Aftermarket stereo systems

Looking for pics of clean installs and head units that don't look out of place in the interior. Feel free to list your equipment. The factory systems SUCKS!!

the best looking unit for the porsche and in fact is very high end on sound quality is the Nakamichi, it looks like it is a factory unit, i have yet to install it yet because im waiting on the speakers but maybe when im not to lame ill go buy a digi cam and show some pics

I am sure that someone out there will say that upgrading the sound system is a complete waste of time and money and that you could never hear the difference along with a bunch of other rubbish. Fortunately I feel otherwise so here goes... - Never get a Sony headunit. I am replacing mine with an Eclipse this weekend which sounds much better from what I understand. I am going with the Eclipse 8443. - What is your stock system? You are in luck if you have the door pods. The best thing you can do is get a 3 way component system using a 6.5" (mounted on custom baffle) in the doors with a 4" and tweeter in the dash. I went with a JL Audio XR653 component system, but you can get similar from Focal, MB Quart, or possibly Boston Acoustic. - Based on my experience, do not bother replacing the rear speakers. You can not hear them in a stock system, and you still can not hear them in an upgraded system. If you have to replace them... the easiest thing to do is a 4" coaxial. I went with a JL Audio XR400 coaxial in the rear. - Subs... this is the most argued about point in stereo upgrades around here as of late. I went with two 8" JL Audios in a sealed enclosure behind the rear seats. A lot of folks mount theres back there, but you can also get enclosures that go behind the front seats or in the passenger footwell. It is also possible to do two 10" subs in the same location, but I will let Carlos tell you himself. Carlos??? - Good power is also important. Most larger component sets like good power to really make them sing, same with subs. I went with a JL Audio 5 channel amp (500/5) and have been very happy with it. The front components see 100rms each, the rears see 25rms each, and the subs see 250rms between the two. - Just as important, find a reputable shop with a top notch installer that knows what they are doing. The best equipment in the world will sound like crap if not done properly. Ask the shop for photos of install work and always ask for experience. I went with my shop b/c of the number of Porsches the installer had worked on. I am very pleased with the work performed and the quality of the sound I have gotten out of my coupe. Good luck and have fun.

can only the head unit be replaced with the BOSE system? Is their a harness available? Thanks!

This is a great thread. Like most audiofiles, I want everything: a system that doesn't look too custom, want dvd-based nav, am/fm/mp3, sat radio (XM), and dvd video (TV would be nice too!). I would rather put a permanent vid screen over the first two install shelfs (upper), and put the heating/AC unit on the lower shelf unit ( I don't like the approach of having the vid screen pop out of the system and then hide the heating/AC controls) Ideally, it would be great if all of this could work with the factory bose speakers to minimize cutting/drilling/customization. Is this a pipe dream, or possible?

EXACTLY! I'm an audiophile and want the same quality in my car as I have at home.

Excellent advice from Sloth IMO and covered just about everything Here is my two 10" sealed enclosure which I wanted to blend in with the interior of the cars as much as possible along with the rest of the system, unlike other cars, the stock speaker locations are great in this car.

I went with the Pioneer head unit, and after I figured out the controls, I like it. It is DVD based, including the ability to play DVD's, and while the screen does block part of the heater controls when it is out, two of the three small buttons you can see at the bottom control a stepped tilt function, so if you need to get to the covered controls you can easily tilt it out of the way and back again. I chose it over the Alpine becasue at the time the Alpine was CD based, and over the Kenwood because it uses a touch screen, which quickly resembles one big fingerprint. Since I don't know how to post multiple pics in the same post, you will have to open the next one to see my speakers.

This post has been deleted due to it's blatent disregard of the self promotion rules associated with this community. You can access the rules here: http://www.rennlist.org/charter.htm and https://rennlist.com/nospam.htm .

I went with an ARC 5-way amp, which I really like. Dash, door and rear speakers are Focals, including a pair of 3-ways in the door which are fantastic. I have a pair of Image Dynamic sub-woofers, shown below. All work done by Rod at Car Audio Innovations. And to the " someone out there will say that upgrading the sound system is a complete waste of time and money and that you could never hear the difference along with a bunch of other rubbish" guy, I say "Let's take a ride, then you decide!"

