Rear speaker kit - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

JJT · 02-21-2006, 04:38 PM

Looking to buy the rear speaker kit for 2000 986-S. Any feedback from the group as to how it sounds and how much labor hours were involved to install? My local dealer quoted me 4.4 hours to do the job.

donv · 02-21-2006, 05:00 PM

The installation is not hard - I wrote the instructions posted on the Boxster hacks site (http://iq.dynip.com/~gary/hacks/speaker/speaker.html). I spread it out over two nights with a couple of hours each night.

Sound is a dramatic improvement, but as many point out it is not going to make the sound system become world class. It simply makes it easier to hear the stereo because the speakers are so much closer to your ears.

blinkwatt · 02-21-2006, 08:28 PM

I did this mod last week so I will break it down for you. The hardest part is cutting out the storages on the side,the rest is a piece of cake. I have almost no car knowledge and did it in 3 hours,your stealership is sticking it to ya. I bought my OEM parts through Mid-America on eBay for $198 shipped. You will need a glue gun,and dremel tool(I used a drill bit along the glue and slowly moved along the line) all other parts should be included in the kit. I did not have the chance to install the spun polyester like MNBoxster recommends but will in the near future. The wires for the speaker harness to the back of the receiver are not hard to route if you just run them under the passenger side panel,under the seat,and under the center console panel.MAKE SURE YOU DISCONNECT THE BATTERY SO YOUR AIRBAG SENSOR IS NOT TRIGGERED.
From the sound standpoint it isn't "Eclipse,MB Quart or Zapco" nice but it isnt neglectible at the same time. The rear speaker kit contains 2 midranges on each side,and custom brackets could be made to put a tweeter in place of a midrange if thats your taste. The OEM speaker kit helps to fill in the passenger cabin with support from the rear. It is almost as if it adds more presence(not lows,mids or highs) to the music,ESPECIALLY WITH THE TOP DOWN. Hopefully you have the Hi-Fi option in your car already because the combination of the two actually are tolerable even with the top down.

JJT · 02-24-2006, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donv

The installation is not hard - I wrote the instructions posted on the Boxster hacks site (http://iq.dynip.com/~gary/hacks/speaker/speaker.html). I spread it out over two nights with a couple of hours each night.

Sound is a dramatic improvement, but as many point out it is not going to make the sound system become world class. It simply makes it easier to hear the stereo because the speakers are so much closer to your ears.

I hear ya. Not so much interested in world class sound, just wanted to more or less fill the cockpit with sound that is not loud in my ear. Plus, wanted to give the old girl an upgrade because I hated the speakers just being in the front and did not want togo with that digital sound fake sound package.

Perfectlap · 02-24-2006, 02:35 PM

I have the PNP kit from Ebay. I only use these speakers when the top is up. When the top is down I only use the front speakers. You have to sacrifice some of the volume/depth from the front speakers to get the surround sound feel. The PNP guy said the 4 channell amp wasn't that much worse than getting a 6 channell amp for the two rear minis. On a 1 to 10 scale I would give this mod a 6.5
Personally I'd save the money for a V1 radar detector.

Use polyfill from a fabric store (NOT WALMART=EVIL) to fill the behind the speakers. Its like $2 for a large bag.

Adam · 02-21-2006, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJT

Looking to buy the rear speaker kit for 2000 986-S. Any feedback from the group as to how it sounds and how much labor hours were involved to install? My local dealer quoted me 4.4 hours to do the job.

Hey Jim is that you? It's Adam from MAM. I'm glad you took my advise and posted up the question here. As I thought the stealership is trying to take you for a ride. Look around and get a better offer on labor costs or try to do it yourself if you have the time and patience. Give me a call and I'll get you out one of these speakers kits and wave the 14.99 S&H charge. Us boxster owners have to stick together! 199.99 out the door. These things are not going to last at this price. As far as the EVO intake thing goes here is the latest of many threads posted here about the topic.
http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5140&page=1&pp=20
Myself...I agree with Clubhead....I have a BMC high flow replacement panel and it seems to do the trick and I've had zero problems. I've looked around and this is the best price I've found
http://www.eagleday.com/pobmcpefi.html

RandallNeighbour · 02-22-2006, 03:10 AM

JJT, I was sitting in my car last night in the garage after a quick drive listening to my stereo. The rear speaker kit install took me about 3 hours. The very thin piece of plastic along the bottom of the box was the most nerve-wracking thing to keep from breaking, but if you take your time, you'll be just fine.

While it will not make the look of your dash factory fresh, I highly recommend swapping the crappy Becker unit with an Alpine. I had mine wired with the pre-amp outs to my factory amp and factory speakers (plus the rear speaker kit) and the sound is far cleaner and there's far more separation between bass, midrange and high frequencies. Amazing difference.

My next project on the stereo system is to replace the dash speakers. Someone said MBQuartz drop right in, but I need to research that.

docdyh · 02-22-2006, 01:08 PM

hey guys..which do you recommend. OEM kit or PNP..PNP swears that theirs is much better...? thanks.

TriGem2k · 02-22-2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docdyh

hey guys..which do you recommend. OEM kit or PNP..PNP swears that theirs is much better...? thanks.

Only reason why i would choose PNP is because their speakers are actually 3.5" speakers. The OEM speakers are a pain in the ass to replace...They are not standard size

CA_Boxster · 02-22-2006, 04:10 PM

I did the PnP kit for $225. Had it installed at a shop while other work was being done, but I estimate installation of the rear kit alone would be a little over $100. Doesn't seem like too much for the time and aggravation saved.

The sound on the PnP kit is fine for a row of 3.5" speakers. Like everyone said - don't expect it to change the whole stereo and don't expect them to sound good at a high volume. They do improve regular, everyday driving sound. Given the sound quality of any but the top end Porsche sound options, I don't expect the OEM rear speaker kit would be any better than the PnP. None of the other stock speakers were very impressive in my car.

JJT · 02-24-2006, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam

Hey Jim is that you? It's Adam from MAM. I'm glad you took my advise and posted up the question here. As I thought the stealership is trying to take you for a ride. Look around and get a better offer on labor costs or try to do it yourself if you have the time and patience. Give me a call and I'll get you out one of these speakers kits and wave the 14.99 S&H charge. Us boxster owners have to stick together! 199.99 out the door. These things are not going to last at this price. As far as the EVO intake thing goes here is the latest of many threads posted here about the topic.
http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5140&page=1&pp=20
Myself...I agree with Clubhead....I have a BMC high flow replacement panel and it seems to do the trick and I've had zero problems. I've looked around and this is the best price I've found
http://www.eagleday.com/pobmcpefi.html

Yes it's me Adam Such a Deal you're offering! I may take you up on it but will shop around first.