I have a base model 2007 Cayman. I could not afford at the time the S model which has the Bose stereo. Now I am wanting to purchase another system for my base model. The Bose was quoted at $5,000.00. That is crazy. Could I find on on ebay or somewhere and have it installed? Would I have to replace my base door panels? Is there a Stereo place you folks would recommend? Is their another brand that would be equal to the Bose? The Bose is an awsome sounding system in my opinion.
I can imagine that trying to retrofit the Bose system into your car would be expensive, and a somewhat difficult project even if you could find the parts somewhere like ebay.
If I were you, I would look at aftermarket solutions - you might do a Search for aftermarket stereo to see what some others on the forum have done.
Many people would envy you having the base set up - easier to upgrade and not just with a head unit but also higher-quality speakers, so you are not busy trying to integrate with proprietary hardware. There are several people on this board who have even gotten head units with nav and satellite radio that fit in the CDR-24 space and which can be painted to match the rest of the console.
Search around here for aftermarket installs, I have a Bose sytem and wish I was in your shoes. Your install will be much more straightforward without having to worry about any of the MOST nonsense or replacing the Bose amp.
I wish i were you at this point too, with 5000$ system i get a really good system for the car. Bose sucks real bad, i changed my Front unit to the Alpine DVD Unit which makes the Bose sound slightly better but when i turn the Volume to lets say around 10-11 the whole system just blanks out, i dont get it with my 5000$ system in my Cayenne or the BMW.
The trouble with trying to retro fit bose is that the Bose enabled PCM head units contain Bose amplifier software which cannot be retro fitted. This means replacing the head unit for a Bose enabled one. I would imagine the same is true for the basic model head units. The amplifier also needs connection to the head unit via the optical waveguide link (MOST fibre optic) which needs to be coded into the head unit via the PWIS unit. The speakers are also different on the BOSE system , so the costs soon mount up. There is also a bit of a minefield in obtaining the correct BOSE amp as there are many different versions depending on model year and application (911 or boxster/ cayman) If you are not familiar with matching parts using the PET catalogue , I would steer clear of trying to source parts and do it yourself. It will be cheaper and easier to refit an aftermarket unit.
Hi,
I have to admit... I have the Bose in my 08 Cayman, and I love it. I think it sounds great. I am not crazy about the head unit but the stereo is not why I bought this car in the 1st place. I really think the bose unit gets trashed way too much around here. Its really not bad at all.. When you turn the volume up into the mid 20's its actually clean, loud, and very well balanced. Its a warm sounding well tuned system. Just my opinion.
Joe D.
I suspect the main issue with the Bose is what someone else theorized. Bose never rebalanced it from the Boxster for a closed car. Or Porsche never asked. As received the treble is hot enough to fry your ears and the bass tended to a one note boom. When toned down it's adequate to the purpose unless you're into high end car audio. I'm not so as long as the sins of the system are of omission rather then committing something horribly wrong I don't care. The upgrade option on most cars tends to be good enough for me though here even tuned the Bose is marginal. Most of the rest of the complaints I suspect results from Porsche leaving out all the features one expects on a car of this price, bluetooth, ipod, satellite etc.
So if you like it enjoy it. That's the point of music anyway.
Stuff and seal your sub - it makes for a huge improvement!
