Thinking of a Cayman S - question about music via bluetooth

Hi everyone, I am new to the forums here, I don't own a Porsche yet but possibly intend to in the future, I'm looking at a Cayman S in particular, 2006-2010. One of the features I really would like to have is music streaming via bluetooth. However I have read in countless posts that this isn't actually possible without a certain feature, i believe its CDR+ or PCM 3.1 , I've heard a number of things, one is that if the car has a USB port then this implies it has CDR+ so bluetooth music should be possible? The other is that PCM 3.1 was not a thing until the later generation Cayman , in which case no matter which model i buy from that generation, I won't be able to get bluetooth music from a factory build. Could you guys confirm if any of the above is true? What is it that I actually need to look out for and what should I be asking sellers? If it really is the case that I can't do it without an accessory, what is it I should buy? Ideally i'd like something that works as a bluetooth transmitter connected to the USB port, which detects the phone on start up. I remember my excitement when I bought a 2014 Audi TTS, only to find out it had bluetooth for calls but not music. It shocked me that a car so modern could lack such a basic feature. It ultimately ended up as one of the reasons I got rid of the car.

I am not sure about the 987 generation, but the 981 , including the 2016 which I own, does not have bluetooth streaming without PCM or CDR+. I use an ITrip adapter plugged into the AUX port. It isn't as convenient as having it built in, but I didn't buy a Porsche to listen to music. If bluetooth streaming is so important to you that you got rid of a car without it, your priorities are different and a Porsche may not be the right car for you.

Thanks for your reply. Is there an easy way of checking whether the car has CDR+, what should I be looking out for in pictures? Just to clarify I didn't sell the Audi *solely* because of that reason and it definitely wasn't one of the main reasons either. I was more annoyed that I didn't check things like this before buying, but obviously this time round I'm trying to get a better idea of what i'm going to be getting myself into. Edit: The Audi didn't even have an Aux port whereas I know the Cayman will, so I can always safely fall back on this!

I swapped in an aftermarket head unit. Easy to do. Better sound quality too. There is a guy called Loi, who has a company called EuroMotorSpeed. He can help u figure out what you need to do. VERY helpful guy. He produces the head unit surrounds to match oem.

Bluetooth streaming was never available from the factory on the 987.

For 987 and 987.2 (2009-2012) there is no bluetooth streaming at all from any of the factory options. PCM3.x came with 2nd gen 987.2 (2009-2012) cars. With PCM 3.x, the car comes with bluetooth phone pairing. But still no streaming. Music options with PCM3.x are in center console (the space between the seats) USB port (my preferred option on my old 987.2). I think there was limit to size of usb drive, i think 16gb. I had tried 64gb usb drive but i think PCM3.x would run out of memory, and the usb stick would get EXTREMELY hot and overheat and just crash PCM) Ipod/iphone via serial cable provided by porsche with the car if you ordered PCM3.x Aux 3.5mm analog jack Edit to add: final option is to burn mp3 audio cd and stick it in the cd drive .... like it's 2001 which is what i've had to resort to on my current 981 (which doesn't have PCM and only has the 3.5mm aux port). Yes it is kind of ridiculous, but that's what the PSE button is for. Free flat 6 MUSIC, and much more fun to listen to. So your options is to buy aftermarket usb or 3.5mm bluetooth streaming device. there are several threads here in planet 9 in the past that talk about them. You pair your phone with the 3.5mm device via bluetooth. the car reads the music from the usb/3.5mm device.

There's a lengthy thread here ( https://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman...-boxster-electronics/92984-add-bluetooth-music-streaming-all-cayman-radios.html ) about some add-on FM transmitter Bluetooth devices. You tune your radio to an empty frequency, set the device to the same frequency, and then pair your phone or other Bluetooth music player with the device, and it transmits the streamed music on the selected FM frequency. Based on the info in that thread, I bought a GoGroove FlexSMART X2 ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PPGOC0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) for use in my 987.1 Boxster RS60 Spyder. I've only had it a couple of weeks, but it seems to work OK. I'm still experimenting with various FM frequencies to find one that's far enough from any stations to be free from interference. Since this model from GoGroove has a power switch (they don't all have one), I just leave it plugged into the 12V socket in the passenger footwell and turn it off when I park the car. It was only $30, so I don't expect it to be perfect, but it seems to be good enough for now. Somewhere down the road, I'll probably replace the head unit. John

