Stereo Really Sucks Part II
 

So I went to the stereo guy yesterday.....

I am not sure if the 986 has the same setup as my 987 so let me explain.

There are two different sized round speakers in each door I suppose providing bass and midrange and 3 small speakers in the dash that must be providing treble (one in the middle and the other two on each side of the dash). This is the cheap stereo Porsche provides and it sounds like mud.

So stereo guy is saying to change everything to Alpine. I do not think his reason for this is because Alpine is the best but rather that Alpine is the best he has here.

The plan is we will change the two door speakers on each side, put two tweeters in the front and forget about the middle speaker in the dash. In the trunk we will stick in some sort of huge subwoofer and amp.

I am told this will sound kickass and will be heard from far away?

I would like to hear other people's opinions on this because I really have no clue anymore about what is a good stereo.

Unless the shop ports the subwoofer in the trunck to the cabin don't expect to hear anything from it while driving...

Would it be better to put the subwoofer in the front?

In the front as in the front trunk? Yes that would be the only one you would get any type of sound from. The rear has the motor inbetween and you wouldnt be able to hear anything.

Our cars are designed for both Left and Right hand drive, so there is an opening in which the port should run from the front trunk to the cabin. It is a about 3.5" in diameter.

However, the BEST place to put a subwoofer in this car is in the passanger footwell. This will give you the best sound.

This is probably a stupid question, but isn't the passenger footwell where the passenger puts his feet? On the floor in front of the passenger's seat? If so, with a subwoofer there where would the passenger put his feet?

In the trunk obviously gosh......


On a more serious note, the sub would be small such as an 8" which doesnt need much air space in the box. I have one in my car which no one even notices. Super small and compact.



P.S. For all these posts im doing for you the least you can do is post some picture of your "ASSistants"

Maybe I am just a little slow today but I still do not follow. Where does the subwoofer exactly go? On the floor?

Here's a stupid question...

I think my stereo sounds awesome !

Is there any way to tell if my speakers are still "stock" without taking off the grills ?

My ipod is hardwired to the factory stereo, and I have never listened to the radio or a CD in the car, but I doubt the ipod alone would account for the superior sound.

I do have the premium audio package ( non Bose ) in my '99.

Any thoughts ?

I believe I have a picture of Reus's subwoofer setup in my thread here:

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6322&highlight=reus+audio

It doesn't take up the whole passenger footwell.

one thing the stereo shop isnt telling you is that convertibles are notorious for not so great sound when it comes to stereos, the rag top doesnt help the sound move well in the cab. Plus i think its not a good idea to spend 3-4k on a stereo system. do something more productive with you money rather than buying a stereo that wil loosen all your bolt and clips of your interior.

I second TriGem's request.......more ASSistants please.

You can also get away with one 8inch sub behind the passenger seat. Make sure this is a REALLY nice sub with a HUGE magnet on the back so it can get the lows, not just the mid bass.

about 250 watts RMS should be good for this sub.

KRZ

I third the request! haha

IMO, the single best thing you should do right now is replace the stock headunit with a quality aftermarket one. That will instantly give you better sound, and you'll have more control over the EQ and sound processing. You may find that you don't need to upgrade the speakers like you thought. Unless you are a true audiophile like me (it doesn't sound like it from your questions), it might be just enough. And you won't have to go tearing into your car to do it.

Replace the HU, then evaluate whether you need new speakers.

Yes, that link is exactly what I wanted to see.

I do not want to keep the original head though since there is no Ipod hookup. I wonder how weird it will look with an aftermarket head in it????

Any suggestions for a head unit that would not look out of place? I want a stereo that shakes the buildings when I drive by, one that will scare little children when they run up to the car. My questions may sound clueless but it is not that I do not appreciate a good stereo. I just do not have the option of going to the local stereo store to see what is new. If I want something really good I will have to buy it on the Internet and have it shipped to me.

There are two different sized round speakers in each door I suppose providing bass and midrange and 3 small speakers in the dash that must be providing treble (one in the middle and the other two on each side of the dash). This is the cheap stereo Porsche provides and it sounds like mud.

So stereo guy is saying to change everything to Alpine. I do not think his reason for this is because Alpine is the best but rather that Alpine is the best he has here.

The plan is we will change the two door speakers on each side, put two tweeters in the front and forget about the middle speaker in the dash. In the trunk we will stick in some sort of huge subwoofer and amp.

Yeah, good idea to not replace the middle speaker in the dash, since it's actually the air conditioner sensor. :)

Base 987 has four speakers. SPP has seven and Bose has 11. On the 986 it went 2, 6 and 10.

Have you considered the idea of retrofitting the sound package plus (adding three speakers). You may be able to order from the dealer, and it's OEM. From comments I've read, it's an improvement. You could always subsequently swap out the head unit and then have the seven speakers to work with instead of four. Might be worth contacting your dealer to see if possible and what would be involved.

When I had my base, I investigated a sound upgrade from a high-end shop here in La Jolla that had worked on other 987s and they said to keep the head unit and add the enclosed subwoofer in the footwell as the first step (as others have suggested).

