Stereo Upgrade - opinions needed
 

I have a very stock 1998 Boxster with almost no options. It has the CDR-210 CD player and dash speakers only. It works, and is "adequate"

Now that I'm using the Boxster a lot more, I'd like to upgrade a bit. I looked around the site and saw that you can add rear speakers, but they go in a hard plastic cargo box on top of the engine cover. I have a soft leather type box there. Pelican lists the plastic box for a LOT of $$ so that is out.

I looked at my doors and there are no speakers there, and I don't think they can be easily added. I think I'd have to buy the internal door parts and run wires that aren't there. I think Porsche had amps in the doors, which of course I don't have. Again, very expensive I bet.

I'd really like iPod connectivity. I found a German company that sells a little box for about $350 that makes an iPod emulate the CD changer. Here is the link:
Solisto.Extra | Solisto

Somewhere I also found a Chinese knock-off.

There are cables available that work with the CDR-220, so maybe I could find one of those. I do like the stock look and don't really want to replace the Head Unit. Mainly I need to solve the speaker problem first.

What is the best path forward?

Please google Becker Radio or Becker Autosound.

Bill

I went Alpine with Bluetooth. Sweet. They had a hard time getting the whine or chassis noise out.

Some door panels have the speakers in them. Amp is in the frunk.

The rear speakers help fill in the sound. A rear storage box (for mounting the speakers )should be available from someone who is parting out a car, on Ebay or from a salvage yard at a reasonable price. I expect that you could also find door cards with the speaker enclosures.

I think you will find that an aftermarket unit (I went with a dual din navigation system) will be less expensive than trying to upgrade stock Becker equipment from the era when your car was manufactured.

If you can wait a little bit, I'm going to have an entire after market system available that includes:
Alpine IDA-X100 head unit
Alpine MRP-F300 4 channel amp
focal k2 power 13ks subs in modified Porsche door boxes (drop in solution)
Polk db401 speakers modded for the front speakers
Polk db351 speakers in a Porsche rear storage box

I don't have a price for this setup yet, but I'm not looking to make a mint on this. I'll be selling this once I have my new system in.

Tony

Cheap solution
 

I had some speaker wire from a previous project and bought some slip-on connectors at Radio Shack that attached to the 4 pins in the back of the radio for rear speakers. The "gagme" Boxster speaker hack suggested that. I connected the rear speakers via the schematic in the radio manual.

I ran the wires under the console, behind the driver seat an up to the soft compartment in a black slip-on wire loom. Connected the wiring to the 4X6 speakers. They fit snug and are angled to the front.

They sound really great. I just need to tidy up the inside of the soft compartment a little and fab up a black mesh so I can unzip the storage compartment and not mute the speakers, which is slightly noticeable when it's zipped.

Total price tag was $45. I'm happy!

On my DD I just had a Kenwood stereo added with built-in Bluetooth, satellite, USB, etc, for $250 (labor, tax, and all). Unlike most cars I've had units put in, it didn't require a dash kit or extra wiring harness. One quirk is that the two pins that go to the ignition had to be reversed. The audio shop manager (who owns a 996 Cabrio) said he had to do that mod to his car as well, otherwise the stereo settings will be erased every time you shut off the ignition.
To give dimension and balls to your sound, you might consider one of those compact sub-woofers that fits under the seat. I'm sure it could go on the rear shelf as well.

What subs that fit under the seat? I have been searching for one

I added the rear speaker kit and it made a huge difference
I have the basic system, no amp, no door speakers

I've seen them at the stereo shop. They're flat and in an aluminum box. Not sure how they work, but it would be a decent alternative.
My weekender has the extra door speakers, but my DD doesn't.
It does make a pretty big difference.
Thinking about adding the compact sub or the shelf speakers to the DD myself.

Or an exorbitant price. Expect to pay $200 for a black carpet one if you can find it.

I've decided to continue with the upgrade, but I want the interior to remain "stock looking." I currently have a CDR-210 and dash speakers only. Sounds pretty awful.

So I bought a CDR-220 to replace the CDR-210. That will look stock, but has an iPod input and maybe it will sound a little better.

I also bought a storage box ($95) to add 3.5" speakers for the rear. I will change the front speakers out for better quality 4" speakers.

