New stereo = new pictures. Post pics of your aftermarket setup.

My 996 came with the �premium sound, 490 - MJ 01 SOUND SYSTEM MJ 02- SOUND SYSTEM HARMANN ANALOG� upgrade to include the amp, cd changer and the EQ/DSP unit; it didn�t have the Bose option. I went with an Alpine CDA-9886 (same as Ben C, thanks Ben) for the head unit, an Alpine PDX-2.150 powers a set of Boston Pro 50 component speakers, with the woofer in the door and the tweeter in the dash, and a set of Boston RC 420 speakers powered by the head unit for rear fill. $1600 installed with an iPod sync cable included. Wow, what an improvement! I am hearing things I have never heard before in my music collection. Overall it sounds crisp and bright; vocals are full and well rounded, but a bit anemic. I will be going back soon to get a custom box built that will house 4 JL Audio 6W3v3 6.5� subwoofers powered by another Alpine PDX-2.150. That should round things out and make my bass heavy head happy. http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...model=CDA-9886 http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...odel=PDX-2.150 http://www.bostonacoustics.com/car/c...product_id=297 http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...p?series_id=29

cool dude - i want an enclosure as well but the way i want it it'd end up being something like $3K installed. insane. i wish i could hear your system - glad you like it!

very nice.....enjoy your new setup! J

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They quoted me $1300 for the four subs, the additional amp and a custom vented box that will NOT hinder my view out of the back. I will of course post more pictures once the subs are in place. Thanks again for helping me decide on a head unit. I was going to go with the 9887 but the additional Imprint hardware/software plus the extra money for the 9887 wouldn't be worth it (something like $400) according to them, at least not in a car as small as ours.

Reading through the manual and found this: This unit includes a special message feature with various patterns, which when enabled displays opening messages for certain occasions. For example, when you turn this unit on December 25th (according to the unit's setting), a Christmas greeting is displayed if the Opening Message is set to ON. What will they think of next?

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How much have you spent on rims since you bought the car?

too loud, i bought the OZ IIIs from [email removed] for like $1K a wheel... and then sold these at a loss and picked up the work broms for a little less than the OZs but 8 week wait which bit hard. my sound system i spent a bit more than imdrew (focals, crossovers) with a lot of that coming from labor since i neither the skills nor time while still demanding a superclean install, but still not 100% happy as i realize i need that deep low to get the full spectrum of that gangsta music. drew, yea the imprint requires you to put little mics inside... not down with that. sub is it. that's what we both need! looking forward to you getting yours. i'm not gonna do it. i wish i had your car next to bruceP's (he's getting the imprint done up). pdx 4x150

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What is that hump in the middle of your trunk? I am assuming it has something to do with your car being a C4. What settings have you been using on the 9886. Right now I have the bass centered around 100hz and the treble 12.5k (I think) with the gains set at +5 and +7 respectively. I have "Loud" turned off, it seemed to muddy up the highs. I am still tweaking but until I get those subs installed its all in vain.

Where did you find the Boston RC 420 speakers ?

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The place that installed them. They are discontinued so I got a pair on the cheap, $88. http://www.car-fi.com/

Imprint done. Took just over an hour. Pretty slick. My summary review so far: When you enable MultEQ, for a start, it overrides all of your other settings. So, the quality of sound then depends entirely on your amp and speakers (which I'll come back to in a sec). Kind of like what we used to call "straight wire with gain". I don't love that. I'd prefer to use MultEQ to give me flat sound, and then still be able to tweak it from there. The sound is absolutely 'better' in a technical sense, but it might not mean you like it better. Even the installer said that it was polarizing among the people they'd done it for. I would describe it this way: With the system set to normal, all the little phase imperfections give you the impression of a bigger space in the car. The sound isn't accurate, but it's pleasing. When you turn on the MultEQ, it's as if the sound collects in the center of the cabin, right around your head. You hear everything better, but you lose the sense of space. That brings me back to the speakers. My system is very conservative. I chose the stuff to look clean and stock, and I was mostly after more detailed, accurate sound. So all I replaced was the amp (Boston GT-40) and the dash and rear seat speakers (Boston Pro-50s). No sub, and I didn't replace the door speakers, which are just fill anyway. The punch-line is this: I think that if you had a sub, the Imprint feature would be terrific, just great. It seems to need it, and the mics actually look for it during the setup. If you don't have a sub, then you need the ability to contour the sound accordingly, and that doesn't seem possible with MultEQ turned on, so far (I'll read the manual again next week). FWIW. I'm not convinced I'd add it to my system if I were you, Ben, unless you are in search of the grail of flat, perfect sound. Based on what you've shared of your taste in music, that might not be important to you. I'd spend the money on the Bluetooth kit for your 9886 instead...