The 2 head units which IMHO fit my interior the best are the Nakamichi CD-700 (the $$$ single cd player) or the Clarion Pro unit (dont know the model). Both units have face plates that resemble high end home seperates (heavy silver aluminum). In addition, no goofy techno/disco light show or gyroscope bs. Simple but substantial. My system consists of the Nakamichi CD-700 CD Transport, Nakamichi MB-70 Indash 6 CD changer, Audiocontrol electronic equalizer and Overdrive Line driver, ADS 6 channel amp, Focal tweets & mids in the dash and rear side panels, and Focal woofers, 6' in the doors and two 5" in the passengers foot rest (in an enclosure).

You can have it all. I have an Alpine head unit with a 7" screen, TV, DVD Changer and DVD Nav. Replaced all speakers with MB Quart separates and added a sealed subwoofer enclosure behind the rear seats housing 2 Kicker L7's (8" subs). Unfortunately my trunk is now housing 3 Alpine amps and a Nav. unit. So much for a trunk. Larry

...fit a Porsche Sports Exhaust and be done with the ricer stereo upgrades! We're driving a sports car that has an engine that should be HEARD!! What's the point of spending a fortune on 'audiophile' equipment that is compromised by the wind noise/tyre rumble/engine note etc? If you want quality in-car music - get a Lexus that is DESIGNED to be quiet and therefore more conducive to listening to music / watching dvd's. All IMHO of course.

I replaced mine with: Nakamichi cass.deck where the old head was Nakamichi 6 in dash CD changer where the cd storage thing was Sony XM where the cubby hole was. Then they made a Carbon fiber surround for the XM that exactly matches the factory carbon around the 2 decks. It totally looks factory! All the speaker are Focal competition in sizes that fit in the factory locations. A custom sub enclosure with 2 6" JL audio covered in Porsche factory carpet installed where the old Bose was. They built a new wiring harness, leaving the factory MOST harness in place so I can return the car to stock. AA 6 channel Esoteric amp where the little worthless spare tire was.(where are you going to carry a big flat tire and wheel anyway?

loliver, I'd love to see a picture of your setup, sounds pretty trick....

That joke is getting a little stale now, must of heard that "coolish" remark a milion times now. How about listening to the gorgeous monotone engine sound of the car at constant RPM's in a highway trip? how is that enjoyable?. When you are driving your car hard (mountain roads, highway or track) there is a little button that car stereos have called "volume" control so you can turn the stereo off like I do to enjoy the beautiful flat-6 sound and hear the tires, etc, but when you are stuck in a traffic jam, commuting in heavy city traffic or simply on the highway at constant speeds, how enjoyable is the sound of the engine?... please Get the PSE AND a decent stereo, one does not exclude the other it just depends on the situation when you want to enjoy each. Its your choice, you can have only one stereo or enjoy two stereos in your car.

EXACTLY....there are times I don't have the stereo on because I WANT to listen to my car but in every day traffic and during my commute, I NEED something to listen to other than the car.

Well said Carlos!

First I want to say- I love that box in Carlos' car...man that thing is sweet! I had a high end system installed in my 996 and despite the fact that they are all high-end components I don't beleive I will ever do this again- The headunit is the Clarion DRX9255 (which is really a Macintosh and probably the best headunit on the market that is not priced $1500 or higher). top of the line Pheonix Gold amps, cables, and wires, MB Quart seprates, JL audio subs- just south of a $10,000 of equipment, set-up/custom install. With all that, I spend more time repairing and fixing things on this system than any other part or section of my car. Forget about taking it back to the installer (Car Toys in my case) about repair. Their life time guarantee is really a another opportuntiy to "CHA-CHING" your wallet! They never have the time to fix or repair your system and usually give an overall impression that you and the system they sold are a menace and only wish you and the problem system would go away. They almost always want you to drop the car off during the week when you are tyring to earn a living and leave it for a few days, and they hate giving away the high-end installers time that installed the system (he is making money for them jacking up other systems) so they put a stooge on it that will take two days trying to figure the high-end guys mystery cabling- because unlike the system Porsche originally put in to the car, there is NO DOCUMENTATION of what these azzholes did! I ended up taking my system back to the amp manufacturer- Pheonix Gold, fortunately they are headquartered here in Portland, Oregon and they came out to look at my car the last time I had a problem with the system in their facility parking lot and fixed the problem right there on the spot... and repaired it for me too...within 30 minutes! Depite the manufacturers willingness to take good care of me, I don't think I will ever put another aftermarket system into my future Porsche's unless they are busted down and absolutely need to have a new system put in.