So my question is - should I get an amp? I kind of want one as I think it might help. I can get an original HAES 6x40 amp for $75. That would allow me to later add 5" speakers in the doors (I can get the door baffles for $50 pair on ebay)

I don't have any of the original amp wiring or mating plugs. Maybe I would be better off with an aftermarket amp in the frunk. I looked quickly on Crutchfield and there are no 6 channel amps. I guess I could use an aftermarket 4 channel amp for the fronts and doors and drive the rears from the CDR-210.

Let me know if you think the Haes 6x40 amp is a good solution - or even if I need an amp at all. I'm not looking for the best system ever... just one that looks stock from inside and doesn't sound terrible.

I had the same crappy dash speaker only set up in my 2003 Boxster. I added and Alpine head unit along with an amp in the floor of the frunk along with some component speakers in the doors and upgraded alpine speakers in the dash. I didn't add any speaker boxes in the doors, just surface mounted the woofers to the interior panel, and added dynamat to the inside of the doors and the interior panel near the speakers. I'm not audiophile, but I think it sounds great now.
Here's a couple of pics of the doors with the 6.5 inch component speakers installed:

http://i60.tinypic.com/1zldchd.jpg

http://i61.tinypic.com/hu0flu.jpg


Here's a shot of the amp and crossovers in the frunk. I made a cover out of plywood with short legs that sits over the amp panel so I can still stack cargo in the frunk without it sitting on the amp and crossovers.

http://i60.tinypic.com/14jm1oh.jpg

Head unit:

http://i62.tinypic.com/2dai1xd.jpg

I have a Haes 6X40 amp and I'm satisfied with it. I replaced the Haes 4X40 that was in the car when I bought it. My reasons for using the Haes were (1) Cost (I think I paid $30) and (2) it took very little modification to the existing wiring to incorporate it into the system. My second reason wouldn't apply to you because your car apparently did not come with the hi fi package.

I can say that a Haes 6X40 (with two channels driving the rear speakers) sounds better than a 4X40 with the Becker headunit driving the rear speakers. However the biggest improvement came from upgrading the dash speakers.

I used to be concerned about keeping the stock look, but my double DIN Pioneer unit integrates well into the dash and the additional capabilities of a more modern system are hard to resist. If you get something like a dual DIN unit, it will probably have more power than the Haes amp.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1420324683.jpg

There is a little too much flash in this photo, and under normal lighting conditions it actually blends in a little better.

Consider that "stock" is a relative term. Porsche did sell a double DIN navigation unit with these cars. Not many people bought them, but the design of the car's center console accommodates it pretty well. Todays after market units are much "cleaner" in design than the circa 1999 PCM - Porsche Communication Management system. The PCM had buttons all over it and the screen looked like a cartoon.

I looked at the wiring for the 6 channel amp on the Porsche service manual. The amp has outputs labelled FL, RL, SL (plus FR, RR, SR).

F is for front and R is for Rear, but what about the S? I assume it is for Subwoofer since it is wired to the "DEEP RANGE SPEAKER" in the door. Does that mean there is a fixed, non adjustable crossover inside the amp?

Here's a link to the information I used when I installed my 6 channel amp.

Pinout for 6x40 M490 amp - 986 Series (Boxster, Boxster S) - RennTech.org Forums

I had the connector from my 4 channel amp and I just modified the connector to fit the 6 channel amp outputs as shown in the thread. I know you are facing a different situation, but there may be some helpful information and links to other threads that may help you.

DG
I bought an AUX input cord from https://www.discountcarstereo.com/login.php @ $10 and it works fine with my CDR220. I'm also running an Alpine 4 channel 50W amp to power Boston 4 inch speakers in the original locations. To use your words, the sound is still just adequate IMO. Good luck with your build.

Hi everyone:

Do any of you have a recommendation for a low profile subwoofer that would fit either under the passenger seat or behind it. I know there are 8" and 10" low profile speakers out there, but my concern is that they really do sound (have the punch) of a true subwoofer.

Thanks

http://images.wikia.com/boxster/images/b/b6/Boxster_speakers_update_article.pdf

Here's some information on upgrading the sound system

I have a 99 that only had stock dash and door speakers. Like you said, it sounded adequate but not great. I replaced the dash speakers with aftermarket kicker speakers, the door speakers with kickers, and added rear speakers in the storage box. The sound quality difference is amazing and it has great bass even without a dedicated subwoofer. I also added a kenwood double din bluetooth touchscreeb head unit

I have been looking for one as well. All the ones I have found are too tall to fit without raising the seat rails. Putting one behind the pass seat doesn't work for me as it would take away too much legroom.

