and processor with an Alpine 150w x 4 amp. Sounds amazing with top up or down with plenty of bass. Nice carbon option, very rare. My son had just the steering wheel in red on his 00.

Pink Floyd did back in the 70's . . . . . . .

Yeah, whatever happened to quadraphonic?




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Tuned the dsp today. Sounds much better. Now I'm wanting more bass. Does the 987 bose box fit the 986?

Are we back in the 70's? I was but recording and sound technologies have advanced. My rear speakers are disconnected and the system sounds great. Back in the 70's our main speakers were in the rear deck but not anymore. Stop by a high end retailer and they can explain the current sound system designs. They're no longer like back in the 70's.

If you used the current speaker enclosures they should have enough bass. Unless you're listening to music that has overused bass in it like so much of todays music.
I think you just need more power.

Yes, wired per the guidance in the DIY post. I also changed out the door speaker boxes from the Bose to Nokia. While the system doesn't have the deep, deep bass that some folks are looking for, it is "musical" and sounds great. The 5 channel amp drives the system well.

Rod at CAI is a great resource and their products engineered for the 986 are good fits. I'm very happy with the system that is installed now.

Interestingly, I have the fader set to just rear of center. The DSP in the HU is set for Left Front seating position. The "rear" speakers are really the door mounts (Hertz 5.5 inch woofers) and the tweeters in the subwoofer box (on the outside edges of the box). The Morel drivers are the bass component and are driven by the subwoofer output of the amp. As most of the speaker components are forward of the drivers seat, the rear bias of the fader allows the tweeters to add depth to the sound stage. I have the external bass control turned to about the 4 o'clock position which provides bass, but not over emphasizing the bass.

Say what you want about the Bose components, but the subwoofer box is well engineered. They just used price point components inside. The Morel drivers, wired in parallel fit the box well and provide tight bass for the 986 cockpit.

I think that you really want to find a Bose box and then gut it.

Based on internet researching, I believe the 987 BOSE subwoofer box will fit a 986. The port design looks slightly different though. The 987 unit is more angular to match the changes interior styling.

Some might not care about this, but I hunted around for the 986 version to make sure it all looked period appropriate. The 987 version is far more common.

986 version:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...414ca4cc4e.jpg

987 version:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0bbbf58ad5.jpg





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So do you think a thin mount 10” sub driver would fit in that bose deck box?

I’d say it would be pretty unlikely. Here’s what the internals of the BOSE box looks like. You might as well fabricate something from the ground up if you’re going to try to use a huge 10” driver.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5825b065ca.jpg


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Thanks yeah probably too tight. I modified a 996 cabriolet tunnel sub box for a shallow 8” kicker sub. Works well enough. Goes deep.

How deep are the Bose subs? 2.5"? 2.25"? Anyone know the Ohm load of the stock sub set up?

@azlvr - Thank you! I'm currently restoring / refinishing the door pieces which cracked due to age. If those turn out okay I will shift my focus to the other trim.

I've sanded down the cracks and used some UV stable surfboard epoxy. The first pieces I did turned out great. I'm in the final stages of sanding before I hit them with a buffing wheel. Hopeful to be able to keep these factory parts. They date the car back to the year 2000 for sure!

I was hasty and pulled the trigger on gray 987 bose box. (*sigh*) Patience is not my strong suit.

I only have front sound stage as well doors are mid woofer and sub. Use the pioneer as the control. Sounds great dont miss rear speakers.

Impedence
 

The Bose system is wired to 2 ohms. The rear box may be 1 ohm. That let them get away with a small 5 channel amp.

I'm back with another quick update.

I managed to score a pretty good deal on a 987 Bose rear sub. It's slightly different from the 986 version. The ports are more pronounced. Technically only one is a port. The other side is just cosmetic.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1581992948.jpg

I opened it up and found that the 987 version also had a small amp / combination crossover. I ditched that and rewired the 5.25" drivers to be 2 ohms. The little speakers in the corners are wired to deck power @ 55W each. They aren't too loud but they do provide a nice rear fill.

I added a mono amp and picked up signal right off of the DSP. I was able to adjust the 6" door speakers to handle all of the mid-bass. The rear box picks up all of the lower frequencies. I still have a big gap around 100hz. Rock music is just missing something. I may go back into the doors and seal up those vented boxes to try and get more from them.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1581992921.jpg


The blue coiled USB cable is for the DSP. I can quickly hook up the laptop and dial the sound in. Once I get the ACR-3 source changer for to quickly select / swap between settings I won't need to leave that hooked up. I may go back in and pull some thin black abs panels to hide the wires below the amps.


