HU options

New 05 boxster owner here... want to add phone, nav, etc, to car and am not a huge music guy...I don't need audiophile system, but like music occasionally Have the Bose system now but wanted to know pros and cons for just using the HU amp as opposed to a separate new amp. Wanted to bypass the bose system and just hook up speaker wires to new HU. Is this possible or desireable?

I walked in your shoes with my 2006 Cayman. I wasted money and a few years adding a Dension to the Porsche Nav System. Then I installed a Pioneer AVIC 8000NEX with an adapter to use my Bose Speakers. Wish I did this first. It will get you where you want. The rear Bose speakers barely work with the adapter, but all the other speakers and subwoofer work. The speaker adjustment controls on the head unit will be mostly useless on the Bose system. It will not sound as good as what you originally had, but you will get used to it as the working Bose speakers still sound pretty good. I contacted Bose about the Porsche Speakers and how to get them all working on the Pioneer. They told me to call the company that made the unit I removed. Reading the blogs, there is no other good way to get these speakers working other than the converter. If you are an audiophile guy, do not wast the $700 on the Bose converter. Take out the Porsche audio/nav system, Bose speakers and amp completely and go with an after market amp and speakers. Removing the outdated Porsche Nav system from its place in the front trunk frees up that space for storage. As technology advances every 5 or so years, you can then easily replace the Pioneer head unit and keep the rest. I went with a Mosconi AS 100.4 amp, Focal K2 Power 165KRX3 speakers and a Focal IBus20 Subwoofer. The amp, speaker crossovers and cover plate will cost a loss of about 3" depth in the front trunk. The Mosconi amp won't fit in the old amp spot or in the nav system space. The subwoofer goes under the passenger seat. This system is better than anything I have heard in any car (or most houses) and worth the money if you drive a lot and want great sound. However this system and the subwoofer do not create the type of sound that someone in the car next to you will hear thru closed windows. I recommend you use a professional installer that you have carefully checked out. Think carefully about what you really want and understand what you are getting before you do anything. It will save time and money.

I bit the bullet and used the adapter which allows my Pioneer head unit to work with the optical system needed for the Bose. The downside is added cost for the NAV-TV Most HUR adapter. The plus side is that you completely avoid potential grounding issues that have plagued some aftermarket installations (a buzz in the audio) when you bypass the optical system. One other thing about pulling the Bose amp: Bose tunes their speakers with impedances that may not play nicely with an aftermarket amp. When I talked to an installer about replacing the Bose amp, they said they'd have challenges with the speakers and we may need to replace those too. Check out this thread http://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman-...7-cayman-boxster-electronics/56234-latest-head-unit-replacement-avic-120bt.html . Euro Motorspeed sold me a combo kit of a bezel and the NAV-TV adapter, plus they soldered the wiring harness for me which made it much easier to install.

Thanks G I ended up going a bit lower end on a full replacement... After all, my 05 Boxster is not worth a whole lot anyway. All in I spent under $750 for HU and 5 channel amp. sounds good for me... after all, I have a Boxster and it is already noisy and not an "audiophile" interior anyway... I am wanting to get the rear speakers and powered sub to work better but overall I'm happy

Hi MRCW. I have been wanting to post the same question but never gotten to do so. Did you get your new stereo setup installed or did you do it yourself? KM

I was really looking forward setting up a Apple CarPlay capable Pioneer head unit in my 987.1, until I found out about the rear speaker problem. I wish someone just made an AUX line that can be plugged into the CDR unit without any noise issues. Do you mind sharing what brand/models went into your $750 setup? KM

Not an Apple fan... Did the install myself it...the first time, took a while to make sure I routed all the cables right and did a pre final install to make sure it all worked and then did a permanent install - i would say all in about 8-10 hours including the BU camera alot of time was spent just figuring how to get the car apart Power Acoustic Amp - $140 Amazon it was small enough to fit in the cubby above the gas tank charcoal canister Jensen vx7020 - $300 - has everything I need Sirius SVX-200 XM receiver - $50 License plate BU camera - Esky EC170-09 -$35 Amazon Adapter plugs for Bose Bypass - $50 ebay Faceplate & mount - $80 Misc wire/cables, hi amp fuse, rca cables etc - $75 Works well for my needs - not high end, but then neither is a 10 year old Boxster! THe HU streams audio BT Pandora, etc. and works well. The GPS navigation is up to date and comes with a free update for 90 days...

Thanks for sharing details MRCW! Replacing the Bose amp seems to be the most logical way of proceeding if one does not plan on replacing the car anytime soon and wants up-to-date audio setup and full BT functionality. I feel enticed to do what you did, after I am done with my clutch replacement ahead of the summer. But, I don't feel very confident I could do the install audio without some DIYs. Did you use any articles for help that you can recommend?

There are several threads on various forums that cover this...PM me and i can send you some info i used