Simple BOSE + MOST (fiber optic) Audio upgrade, who did it ?

I was searching but I can't find anybody who upgraded their Porsche 996, equipped with the fiber optic system (MOST), without going all out (amp, speaker, head unit, and more). I wonder if there are some out there who went the 'simple' way of only upgrading their head unit and try to work with the existing speakers. That would mean to remove the current amp from the equation and remove all fiber optics out of there. So the system would, if that is even possible, start from the speaker wires behind the dash. I have heard that the BOSE system has some odd speaker impedance values and can be hard to deal with. I'd like to avoid replacing the speakers in a first step, even though I think I'd do it later. Anyways if anybody has done this with success or not, let us know.

replying to myself a bit http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...install-notes/

It was the first mod I did...replaced the head unit and amp only....see post.. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...k-you-all.html I kept the Bose speakers. 5 channel amp running the sub, doors and rears. The dash speakers I wired in series and am running them directly off the head unit. I'm very happy with sound quality.

I just completed this mod,I kept the factory speakers but you must change the amplifier and head unit, all very seamless and im very impressed with the audio quality you can pick all different kinds of head units and amplifiers from middle-of-the-road to high-end ,good luck its a great improvement.......p.s. there's plenty of feedback here on this subject.

Did you guys had to pay special attention to the speaker impedance when selecting your amp ? Can you post your amp reference numbers so that I can comfirm the specs. may be I am over thinking it, as it seems you guys simply hooked your amp to the speakers without much to worry about.

The amp needs to support 2 ohm impedance to the Bose speakers and sub.

I didn't go simple but figured I'd share. I went with a Alpine MRX-F65 (160W x 4), pioneer double DIN head unit, and factory speakers. Also installed "Image Dynamics X2 Passive crossover for 2 Ohm Mids" to split out the door mids and the dash speakers. I rewired the sub box in series so that I wouldn't burden my amp. IIRC it is 1 ohm unless you rewire it. Also the rear speakers (not the subs) in my car were absolute garbage so I just left them disconnected. Everything sounds much better without them. The factory speakers are pretty crappy but after a lot of adjusting I think I have it sounding pretty good! Much better than factory and I have native Pandora control on the head unit.

Here is my amp... http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/mrx-v70 As SSST said, you will definitely have to rewire your sub box in series just to get it up to 2 ohm. The other speakers are all 2 ohm. However, since I am running the dash speakers off my head unit, I had to run them in series as well since the headunit is only stable down to 4 ohm. Not a big deal at all to require any of them. The sub box comes right out with 2 bolts and then seperates with like 20 screws. Do a search and you will find plenty of posts with pics and how to's...that's what I did and the number of people willing to help here is tremendous...pm me if you have any questions on my install...I'd love the opportunity to pay some forward since I got so much help here...

Is there any difference if I want to upgrade a 997 series?

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I replaced the head unit and power amp with Alpine products around a year ago. 5 channels that power the dashboard, front door and rear (band pass) sub units. The rear seat speakers are out of the loop. Not noticeable to me. The rear band pass unit has two 5.25" drivers, that are one ohm each, wired in parallel in the factory set-up. My power amp (most, I believe) sends a sub signal at 2 ohms. In order for this to work, you need to wire the sub speakers in series, not in parallel. I gave myself six months to decide if upgraded speakers were warranted. For my ears, they are not. The alpine stuff I bought has adjustable cross-overs, and very responsive EQ controls. Huge improvement in sound quality, with all the modern functionality.

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Philoo, Below is what I did when my Bose Most system crapped out on me. Since both the amp and head-unit went out, I had to replace both which isn't is hard as it sounds. Does take a good weekend to complete. I kept the Bose speakers, sub and factory wiring. Was able to find an amp that would handle the impedance of the Bose speakers and sub. Links in the the attached thread. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-the-dust.html Overall, pretty happy with there results and is certainly an upgrade in sound over the Bose system.

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Aren't the stock head unit and power amp both Becker products? I am pretty certain that the head unit is, and the power amp has absolutely no markings on it, which suggests that it isn't Bose. I suppose the linkage could be Bose, but is it, really?

My 04 has the Hy Fy system with MOST, I went with the Alpine 149BT HU, Alixpress MOST converter, and CAI wiring harness, kept the stock MOST Amp and speakers and systems works great.