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If I'm being 100% honest, the Bose box is okay. I kind of wish I had both the Bose box and the previous speaker box with the 4 3" drivers. I will be putting that box (complete with Haes speakers) up for sale soon.

Thanks for letting me share!

Your limitation is the Bose drivers. Not really high quality. In my 986 rear box, I replaced the drivers with Morel. Nice, tight bass. Also, changing the door speaker boxes from Bose to Nokia makes a difference. You can get them on Ebay.

I have the Nokia (HAES) door boxes. So that's good. Which Morel units did you go with?

Link to Bose rear speaker rework
 

Here's the article I found to gut the Bose box and add Morel drivers. I believe that CAI advocates for replacing the Bose door boxes with Nokia. It's a good upgrade as well.

https://www.diymobileaudio.com/threads/turning-a-boxster-bose-enclosure-into-a-real-sub.135149/

Morel CAW538 5" woofers

Thank you for the info on the Morels. Those appear to be 8ohm single voice coil drivers? Ideally I need a 4 ohm version so I can get them down to 2ohms. :(

TRP - where you are ending up with your car stereo overhaul and where I intend to take mine are moving closer and closer together.

My Boxster lacks door speakers so I’m looking at just overhauling the dash speakers plus the speakers present in the BOSE 986 subwoofer unit. All with a digital signal processor and an active crossover setup.

Looking at your amp installation, I’m considering a similar approach of using the factory CD changer and amp brackets to mount the aftermarket pieces. I’m planning on installing two amps as well (one to drive the front stage and the tweeters in the rear and the other to just drive the 5.25” “subwoofers”).

I too plan on swapping in the Morel CAW 538s as well. There are no 4 ohm versions of these out there so you’re best off wiring these two woofers in parallel for a 4 ohm and 300w RMS.

You might want to swap out that second AudioControl ACM 1.300 for a ACM 2.300. The 2.300 is the same size, can provide the required 300w RMS at 4 ohm when in a bridged configuration (the 1.300 only provides 175w RMS @ 4 ohms).

As for the lack of sound at 100 Hz, both the 1.300 and 2.300 can deliver full spectrum (20 Hz - 20 kHz) and the CAW 538 can perform from 35 to 3,500 Hz so you should be able to get the sound that you desire out of your existing setup. It may be that your cross over points in your DSP are off?

Also adding some of this to the inside of the rear woofer chambers might help improve performance at lower frequencies: https://www.parts-express.com/acousta-stuf-polyfill-1-lb-bag-speaker-cabinet-sound-damping-material--260-317


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Bah. I was afraid you would say that. Has anyone had success locating a close second to the Morel 8ohm drivers, but in 4 ohm?

Thank you for the info and best of luck with your install.

My Morel rear box is set up to 4 ohms (wired in parallel). The amp that I replaced the poor Bose model with is a Kenwood 50 wpmc x 4 and 200 w to the "subwoofer". The dash speakers are coaxial and the door speakers/rear box tweeters are component with off board crossovers. In this configuration, the bass is very good and the whole system gets plenty loud. I would add that the system is "musical" but not the overemphasized bass that is prevalent in most car audio today.

Good Morning Elmer,

I'm assuming you also have the Morel CAW 538 drivers? Does anyone know how they compare to the Morel Hybrid MW5? Is there a way to compare the two models specs side by side? Is there value in that?

TRP - I’m sure there are other viable options for replacement 5” woofers for the BOSE subwoofer box, but you have to look at the speaker ratings closely.

The reason why many folks have landed on using the Morel CAW 538 as a replacement speaker is because this speaker is optimized for a very small “vented” cabinet size. If you look on Parts-Express (https://www.parts-express.com/morel-caw-538-5-cast-frame-woofer--297-082), you’ll see the CAW 538 will perform optimally with a vented volume of 0.19 cubic ft. That works out to roughly 5.4 liters. The BOSE rear box has a volume of 11 liters. Since there are two 5” woofers you need double the optimal volume (5.4 L * 2 = 10.8 L).

So when considering other options look at their optimum vented volume measurements.


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