As far as the sound, while it probably won't be the best bass, it will certainly add quite a bit. Bass is non-directional, so it's location is not critical

Jay - you wouldn't know what is the max height this bass SW needs to be by any chance? Yep too friggin lazy to go measure it myself :/ car is half mile away, full of dust

I'm off to the car parts village this coming Sunday to see my HID kit supplier. I'll stop at the car audio street (blvd lol) to look for one of those. I'll admit it I also need that... recently found some new slapping tones that I'd like to play while I drive the Boxster

Or if anyone knows, that'd be fab

IIRC, it is about 2.5 inch clearance

there is also a grounding stud that would need ot be cut off and teh ground point reattached somewhere else

The space is the same as under drivers (left) seat where the ECU is

The best solution would be a powered sub like
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KENWOOD-KSC-SW11-COMPACT-POWERED-ENCLOSED-SUBWOOFER-SPEAKER-AMPLIFIER-BASS-BOX-/121080886478
but less height

Its about .25 inch too high. I was looking at raising the seat tracks with some spacers, but the way they are mounted with a bolt at an angle in the front and flat at the back would make it difficult to just add a .25 in spacer as it would shift the track forward

Maybe a new project for you ...LOL

Like many Boxsters, I don't have Bose or door subs and also no amp, so a powered sub would be ideal

Like many others, I too sought an improved audio system in my Boxster. I replaced the head unit, dash speakers, door speakers (with 6.5" coax), added an amp, and tried to improve the Bose sub box. The sub never worked well - I first removed the Bose drivers and fabbed a mount for 6.5" Kicker "subs" - did not deliver much bottom end (mostly mid bass).

The only solution I found for real bass (other than a passenger footwell enclosure) was to duplicate the shape of the Bose sub box out of fiberglass and was ultimately able to fit 2 8" low profile Kicker subs in the "stock" sub location.

Building the sub box was a huge pain in the ass - I used the Bose box as a mold template and fiberglassed over the top of it (not easy) then remove the mold, added layers of fiberglass inside the box for strength (not horrible but still not easy) then fiberglass the bottom enclosing the whole thing, making it airtight all the while having wood mounting rings for the drivers integrated in the fiberglass box. As I said, it was a long painful process.

But I have low end bass that you can feel and hear (might be able to accomplish similar results with bass shakers)...

Oh, forgot to add, carpeting the whole enclosure was also a joy - there is no straight or flat surface anywhere on that thing!

hmmm, that is not a lot but will check. Thx bud, too kind

Agree spacers would be a quick fix... but I refuse to believe there isn't a slim 2" SW avail these days. I'll have a look... fingers crossed :/

I did find a low profile sub speaker that was around 2", but it was 13" dia. so I don't think it would fit. It would be an exposed speaker, so i don't know how it would sound
WoofersEtc.com - Phantom 13 - Precision Power 13" 200W 4-Ohm Shallow Mount Subwoofer

I'm visiting a local, high-end car stereo shop next week. I share their thoughts with the Forum. One question I'll be sure to ask is whether there a way to mount the Kenwood speaker under the dash on the passenger side at the top of the foot well. Given how low profile it is the unit may not affect legroom.

interesting thought.
My guess is it takes too much space. My wife is often riding in the Boxster, so I do care about the legroom. Then again, we can always take her 996

Well I visited the local +high-end" car audio shop here in the Bay area. They fine tuned the amp and the Focal crossovers. The sound is improved greatly and I have a bit more bottom end. The disappointing out was that the shop had nothing to offer for adding a true sub-woofer or even a compact one without taking up legroom. Their view was that whatever would fit under the seat wouldn't be a big improvement over the 6" Focal subs in the doors.

with a basic system, there are no subs at all, so something is better than nothing LOL

Did you add a wood board between the interior panel and the door panel? If you did, how deep was it? I screwed my 6.5inch Focals and the whole door vibrates even at low volumes. Did you added only the dynamat? Do you have any vibrations on the door?

(Sorry for the thread hijack)