DRX9255 it is really a Macintosh with a Clarion faceplate. Good luck finding one! It includes some features in the head units that only few manufacturers have incorporated as yet and usually only on their very highest end components for a premium dollar- A CD-transport which does not come into contact with the surface of the CD, proprietary noise rejection, the Zero bit detector mute circuit and add-on internal processors are their primary benefits. If you are seriously into high end or competition the DRX9255 Clarion has a trick up their sleeve for the price- it features dual Burr-Brown 20-bit D/A converters, a true 4 volt pre-amp, and analog controls. It is simple, and easy to use.

....Guys - you're not getting my point. Of course, it's good to have a stereo in the car to listen to when stuck in traffic/cruising etc. However, what I don't see the point of is spending large amounts of money on high-end equipment which can NEVER sound that great due to the inherent background noise that you have in a sports car - wind noise, tyre rumble etc. What people spend their money on is their business, of course - as long as it achieves the objective! Why have the same quality of sound system in your car as in your home if the in-car system is ALWAYS going to be compromised? Last point - for true sports car enthusiasts, filling the car up with unnecessary weight goes against the grain - manufacturers spend a fortune to shave a few kilos off unsprung weight - then you weigh the cars down again with big amps and sub-woofers. Seems crazy to me. Like I said, if TRUE high-fidelity sound is so important, a sports car is the last place you should be trying to achieve it.

Sorry to hear of all your problems. I am not familiar with the shop, but there should be no reason to have any problems of the magnitude that you describe. It sounds like you used good high end components, perhaps the installer needed some further help... especialy if the problem was in the wireing. Looking at the amount you paid it should have been perfect, and after all that I would certainly be leary of it happening again. Also considering the amount you spent, they should have made more of an effort to accomodate you. It is imperitive to find a reputable and experienced shop before spending a dime as it can make all the difference between a top notch install/system and a nightmare experience. Just for reference... I have been back to the shop twice since installed over a year ago. The first time was to replace a blown back speaker which was my fault. I left the car with them and picked it up later that day, cost me nothing as it was fixed under warranty. The second time was this past weekend when I replaced my headunit, the first one I had was POS Sony I bought off Ebay. They got me in on Saturday morning and I was done in less than an hour.

the price you paid if truly near 10k, or for that matter anything over 3k for what you just told me would be getting raped, i used to and still do occasional install custom stereo for a living "now its side money" and that just sounds outrageus

I'm not looking to spend more than $2k and I'm just looking for a nice upgrade. I won't be adding a huge sub, big amps or any of that crap. My first step will be to add a small powered sub to the stock system. If that gets what I want, great! If not, I will go to an aftermarket head unit and possibly speakers but that's it. I've done major installs on car in the past. I won't do anymore like them again. Too much money and too much of a PITA!

Nope not necessarily. I had the system looked at by other High-end manufactures in this town and the amplifier manufacturer and all were quite frankly suprised that I got so much customization and equipment for anything south of 10K. I am confident that with all the wiring upgrades Bosch alternator and complete customization that it was a great price too. Look, when the car was having everything installed there was not an interior body panel or or seat in it and it took several long weeks to install this was not your typical overnight highend installation. In total there are 18 seperate speakers throught the car and the only noticeble two are the grills of the JL Audio 8W7's in the rear. Speaking of which the subs all are approaching almost a grand unless you think I got ripped off there to. a little more than 2000 for amps the head unit was $800, the MB Quarts (the remaining 16 with crossovers) $1200, cables and wires $600.00. Without the Bosch alternator upgrade (by the way done by Sunset Porsche), speaker enclosures, and install that is alomst $5.500. So I got raped huh? OK Maybe, if I had that box like Carlos' that might have justified a price just south of $10K.

