Did the Bose Audio Suck This Bad Even When Brand New?!

The output out from the radio always sucked from the time I bought the car used but I was hoping it was just the radio. I hoped things would improve when I got my Rennkit BT-3 running to provide quality feeds from Sirius XM and Apple Music (from my phone). Nope. "No highs? No lows?... It must be Bose!" is the reality. I know part of the issue has to be the speakers being 22 years old. I am guessing the car is using the original amplifier, too. I have fiddled with the bass/treble/soundstage settings on the PCM and with the preset equalizer offerings in Apple Music but please chime in if there anything I might be missing to add some life to this setup (other than buying a new head unit and speakers!). You can't easily add an equalizer to these Bose systems, right? I am hesitant to do much upgrading since it is a cabriolet with an upgraded exhaust which means it is never that quiet in the cabin.

I don't necessarily treat my 996 as an audiophile experience but I don't find the Bose system to be that terrible as people make it out to be. I have the PCCM+ and I felt like it improved the audio quality. I know the bass can be boomy if you have the stock dual subs. What I have done is filled the sub box with some acoustic stuffing and it made a substantial difference in the bass department, making it tighter and more defined. Below is an example of what I'm talking about. Outside of that you may need to upgrade your speakers if you have not yet.

Thanks for the information. I have a cabriolet, so it has the subwoofer box down in the passenger footwell which is a bit different. I will research added the acoustic stuffing.

I have had Bose systems in 8 of my 9 Audis over the last 30 years. They are good sound systems. Back in the day, they were the hot ticket. For sure, speakers get old and so do the electronics and will eventually need a refresh. Certainly after 25 years in a 996. I have the Becker CDR 220 system in my 996. Just sent the 220 in to Becker in NJ for a refresh and Bluetooth. As well as replaced the antennae booster and speakers. Sounds much better. But I still mainly drive with the windows down and the sound system off so I can enjoy the exhaust and intake sounds. Hope you figure out the best path for you.

Replace the 20 year old speakers first. There are pictures on here of old speakers with no suspension. Or, you could scrap the lot and get some Focal speakers and drive them with a JL DSP amplifier. This is good sound. To be fair, it's overkill for the noisy cab, but nice to have when cruising. Good luck!

That's a good place to start. Pack your enclosure with damping material and replace the speakers, including the sub. There is a company called CAI that specializes in Porsche. This would be a huge improvement. [/QUOTE]

I used to install car stereos back in the day. Be sure to check impedance. If I recall, Bose uses 2 ohm speakers so new ones (probably 4 ohm) will need more power to achieve the same volume.

Quotes source post: 20745245

I also have Bose with stock speakers / amplifier and PCCM+ in my Targa. Like the cab, Targa's have the subwoofer in the passenger footwell. I removed my subwoofer and lined the inside with this Dynomax speaker kit (link below). Cut to fit all sides noting that it doesn�t need to cover every square inch. It made a huge difference removing the plastic enclosure resonance/booming and adding tight sounding bass. https://a.co/d/04qzR8H7