Audio System Upgrade

When I spec' d my C2 I just assumed that the basic sound system would be adequate and didnt go for any upgrade. As anyone else who didnt upgrade will know the sound from this unit is very weak and ' tinny' . Has anyone out there had their system retrospectively upgraded? If so some idea of the best ' bang for your buck' would be useful (ie just add more/better speakers or invest in a Bose system). I should add that I have the least subtle musical ear in the world, so basically I like it loud with lots of base (or do I mean bass, or is that a fish?). Thanks Mark MY02 996 C2 coupe

mark i find i use the stereo less and less as i get a real buzz out of listening to the sweet growl of the engine. then i' m a girl so what would i know!!!

I had the same problem with my Boxster. If you still have an opportunity to do so, seriously consider the Bose. Aftermarket systems ARE rare, and expensive to buy ...and difficult+expensive to fit " properly" . Tech-art (www.techart.de) do aftermarket " upgrades" . They look Original Equipment, and should be good - but they do cost. I had the Techart Door pods. The interior panels DO need cutting around - but the sealing membrane behind the panels remains intact. This wasn;t too clear on the web site. I bought 2 x 2nd hand door panels and fitted the pods to these. However, on fitting, I had to run wires externally into the doors (not through the multi plug - not enough room IMO). I was not happy with this. I am generally good with that sort of thing, it was a hell of a job getting anywhere into the multi plug socket - wich I abandoned! If you' re like me and don' t want to butcher the interior about, I abandoned the install after doing one door panel that took more or less a day before I realised that the Bose stereo was not powerful enough without an additional amp - I couldn' t be bothered to go into a full install, so I sold the pods on. The guy who bought them is very pleased with them. He had a more powerful stereo anyhow, and got them fitted professionally. Conclusion: Bose. [&:]

...oh and if you take out the dash speakers, you must fabricate some plastic brackets to allow you to fit anything else in there. There is just 1 rubbish Nokia speaker in each side of the dashboard. Each has a molded fitting and you can' t simply replace them. This may save you half an hour or so, before you look yourself and get really ****** off!!

I specified the PCM option on my C4S. It has 10 speakers and is controlled through the colour screen on the dash. It sounds good enough to me, you can even drown out the sports exhaust. The point being that I don' t know that you need to go for the Bose option. However, when I spec' ed it, the dealer advised to take the upgrade, since some things were not able to be fitted afterwards (or would be much more expensive). Some of the wiring loom is fiber optic when you get all the communication bits and bobs. Since the looms are different, depending on what options you take, it is difficult to change later. You could ask your dealer what the official Porsche position is, since they will know what wiring options you have in the car. Rgds, Stuart.

Helen, I agree for the most part about the engine sound. But this summer I am taking the C2 to the south of france which means 10 hours or so on the French autoroute (each way). My 14 year old daughter is ' navigating' for me so she ' needs' a serious sound sytem to listen to. All I want is some decent bass from the system. Mark

Geri, I wasnt too concerned about the poor audio in the Boxster we had before the 996 because it only had 2 speakers and so I didnt expect too much of it. I did think that the addition of 2 speakers in the 996 sound system would give the sound some oomph but his had been sadly lacking. I really dont want to run to the cost of Bose system as for example the basic systems in both my Renault Clio and Volvo V70 are streets ahead of the Porsche thing. I just want something loud and with some ooomph to it. Just call me a wimp but I wouldnt dream of hacking about with the interior myself to try and install something. As my wife says I need to get a ' proper' man in to do the job. Mark

Mark I must agree with Helen I never listen to CD' s any more, I find the engine noise is more enjoyable.

Hi Mark, When are you off to the south of France? I`m going with the as allways lovely wife , & 7 yr old daughter going on 15! The normal Senic drive down has been cancelled, funny that....eh. We have two boys who are keen to fly, so hey presto Nice airport there they go. Todd 996 C2 2000 Rainforest Green.

Your Boxster did not have the sound pack then! Yours already has the door speakers, In which case, I would look into changing them into something more suitable - " MB Quart" or something, and maybe get an amp installed. You may wish to have a bespoke speaker cabinet made to house a sub. Where it' s going to go beats me.

...all I was initially saying is that, taking into account any extra expense anyway, it' s better to spec Bose.

Todd, We usually pack the 4 of us and 3 tons of luggage in the Volvo V70. But this year I suggested wouldnt it be great if we could drive the 996 along some of the cost roads around Monaco , St Raphael etc. So a cunning plan was hatched. Me and 14 year old (going on 25) daughter would take the 996 down and back, and my darling wife and 10 year old son who would fly into Nice. We are off in Mid August. Regards Mark

Geri, No the Boxster only had the 2 dash mounted speakers. The 996 has those plus 2 in the rear. I dont have any in the doors, so I wonder if just replacing the existing broadband speakers with something a bit more flexible (ie copes with treble and bass properly) would improve the sound. A friend of mine has the door speakers in his C4 but he uses the same head unit as mine (the CDR-22) and the sound was much, much better even to my untrained ear. Regards Mark