well no offense here doublenutz but i used to own my own shop and i still have side projects going, and ive installed almost double and triple in some cases of what he said he had in his car for around 3k, and i always use high end stuff, and phoenix gold and clarion are not high end stuff compared to alpine and dei and ppi and a/d/s that i use so IMHO he got screwed all around, i just installed two 6" lcd monitors a vcr and a gamecube in a truck along with the custom sound system for 4k

Thank, thats very nice of you I'm sorry to hear about that experience with your system. Those installers are completely negligent, and you shouldn't be put off by them, I've had this stereo in my 996 for a few years now and never had a single problem. The most important and hardest thing thing in upgrading the stereo is finding a good profesional knowledgeable installer near you. And for a decent price too, 10k is outrageous, they should be able to install a great sounding system for much much less, the most expensive components don't necesarily mean best sounding, it all depends on the car and what it needs to sound good. The "basic" system on a 996 is not expensive and is already a mayor difference from stock or Bose: decent speakers for doors and dash (not top of the line necesarily and forget the rear speakers), a sealed sub box behind the seats (most comonly two 8" subs), and one amp in the trunk to run it all. You can keep the headunit initially if you don't want to spend anymore since thats the one with the least influence on quality compared to the other components. That should be a few thousand $ only.

I understand what you are sayin Jason, but firstly about the sound quality, you are never going to achive the same quality as a sound studio obviously but that doesn't mean is has to sound like crap. Its not that if you can't archieve near perfect studio sound then it might as well be the pathetic stock stereo sound. There is a lot that you can do to improve the stereo in the car to achieve much better sound and not necesarily having to spend large amounts of money if you get good advice from a profesional honest installer. So with its limitations of being inside a car, you can make the best of it, and you would be surprised of how good it can sound in a moving car. Secondly, about the added weight and "true sportcar enthusists", the added weight from a stock stereo is very small (the weight of a MDF/fiberglass box filled with air with two subs and a less that 10lbs amp in the trunk, the rest is there in the stock system as well, headunit, speakes, etc). Do you think you would be able to notice a performance loss from that? give me a break well, maybe Walter Rohl could complain of loosing a couple of milli seconds in an entire 8 mile lap around nurburgring . Or are drivers over 140lbs boby weight, or with A/C's, or spare tires in their cars are not "true sportcar enthusiasts" according to you either? Do you have A/C on you 996? and not only is that "filling the car up with unnecessary weight" it even robs power from the engine, so why would a true sportcar enthusiast like you have A/C?... because its difference in performance is marginal and brings a much greater benefit relativately speaking in other aspects of the car that are not at conflict with sportcar enthusiasm. Now if you tell me about not using the RoWM030 suspensions and keeping the stock ones for example (I take it you have upgraded the stock suspensions or else you wouldn't be lecturing about sportcar enthusiasm) then I would agree with you, hindering performance so noticeably of a sportcar like the 996 for only benefit of a little more confortable ride, that IS going against the grain. But not a decent stereo who without compromising performance will much improve the stock system for a few thousand $ and you enjoyment of the car in situations were you can't enjoy the engine's stereo.

I think you meant NiveK... Total cost of my system was ~$3000 out the door with parts & materials, labor, and tax. And I cheaped out with the w0 subs and the JL (instead of Focal) comps. DoubleNutz, I would love to see some photos if you have any. Regardless of the problems and the cost, that must have been one hell of a system. From what it sounds like you were building a competition level system. I imagine with that much custom work and that many components problems are a lot more common.

Upps, its corrected now I second that too, would love to see pics of such a system DoubleNutz.

NickS, I was able to add two JL 8W3-D2's and my Xtant 300 watt amp in a custom box for about $600 all said and done. I was going to go with a Nakamichi head unit because the lighting matched the color of the interior lighting but I heard that a few people have had problems with the CD player skipping. I am happy with the current highs of the Porsche radio for know, but I wish it had some more mid-bass to fill the gap. I too will probably change the head unit when I get a chance.

Sicaone, did you change the stock door speakers?