This is a very useful thread and hopefully others who want a nice audio setup on their 996 could find it remotely useful (at least in regard to my posts ). I'm not going to hype my setup at all even if I spent a ridiculous $3500-4000 on it. Would I do it again? 80% yea. The problem for me is that this is the first time I've ever done a sound upgrade to a car so I don't have a baseline to compare it to aftermarket v. aftermarket. I went with pretty quality speakers from the get-go so it's an impossibility for me to tell you guys oh yea the Focals are way cleaner than the Alpines blah blah. Bruce, congrats. As I've stated before, I'd love to have our cars side by side by side for comparison, but oh well, such is the shortcoming of the internet. *Refresher - I've got the 9886, Apline PDX 4x150, Focals, crossovers, good wiring for whatever that's worth, and the door panels injected with some silicone stuff to fully enclose the door speakers and provide a clean bass punch. There was no cutting, drilling or anything done to the car. The installer made some custom parts for the door speakers so if I wanted to go back to stock, I can easily go back to stock my swapping out the baskets or whatever. I don't remember exactly the models of the speakers, but they're one notch below the super expensive Focals. I have my 16GB iPOD Touch hooked up from the glove box. *Drew, did the fancy hz/k adjustments make any sort of difference? I have my treble set at 2, bass at 7, and fader at +3. I can bump the treble up to 3, but the detail is too much for my ear. It's very bright. *Sound feels like surround sound in my car which isn't good IMO, but I've gotten used to it. Maybe the 911 is just a poor sound chamber in comparison to other cars like the S2000 or M3. It definitely punches harder than the stock system and the vocals (mids, highs) are very clear. *A bass enclosure with 2 8"s would make my setup ideal for me, but again, it's just way too much money as I demand a clean, custom install look.

FWIW, my installer suggested the Rockford 360 signal processors over the Imprint technology any day. He said it was a step above and beyond what Alpine can offer. Night and day difference. This may be something that I go with after the subs. http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/produ...n_US&p_status= http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/produ...n_US&p_status= 6-channel high-level input 6-channel RCA level inputs (FR/FL/RR/RL/Center/Sub) Independent 31-band EQ for Front Left and Front Right Independent 27-band EQ for Rear Left and Rear Right 27-band EQ for Center 10-band subwoofer equalizer 6-channel HP/LP/BP/AP adjustable crossover Up to 5 feet of delay per channel in 2 inch increments (subwoofer excluded) Auxiliary RCA input with 31-band adjustable eq Auto equalization with auto sum capability Digital Signal Processor with OEM integration capabilities (patent pending) Remote programmable master volume/aux volume control Wireless Bluetooth� Ben, to answer your question about adjusting the frequency of the bass and treble, no, it didn't make much of an audible difference.

I have a hard time with believing people who speak in superlatives. Night and day? Please. Night and day is home theater v. 911 interior. That's night and day. You should work on getting rid of them wheels first, bud.

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If you haven't seen. Ai Design http://208.106.179.20/shop/index.php...3ad73f752bed7d

definitly a good thread. dropping my car off at the installers on monday to have a very similar setup to what you guys have done. Alpine CDA-9887 (has built-in time correction without need for the IMPRINT Unit). Alpine PDX 4.150 Focal Components Stock Doors (will be upgraded later to focal 13KS subs) Stock Rears Good wiring. will post a review when i get the car back.

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I am quoting the installer, those were not my words. I haven't heard the Rockford product nor the Alpine Imprint. So lets try to keep it on topic Ben.

drew, how does the AI sub footwell thing bolt in? does it just sit?

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Looks like a hell of a setup. Cant wait for pics/impressions.

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I have no idea. I am just posting options that I have found floating around the web. I don't own a thing from AI.

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Pssst... the 9887 has Imprint in it already. There's nothing to add. It's just a matter of getting the installer to set it up. They don't install mics in the car, they just use them to set the EQ. And you can switch it on and off. I'd do it if I were you, just so you have the choice. Kromer has the gear.

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I'm totally on-topic. Bruce shares the fact that he installed IMPRINT and then you come in here quoting some installer we don't know that speaks in these superlatives saying it's a nite and day diff between what Bruce got and what your installer got, but you never ever had a chance to hear (IMPRINT or Rockford's voodoo nite and day unit). Be candid. Be real. That's all I'm asking for. If you heard both and you feel it's a nite and day, OK great. But that's not the case.

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Yes, the only diff between this and 9886 is that 9886 needs the actual module or something like that, right? I think it's hairsplitting. Damn, I want an enclosure.