Speakers
 

I have had good luck with replacing the two door and four dash factory speakers with good quality JL Audio speakers. I replaced the head unit with a top Pioneer unit and powered it all with an outboard 4X75 watt JL Audio Slash-series amp that I mounted in the front trunk. Cost me about 1.7K installed and it sounds very good, and plays very loud. I do miss a subwoofer, but not all the time.

Ed

2000 2.7L Boxster
Arctic Silver/black, 50K
TTP intake, headers, cats
AutoThority Performance Chip
Upgraded Audio

why are you so concerned with the speakers in the boxster. apparently you were selling the boxster, what happend...couldnt afford the 911..............


"After owning a new Boxster for only about two months I have decided to sell it.

I hope to buy another Porsche, probably a 911, in the near future but for now I will be back to my scooter. "

I changed my mind on selling the Boxster when I found out the 911 is over $200,000 USD here.

Someday though I might move back to Toronto where I could afford a 911 except I would have to park it in the garage 11 months of the year. ;)

well i guess so if you have no where to go. get out make some friends, not 16 year old friends, but find away to be social, and you and your 911 wont be parked in a garage. we can send you some tips on how to communicate with the rest of the world...its really easy for most peeps. you might find this task difficult......seeing that you hate on most of the world.

I LOVE the whole world! In fact I have been in 14 countries in the last three years. I will be in Brazil on Friday. It is just Canada that I do not like. Cold climate, communism, fat women, everything is a big #2 to the United States, insecure people, bad food, snow, socialism, french people........the list could take up a whole page.

Why do you keep trying to bring my posts off topic though? I know Canada does not have a very good education system but please try to stay focused. ;)

lol you really are a fool.

I would like to apologize for the posts coming from the other Canadian. It is not his fault he does not know how to capitalise the fist letter of a sentence. In Canada the schools are far to busy indoctrinating students into believing wacky concepts of socialism to spend any time on things like grammar. Or maybe he is French? English is a second language?

I do though have a question related to the forum. Why does his profile say 2002 Porsche when the photo is of a 2005 or 2006? Could not afford a new one and needs to fantasize? ;)

If you're going to crack on someone else's grammar, you should probably run your own incoherent rants through spell check first.

Google spell checker shows no errors! :dance:

I used to have a girlfriend from Quebec, she hated the Canadian jokes and couldn't stand when Americans used them. Which of course meant I had to unleash a few (see Celine Dione) whenver she made some disparaging comment about Americans. She refused to go see South Park the Movie.

Last time I checked, there was an R in first, but maybe it's just me. Last time I checked the schools were far too busy, not far to busy, but it's probably just me. Last time I checked, "Or maybe he is French?" is a phrase, not a question or a sentence. Maybe it's me. Shall I continue?

Perhaps the problem is not the school, but rather, the student's capacity to comprehend and retain his most basic instruction.

you are very right i can't afford a new boxster, maybe someday...until then i am satisfied to drive a 2002.

i don't like all the comments in regards to canadians being less, because it has nothing to do with cars. for some reason you keep knocking canadians because of all the misery we have caused you. may the misery follow you for life.

please stop making remarks about countries that you have no use for. you keep lowering yourself by trashing a country that is = to any country in the world. no country is better then the other....you are a fool.

why would you appolgize for the canadian guy.....oh no you are canadian....loser. the best part of this ordeal is that you are canadian and trash yourself over and over. wierdo.

please don't reply.

Canadians have no sense of humor. None at all. It comes from years of being beside a super-power that constantly made them realize they are number two in just about everything. Canadians constantly insult the United States but when someone makes the smallest negative comment about Canada they cry like babies. I consider it a national insecurity complex. People from Quebec are even worse but I am sure no one needs to point out that French people have no sense of humor?

What is the difference between a canoe and a Canadian?
The canoe tips!!!!! :D :o :D :o

i don't think that i would stoop to that level.....i would never make fun of americans. the entire world follows america, not only canadians. i don't think canadians have a problem with america, we have a problem with fools like you.

I was talking about speakers! It was YOU who started trolling by saying I could not afford a 911. When I responded you insulted me seven times in one post.

I would hate the world as well if I lived in Canada so I kind of understand why you are so angry. This though is the Porcshe forum so you should try to stay on topic. Oops...maybe you are angry because it is October which means your driving days are limited since Mr. Cold is coming!!

By the way, I CAN afford a 911 because I do not give 48% of my money away to the Canadian goverment in taxes. :p

well i was surprised that you gave a **************** about the speakers when you were suppose to sell it. everyone knows that the speakers suck in a boxster, who cares. with all the money that you have, just replace them. i don't believe that you can afford a 911.

Why don't you just go away and stop trolling me? Now you are using foul language and sounding like a 5 year old. How much money I have or do not have is really none of your business. But for the record my Boxster cost over $80,000 USD so I am sure a 911 is not out of reach.

LOL

Wierdo