I was worried about the mid bass too. Thanks for commenting on that. I figured there would be a good gap in the bass. Have you messed with the crossover on your sub to try and blend it a little better? I would not get the Nakamichi for a few more reasons than just the skipping. It's nice and does match well but the reliability issues I've read about and heard about put me off it. So for now, I will go the route you did and just add a sub of some sort.

Carlos, I did not change the door speakers. Do you think that could solve my midbass crisis? I am sure better speakers would make a ton of difference for overall sound quality anyway. Did you change yours? The 993 Sound System sucked even worse than the 996's and that is why I changed everything going with Mmats components and amps. Nick S, I have messed with the crossover monthly and found you just can't turn it up too much or it sounds sloppy/boomy. Mine is typically set betweem 80 and 100 Hz. This is just my personal preference. I think for true sub bass though, you are supposed to set at less than 50Hz.

Sicaone... I have always found it very difficult to match an aftermarket sub system with any factory system... especialy when you have as much power going to them as you do. The levels are never right and there is almost always a gap in the frequency. IMHO, replacing the factory amp and speakers would really bring the rest of the system to life... along with proper tuning of course.

Huh? That I actually took as an insult...just to clarify something- I have built at least one Car Audio National (originally sponsored and conducted by ALPINE) 2nd place regional winning car 500-750W Consumer Class and did not use a drop of alpine, dei, ppi products and nor were any of those even remotely close to me with the exception of the 1st place a/d/s Soundstream car. ALLl of the placing cars had Pheonix Gold SOMETHING in them every single one of them...even if it were cables. My car was primarily Rockford Fosgate and MB Quart. As for Clarion for those of you have been in high-end audio circles I guess you can understand the quality level of the statement he just put into the public domain here. Hands down the Macintosh Clarion is quite possibly one the best head units made for car-audio in the past 10 years and was first introduced as such in 1996 at the CES very few car audio devices are made to deliver the quality of performance that the Clarion DRX9255 for the money...do your homework on this read it and weep all over the web! Please let me reiterate- proprietary noise rejection, the Zero bit detector mute circuit and add-on internal processors are their primary benefits. If you are seriously into high end or competition the DRX9255 Clarion has a trick up their sleeve for the price- it features dual Burr-Brown 20-bit D/A converters I bet if you talk to your Alpine or Nakamichi dealer and ask for the dual Burr-Brown 20-bit D/A converters alone as a prerequirement in your head unit you are quite possibly in for a $2k plus surprise! When was the last time your system install was so powerful you needed to upgrade the alternator, wiring, fuses etc. in the car? I doubt you have ever built anything that sweet! Your not in my league here- and as for the other commet on using JL Audio 8W3's....geeeeeezus krist...oh my god you guys said you were Audiophiles !

I am happy to take photos and post them. It definately means that I will need to remove body paneling as everything is in either the factory enclosures or well concealed, as I said wit the exception of the tuned sealed enclosure in the rear. My 996 was first high-end audio system since my 2nd place competiton car I built several years ago. I knew what I wanted and what to expect in price if I were going to do it again. There are many here in the Pacific NW in Porsche Circles and out that have seen or heard the system in m car and all agree it is a winner. I have no intention of competing it I just wanted a premier audio system that I could listen to with windows up or down at highway speeds. Ironically, when my system is not in need of repair, it is rather awesome.

well for your info doublenutz i have won 5 1st place trophies at nationals when i was with Hawk electronics and 2 2nd and 1 3rd place finish when i competed with my friends shop Unlimited, and the last time i had to upgrade wiring for my audio system was about a year ago when i put in my personal system in my bmw, but its all good if you can make it work in your setup, its not really about the quality of the name, but of the install and i was not taking a hit at the quality of either phoenix gold or clarions but of the price that was quoted as compared to the quality components i use that IMHO are better than those to by leaps and bounds just didn't add up, in fact in alllll of my wins at sound comps i have never spend that kind of money into a vehicle, so further proof that either you live where the prices are soooo high that its not even funny or it was a bit of an exaggeration

and one more thing doublenuts, the a/d/s you refered to is made by PPI

Definately will improve the midbass response IMO, The door speakers are the responsible ones for that midbass since you can fit a pair of good 6" woofers in the doors which will take over the 125Hz and up range to the mid and tweets freqs of the the dash and fill that gap better. I don't know how much juice you have going to the door woofers, so you may have to put another amp in the trunk or use the same extra one that you use for the sub box depending on the amp's capabilities. Better speakers are going to need more power to move their magnet and will also allow you to push the system more so need more power to back that up too. Yes I changed all stock speakers, they are useless, I think in the doors I have Rockford Fosgate's top of the line back then, can't remember model name.