Don't buy a Cayman if high fidelity music enjoyment is a major desire. Having the engine right behind the seats, limited sound insulation, and a highly reflective hatchback to amplify engine and road noise into the cabin make for a very poor musical sound chamber. Buy a Cayman for the visceral, and totally immersive driving experience, complete with engine noise and the roar of high performance tires gripping the pavement. Mine has the Bose system and even after trying every possible combination of settings and adjustments, once moving over 30 mph you can only hear the music well if you turn it waaaaay up. It sounds great below 20 mph, but I don't spend much time there. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I bought an 06 Boxster S , with the Bose upgrade. I put in a nice Kenwood head unit and with the Host converter, to keep using the Bose Amp and also added a back up camera. You would be surprised at how difficult it is to see behind you in such a small car. I was all in for about $750. I watched several you tube videos and it took me about 2 hours total. The Kenwood has a 13 band built in equalizer and wow, was I able to bring the Bose system to life. I have a USB port and Bluetooth is nice to have. It took a while to get used to using the touchscreen, since there are not any steering wheel controls.

I added this for bluetooth music streaming in my bose equipped 06 CS. Works fine, streaming for cheap, I don't have an aux jack. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FRU5UNA

I bought a used 2007 Cayman S and it had no Bluetooth connection. You can buy a small device, Nulaxy Bluetooth, that connects your phone to an open FM station on your radio and allows you to play music, phone, navigation from your phone to your car's speakers. It plugs into my cigarette lighter and allows me to not only play everything via the auto stereo, but also lets me recharge the phone which is especially helpful if you used Google Maps or WAZE from your phone. It takes literally 1 minute to set up and indicates on the display which FM station you should tune to for it to work. A lot cheaper than having to replace your whole unit and it works great. https://www.amazon.com/Nulaxy-Wirel...b&hvdev=c&hvqmt=b&keywords=bluetooth+converter&qid=1563936609&s=gateway&sr=8-20

I had a '08 Boxster , then moved to a '13 Boxster . I hated the radio in the 987, I believe it was the CDR 30. I had it pulled and put in a double din Kenwood with BT, USB, Sirius and GPS and was very happy with the results

I certainly don't think a driver should give up on high quality music just because they have a high performance car. For the majority of my driving I do enjoy crystal clear music that is occasionally interrupted by the noise of spirited driving. In town and on the highway there aren't a ton of situations where I'm getting into high revs. Anyway, I have a 987.2 Boxster and I primarily use a USB flash drive with all of my favorite tunes. I have the Bose / Navi PCM , 3.1 I think, and I have total control of the music on the flash drive. I can also use my iPod of phone via the Aux jack but then you have to use the handheld device to control the music. If I was highly motivated to stream music I would not hesitate to replace the CDM with a high quality aftermarket product as you can gain many features by doing so in an older car and have even better sound quality, without spending a ton of money. Good luck with your decision.

The answer to this question for the 987.1 always comes down to Bose or no Bose . If you don't have Bose , just swap out your HU for a modern HU that has Bluetooth enabled. Done, end of story. You don't even need to get a Double-DIN model. If you do have Bose , then it get's more complicated. If you have Bose and just want to add BT streaming best bet is the Dension Gateway (bluetooth model). This will take the place of your CD disk player in your fiber optic ring. Usually runs about $500. You could also get one of those BT transmitters that uses a radio frequency but those always depend on your local radio market. Next option is to add an AUX jack and use a BT puck. Not cheap either as the option from Porsche is about $350 for the part. Finally, you can go full HU replacement. Here again you have options as you can get a MOST HUR adapter to allow you to keep your Bose amp (about $500 but there are cheap Chinese copies that seem to work well). The other option is to replace the Bose amp with a 5-channel amp - also about $500. You can keep your Bose speakers for decent sound. I did the HU and amp replacement for a total of about $2k installed (with backup camera and rewiring my Bassbox).

Hey, I haven't posted in here for awhile. But do ask if the car has an AUX port or the old school 30 pin iPod connector in the center armrest. Either one of these will allow you to buy a Bluetooth receiver 4.1+ for audio streaming protocol A2DP. I bought a 30 pin Bluetooth receiver from Amazon . The car only has HFP Bluetooth just like your Audi