Impressive audio system for 2003 C4 Cab

My CDR-23 went haywire back in October. Had my shop pull the deck and send it to Becker. After a $400 bill, the deck still exhibited the same issues. Back it went only to be returned with the same issues. F this, I said. Spoke to Rod at Car Audio Innovations about their deck/amp replacement for the BLOWS...... err....Bose MOST system for my car. I ordered up their pre-wired Alpine 5 channel amp and BT-149 single DIN head unit. The car sounded okay, but I was still dealing with the mediocre Bose speakers. Okay, so I took another step and ordered their Focal 3 way system. Another step up, but it had the Focal door woofers on the same channel as the factory footwell mounted subwoofer. It was putting a lot of low pass to small drivers. One more call to C-A-I to order their custom fiberglass 8" sub enclosure that sits behind the passenger seat. Wowee! The system blew me away. I've demonstrated it to many people and everyone has been just as impressed. We go to a car show every Thursday night and last night I decided to have a few beers. I had my girlfriend drive us home. It was my first time being in the passenger seat since the sub install. It was like getting a back massage. I called Rod this afternoon and ordered another sub for the drivers side. If anyone is looking for an amazing system, do not hesitate to contact the guys at CAI! I've had some pretty impressive systems in my past vehicles and this one is certainly in the top 2. Cannot wait to slap in the second sub as I asked my installer to pre-wire for one, just in case. Who was I fooling?

4.5 questions. 1)How much better is the sound with the 2nd sub? 2)Did the sub behind the drivers seat give you any problems with seat room, travel? 3) Did you disconnect the factory footwell sub? 4) Did you install the Amp and Head Unit yourself? If so, how difficult was it? I am thinking about upgrading the Amp and Head Unit (I have 2004TT Cab with Bose and MOST). I have already replaced the dash and rear speakers with JBL GTO 329s and have JBL GTO 528s on order for the doors. Just adding the 329s was n improvement and am excited to hear the progression. Thanks

Hey Paul, 1. I could probably have lived without the 2nd sub. I do like the massage you get when it's cranked up though. 2. The sub did not interfere with how I have my seat adjusted. This would all come down to your size and seating position preference. 3. The factory sub was disconnected. 4. I had my shop do the install. The directions provided by the guys at CAI are pretty thorough. I'm sure I probably could have done it, but would have taken me a lot longer and probably would have broken something at some point. I'm good behind a keyboard, but when it comes to anything more than simply replacing a head unit or running a few wires, I leave it up to the pros. Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm jealous, the TT is my dream car.

Thanks for your quick response. Am going to try Dynamating factory sub and installing 528s this weekend. I am not super anxious to replace stock head unit and amp but have no issue with replacing speakers "behind the scenes" If I don't hear much improvement I will go your route.

Sure thing, Paul. Sounds like a good plan. Keep us informed. -Scotty

Quotes source post: 13365168

I could have saved you the $400 and the hassle! CAI is good bunch to purchase from... lots of straight forward kits to help anyone upgrade the radio in their Porsches.

Quotes source post: 13569430

Yes, I'm very impressed with their kits and outstanding support. Great guys to work with and an excellent sounding system.

Extremely happy with my $400 plug and play purchase from CAI. It took me 20 minutes (maybe less) to install start to finish. Radio stations sound much better, huge difference, bluetooth through my IPhone sounds amazing. This radio has A LOT of settings and features I don't use but many of you may like. You can also download an app from Alpine called 'TuneIt' to adjust the settings using your phone.

Thanks for the info, just checking out the website and see they are less than 20 minutes me, about the BT149, love that deck, got one in my truck and my Harley, need to get one in the P-car.

Jumpin' in just as a reminder to the uninitiated that the pre-MOST v. MOST systems are apples and oranges. You can bring either system to your personal level of performance, but there are extra steps and materials required to deal with the factory MOST conversion. In the MOST configuration the HU is connected to the amp by fiber optics, sent to the speakers & subs via conventional wiring, though through mixed ohm ratings that should be observed if you're keeping the factory speakers. So, you have to count on replacing at least the HU and amp and connecting the two with conventional cables. Imminently doable, definitely worth it, but takes some extra time, $ and effort. I did my '04 a while back, following a composite of the DIY posts from this and other sites, with great results. I used a new HU & amp, two harness adapters, rca connectors, some soldering & shrink insulation - and some free time and patience. Now have Bluetooth, navigation, HD video, multi-source selectable digital sound, etc.. Even with low end stuff and factory speakers, the difference is remarkable. Best of all, there's lots of really helpful folks here.

Quotes source post: 13568466

This weekend I took out the Bose subwoofer (cab version) opened it up and Dynamatted the inside. The difference is really noticeable. Definitely an improvement with tighter, more defined bass. I doubt it is as good as the cool backseat CAI subs that I want but this cost me $15 and about 30 minutes so for now I have saved lots of money. I still have to install the GTO 528s in the doors when I get some time.

Quotes source post: 13631582

I'm glad it made a nice difference. You certainly saved a lot of $$$.

Sounds more like a kickdrum now where before it sounded more like a duck fart. Now that there appears to be a relatively inexpensive way to replace PCM with a single or double din unit while keeping MOST and original amp I am trying to decide what direction to go. I am either going to go try an App Radio 4 (not sure when or if a 5 is coming) or I will install my ipad mini where PCM was and use a single din Pioneer DEH-80PRS Mobile CD Receiver with 3-Way Active Crossover Network, Auto EQ and Auto Time Alignment which is supposed to be a great head unit. Now to find the time for all these projects!