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I was talking about your comment about my wheels.

WHAHAHAAHHAAHHAHA yea no problem. i know you called me names in the past, that you're a wee bit sensitive . ok, the end.

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I am. And you are bit of an ****, but its all in good fun. I most definitely don't want this thread to get locked so no more name calling from me. I promise.

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They (installer) initially wanted to set me up with a shallow mount Pioneer 10" but that would have hampered my view out of the back. I have had custom systems in every car I have owned, the lack of a sub in my 996 is killing me right now. I think you will find much benefit if you had some sort of low frequency driver in your car. Right now our cars are missing that last part of the freq. range (20-20,000hz), that being something like 100hz-150hz and below. The part where we start to feel the music as well as hear it. That small part of the range contains a larger portion of audible music than we think. Did that make any sense?

yezzzir i completely understand it now that i have my system and it is punchy, but it doesn't have that deeeeep noise that i get from say a home theater system that i'm not getting in my car. you're killing me dude. if you come up with a good, clean, cheaper solution than what i have in line, i'm all ears.

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I'm working on it. What do you have in line, what were you quoted? On a side note. Get it? "Note" Here are some charts that better explain where music occurs.

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$3K installed. 2 8" JLs. Custom enclosure with all the fancy clean trimmings that fits snugly in the two back seats (which I have no need for).

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Fiberglass or MDF enclosure and what kind of JL: W3, W1, or W7?

i have no idea i asked just now via email

How about this site? http://www.caraudioinnovations.com/porsche996sub.htm

i like that hidden one! not feeling the one on teh floor.

Nobody else has an after market stereo in their Porsche? I would really like to see other setups. bump....

This was my setup that I made myself before I sold it. I added some grills to make it stealthier. Yes, the carpet doesn't match but it isn't that bad in person. I'm thinking of making another fiberglass enclosure to hold a single 10" in the same location.

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Where have I seen those pictures before? Have you posted them on RL before? Anyway it looks very nice. How much work is involved in something like that? How much weight did that fiberglass box add? Most importantly, how did it sound?

Yea I have posted it in the for sale section on 6speed before then I sold it. Its actually pretty easy to make now since this is my 8th fiberglass box. First time wasn't fun. It takes about 4 to 5 total hours of work but with all the wait for the resin to dry, it can stretch out to a few days. Fiberglass box is the lightest you can get. Im guessing this weighs about 10 lbs at most. Sounds decent (but I came from a car with 2 15" sub before). To me its not loud as you can hear from blocks away but it does play the low notes quite well. I am going to work on getting a single 10" in that same location.

Well I made an IPod holder for underneath the dash. I am not particularly proud of it so if anybody has suggestions on how or where to mount an IPod I would appreciate it.

drew, run the ipod wire under the center console plastic and into the armrest (aka the oddments box).

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Thanks, but how do I get the cable inside the box without cutting a hole? Is the an existing hole I could use?

the floor piece for the box is plastic. just make a small hole at the back just big enuff to slip the wire in. (i would make it before you connect the wire to the deck, that way u can make a smaller hole and slip the other side of the wire in). its what i'm gonna do and what newport996 already has.

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Got it. Thanks!

You guys are way over the top (stereo wise) for me...I was wondering what you were going to do with the old DSP and CD changer? Have you put them on ebay yet?

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This is how I have it. I just ran the wire down from the headunit into the center console. The wire is just thin enough to squeeze through the back of the armrest compartment.

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I will probably just hang on to them for when I sell and go back to stock.

My system is finally complete. I added an Alpine PDX 1.600 amp to power a JL Audio 10w3 which sits inside a custom fiberglass box that I stuffed with a pound and a half of poly fill to give it a bit more perceivable volume. And yes the speaker is a bit crooked.

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Are you interested? I still have them and the amp.

I want to see others setups as well, we kind maybe make this a sticky on aftermarket 996 stereo systems.

Drew, I love the carbon-fiber looking sub enclosure (or is that a mid-range driver?) under the front dash. Was that custom manufactured or purchased? What size, depth, etc.? I was thinking of going with the audio innovations back-seat floor sub, but am changing my mind after seeing the photo.

AI Design sells it for $1995. I have no affiliation with them. I also don't have this product in my car if you read my previous posts. http://208.106.179.20/shop/index.php...3ad73f752bed7d

Doesn't anybody have an aftermarket system they would like to share with the rest of us? I am curious to see what other have done to their 996s.

Wow! $2k for a JL Sub w/ carbon fiber enclosure? Kinda steep if you ask me. Thx for the link. I'll be installing a system during the cold winter months here in Kansas City. Currently researching components.