Rear speaker kit for Boxster- How does it sound

I did a search and found good info on installation options but not on quality. I was wondering just how good or bad the rear speaker kit (like the one on ebay) actually sounds. It looks kind of wimpy. Could other speakers be fit into the rear storage compartment also and be better? Would adding the BOSE subwoofer compartment be better?:thanks:

I just did this install in my '08 Boxster using this kit from EBAY (Item # 220505544788). I am very pleased with the overall result - but don't expect too much from them. What they will do is give you 'fill' in the back of the car, which you don't get with the 7-speakers that are all up front in the Boxster . They complete the system and make you wonder why Porsche didn't do this from the factory (to sell the Bose system , apparently!). Its a worthwhile mod, but be forewarned it takes a bit of time to figure this all out. The instructions are miserable at best. The kit is excellent and complete. Your fader control will not work, but not sure you really need it. I've read that you can get the Porsche dealer to flash your car with the 997 stereo programming and then the fader will function, but I don't think its really necessary. A couple of installation notes if you're a DIY guy: * Storage Shelf: Comes out easily enough, the bitch is to remove the existing plastic boxes on each side which you will not reuse - without breaking the very thin plastic on the front edge of the shelf. You have to work carefully. There is a strong glue bond applied to hold these in and that glue does not want to give it up. On the first one, I used a moto dremel with a cutting wheel vertically and that was too tedious and took far too long to remove. What works better is to get a Stanley Utility Knife with a brand new blade and cut into the glue slowly and carefully. Will take about ten passes before you can get the glue cut, then the box will be freed (somewhat) and you can manhandle it out. The front 'inserts' pop out with the storage box and toss them all in the trash. Grilles need to be hot-glued in, and the speakers screw in nicely to the channel rails already there. * Routing. There's enough wire to easily run down the center of the car and tuck under the console. MUCH faster than that door jambs and no parts to take off - just tuck the wires and go. * I spliced to the amp in the front of the car, which is in the same compartment where the run-flat kit lives. If you have an amp, that's the place to go for your connection. If you don't have an amp, then you have to go to the back of the radio. Use the supplied Tap-A-Lines to the appropriate wires and that's done in short order. * Running wires through the firewalls. OK, this is the hard part. At least for me. Porsche did not design the 987 to allow anyone with aftermarket products any egress into the cabin, so you have to find access holes to piggyback into. You have two firewalls to go through, the front trunk (between the battery and the storage area) and the main firewall from the battery to the cabin. I used the main wiring plugs to the left side of the battery for both. On the trunk firewall, I was able to twist and pop it out with some effort, then cut a V-Notch into it for the speaker wires, and set it back in. The main firewall is much harder to get this plug out - in fact I could not twist mine out or pry it out. So I settled for chipping away at the edge and using awls/screwdrivers to open it up enough to clear a passage, then dropped a coathanger down into the hole to pickup the speaker wire run along the center console (only one easy panel has to be removed, under the glove box in the interior). * If you buy this kit, DO NOT assemble the loose wires into the brown plug for a test until you have run them through the firewall. Those are snap-in Tyco connectors and you cannot release them from the plug once they are inserted without a specialty tool. Worth doing? Yes - but don't expect any bass from the (4) 3.5" speakers you put in and consider them as filler speakers only.

Is this the pack you are refering about? NEW 03-04 PORSCHE 986 BOXSTER GENUINE REAR SPEAKER KIT on eBay (end time 08-Feb-10 03:19:02 GMT) I wonder if this also fit's the 987 Gen2?

I used Radio Shack's surface mount speakers. They are much better, like 50 watts, and didn't cost much. It's 10 years ago when I had my 2000 BS so I don't remember the cost or actual spec's.

I did this in my 2003 986S and while the speakers aren't great they do IMHO make a night-and-day difference compared to the system without them. I'd recommend it wholeheartedly. A great hint I picked up on another board is to fill the inside of the speaker area with pillow polyfill from a craft store - it really tightens up the bass and gives you a better sound overall.

From reading drcollies post about installing the rear speaker kit off ebay I got a number of valuable tips. But, want to ask your experience: The ASK amplifier in the front trunk - when standing at the front bumper and looking rearward toward the engine - is it the right side plug that you spliced wires for the rear speakers to based upon color code or is there another way to do it? I am unclear about which wires in the harness is for input and which is output on the Amp. Is it this wiring loom that plugs into the ASK amp that you are tapping into the lines ?

Yes, I'm spliced into the wires on the right side of the AMP using typical tap-a-line electrical connectors. There were instructions in the kit which wires to tap into, that part was easy! The most difficult part of the install is getting through the firewall. There is no slop in the grommets, and Porsche didn't leave a vacant hole anywhere.

Thanks Drcollie, The stanley knife advice decreased grief, but whew getting the glue out is a chore. I found the heating the glue with wife's hairdryer helpful, but no substitute for Stanley knife with a new blade as you suggested.

I've got a 2008 Boxster with PCM2.1 non- bose . I'm thinking about installing the rear speaker install kit sold on ebay. I'm not super fussy about the sound quality but would like it not to distort when turned up load when the top is down. At first I was going to do a complete speaker change and go with an 8" sub in the doors, a 4" midrange in the doors, new tweeters in the dash, the rear speaker kit, and two new amps. But for my needs I think this would be overkill. So I'm wondering if this install will give me the most bang for the buck: Door speakers stay oem. Dash tweeters stay oem. Install rear speaker kit with (4) provided Pioneer 3.5" speakers. Replace oem amp with a four channel amp. Footnote: Should I order the kit without the Pioneer speakers and put better one in, or are the Pioneers decent enough? What size amp should I get? How big is the oem amp? Thanks!

I've got a 2008 Boxster with PCM2.1 non- bose . I'm thinking about installing the rear speaker install kit sold on ebay. I'm not super fussy about the sound quality but would like it not to distort when turned up load when the top is down. At first I was going to do a complete speaker change and go with an 8" sub in the doors, a 4" midrange in the doors, new tweeters in the dash, the rear speaker kit, and two new amps. But for my needs I think this would be overkill. So I'm wondering if this install will give me the most bang for the buck: Door speakers stay oem. Dash tweeters stay oem. Install rear speaker kit with (4) provided Pioneer 3.5" speakers. Replace oem amp with a four channel amp. Footnote: Should I order the kit without the Pioneer speakers and put better one in, or are the Pioneers decent enough? What size amp should I get? How big is the oem amp? Thanks!

I've got a 981 Boxster with Sound Package Plus. I am wondering if it would be possible to fit some rear speakers behind the seats and wire them into the existing door speakers. I know it would not give me a fader control but the idea is just to provide some back fill to the sound stage. Thinking I could add a discrete in-line volume control for each speaker that once set would not need to be altered. Thoughts?