Can I ask you guys a general question in the midst of this car-audio testosterone? It's a simple one: is it worth ordering the Bose system on a new Porsche if you want a decent system? Doublenutz - it would still be great to see photos of your system without taking any panels off - I'm interested in how good a high end system looks once it's completed...

Hi Guys. I'm new to the boards and wish I read this post 3 weeks ago. I am working on my new system for a 996 coupe, So far I have installed an eclipse head unit because of the 8 volt pre outs, 2 Nakamichi Amps ( not sure if I love them Yet) , Focal Utopia separates in the front (love them), MB Quartz Q series in the back( Love them) XM Radio (great) Temporary Bazoka tube ( I stole it from my mothers 500 HP 911 turbo cab) The real Box should be delivered by this weekend. In My opinion not having a good Stereo in your Porsche is like not having Hot water in your house, Sure you could live like that but what is the Point.

Hi All, After experimenting with MB Quart, Alpine, Eclipse, Nakamichi, a/d/s, Boston Pro Series and others, the best combination for "my ear" is the Mcintosh MX406 head unit, Mcintosh MC420M Amp, with Focal Utopia speakers. Absolutely beautiful sounding system. I do like the Eclipse head units. MB Quart makes a great speaker.....I think the premier line is jsut as good as the Q series if not better though. If you have the install done right, you should not have to cut new holes for your speakers. Adding a sub is another issue; well worth it as far as sound, but hard to disguise.

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Jmac [B]Can I ask you guys a general question in the midst of this car-audio testosterone? It's a simple one: is it worth ordering the Bose system on a new Porsche if you want a decent system? Jmac: I'm a car audio nut but I ordered the bose system since I'm leasing my C4s and didn't want to do a major install. For the money the bose system is OK. Not a lot of highs and not much deep bass (but a lot of mid bass!). I'd say if you're not an audiophile it's probably going to sound pretty good, but if you've ever heard a good aftermarket system it's not in the same league. Myk

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Myk "No highs, no lows, it must be BOSE"

Beat me to it...

Sloth/Carlos, Thanks for the advice. I will start looking into setups for the components. Possibly go with MB Quarts or Boston Pro's. ButterNut, yes you have better subs than me. You have 8W7's and I have 8W3's. You win, you are just more of an audiophile than I am........Check the mail for your prize next week. I am sure your system sounds really good but I just prefer to spend my money on other things.

Check out a pair of high-end Focal woofers for the doors and tweeters for the dash component system, you will fall in love with them besides if you chage the stock door speakers, you need to change the tweeters too to match. Focal in general are the best speakers for such applications IMO, of course thats a personal opinion and a matter of taste. I'm currently designing a stereo for my wife's car with my installer that I've known for years (the guy is genius at this and very straight foward, he did an exhibition car for Vieta recently that's being displayed around the counrtry that just blew me away) and thats what I'm putting in her car in terms of doors and dash. He will also fit under the floor of the trunk so its stealth, the amp (to be decided yet) and the anti-skip 10-CD changer for the headunit. A 10" bandpass sub enclosure and if I don't like it then a sealed 8-10" sub box inside the trunk, and the Pioneer's top of the line 9700R headunit with a Dig Sound Procesor equalizer incorporated I had laying around the house from a previous install. That should satisfy my wife BTW I heard the latest pair of the top of the line tweeters from Focal today and blew me away , but about 1000$ the pair I think

Also consider the JL component speakers that I always mention. IMO they sound excellent. Slightly different than Quart and Focal with the tweeters not being as bright. They are also easier on the wallet. I will second what Carlos says... upgrade the tweets and the mid in the dash at the same time.