Rear Speaker Upgrade

[daveclause]

<_< :notworthy: I just installed the PNP 986 Rear speaker up grade....WHAT A DIFFERANCE!! Got mine off of EBAY..$255 included shipping. Took about two hours to install. Very easy to do....Just the little things that have to be done make it a nuisance. :censored: But, worth the money...... :clapping: So, the only problem is running the new wire bundle from the rear of the car to the front, in the channel. It is very tight in there and very hard to get your fingers in there to move the wiring along. I guess if you wanted to, you could "phish" the wire bundle under the carpet towards the front. I think that would save you several mintes of agrivation. Other than that, a very easy install...Anyone know of a good subwoofer system?

Edited April 23, 2007 by daveclause

[atmorris]

Ahhh...Harvey satisfies yet another Boxster owner. Welcome to the club. I agree - HUGE difference.

[jmatta]

I agree, though I rarely use the stereo. Made a big difference and my 16 YO appreciates it when he rides with me. Harvey's kit is great!

[Chris_in_NH]

I agree, though I rarely use the stereo. Made a big difference and my 16 YO appreciates it when he rides with me. Harvey's kit is great!

you could always DIY for $70. ;)

[wpruitt]

I agree, though I rarely use the stereo. Made a big difference and my 16 YO appreciates it when he rides with me. Harvey's kit is great!

you could always DIY for $70. ;)

Chris,

Where did you find the plastic. Been looking for some for the front speaker upgrade and all I have been able to find is lexan.

Warren

[Chris_in_NH]

Chris,

Where did you find the plastic. Been looking for some for the front speaker upgrade and all I have been able to find is lexan.

Warren

the black frame is 'wood'. it's actually a leftover piece of Pergo flooring (which is why 'wood' is in quotes ;) ) that i cut holes in and spray painted.

what are you trying to do to the front speakers?

[wpruitt]

Chris,

Where did you find the plastic. Been looking for some for the front speaker upgrade and all I have been able to find is lexan.

Warren

the black frame is 'wood'. it's actually a leftover piece of Pergo flooring (which is why 'wood' is in quotes ;) ) that i cut holes in and spray painted.

what are you trying to do to the front speakers?

Making a panel to replace the speaker similar to the rings that don't seem to be available anymore. The hack of cutting out the speaker and using the basket will not work with the speakers I am using. They are smaller than the existing opening. I have cut 4 out of lexan and just need to route the openings for the speaker. I made a template in cad and when I see how well it works this weekend I will post a pdf. The lexan material is difficult to work with. How hard is it to cut pergo?

Warren

[Chris_in_NH]

How hard is it to cut pergo?

it's pretty easy if you have the right tools. i used a Dremel tool. i suppose a jigsaw would work as well.

[Charlestonboxster]

Chris,

Where did you find the plastic. Been looking for some for the front speaker upgrade and all I have been able to find is lexan.

Warren

the black frame is 'wood'. it's actually a leftover piece of Pergo flooring (which is why 'wood' is in quotes ;) ) that i cut holes in and spray painted.

what are you trying to do to the front speakers?

Making a panel to replace the speaker similar to the rings that don't seem to be available anymore. The hack of cutting out the speaker and using the basket will not work with the speakers I am using. They are smaller than the existing opening. I have cut 4 out of lexan and just need to route the openings for the speaker. I made a template in cad and when I see how well it works this weekend I will post a pdf. The lexan material is difficult to work with. How hard is it to cut pergo?

Warren

Might want to consider simply changing the speakers, unless the ones you have are real good.

Especially if you want to do the doors too, JL Audio 3 way with crossovers excellent choice.

[Chris_in_NH]

Might want to consider simply changing the speakers, unless the ones you have are real good.

Especially if you want to do the doors too, JL Audio 3 way with crossovers excellent choice.

that's what he is doing. he needs to make a bracket so that the speakers can be mounted.

???

[por986]

2001'ster S

Looking to do the PNP install soon (courtesy of Mr. Harvey)... My question is that I was under the impression that the wiring was in place for the rear speakers and that all you had to do was install the speakers and plug them in under the top (once in service mode). From there, you can utilize the fade option on the stereo.' According to your experience, that isn't the case huh?

Also, what subs if any did you go with and did you replace the dash (if so, with what)? I was considering building out a small box between the two seats with 2 6inch or 8inch subs, but wasn't sure if the doors were adequate enough to hold decent low end speakers.

Thanks!!

Edited May 22, 2007 by por986

[atmorris]

2001'ster S

Looking to do the PNP install soon (courtesy of Mr. Harvey)... My question is that I was under the impression that the wiring was in place for the rear speakers and that all you had to do was install the speakers and plug them in under the top (once in service mode). From there, you can utilize the fade option on the stereo.' According to your experience, that isn't the case huh?

Also, what subs if any did you go with and did you replace the dash (if so, with what)? I was considering building out a small box between the two seats with 2 6inch or 8inch subs, but wasn't sure if the doors were adequate enough to hold decent low end speakers.

Thanks!!

I have the PNP kit in my MY03 with the M490 option. The PNP kit comes with a harness that you have to run up to the front and plug in to either the head unit or the amplifier, depending on what setup you have in the car. If you have the M490 option like I do, the PNP kit plugs into the amp, and that's it...done deal. In that case, yes the fader works as you expect.

[erics]

received the PNP kit from the US (i live in the UK) and looking to get this fitted next week.

By reading the comments i can' t wait. :rolleyes:

[Lyn]

For those of you that have installed the PNP kit: Is there any reason that you have to remove the radio if you have the BE660 external amp? I'm reading the instructions and it would seem that you can bypass the radio removal part and plug directly into the amp?? If the answer to this seems painfully obvious and I'm the only one not getting the picture, please enlighten me gently.

Thx, Lyn

[Cassiebox]

For those of you that have installed the PNP kit: Is there any reason that you have to remove the radio if you have the BE660 external amp? I'm reading the instructions and it would seem that you can bypass the radio removal part and plug directly into the amp?? If the answer to this seems painfully obvious and I'm the only one not getting the picture, please enlighten me gently.

Thx, Lyn

Lyn- you are correct. If you have the 6 channel amp you can forgo pulling the radio out. I have a '99 which I transplanted a 6x40W amp from a 996 into and did not need to pull it out. The only reason you might want to is for more working room while feeding the speaker wires from the passenger footwell across the console to the driver's footwell. Otherwise, leave it alone (not that it's that hard to remove - Harvey gives you the keys with the kit).

Good luck!

[clickman]

When I installed Harvey's rear speaker kit, and got to where I had to run the wires from the spot beside the seat to up under the dash, I found it easiest to tape the speaker wires to a big stiff wire, and push that up to the area under the dash (after pulling the carpeting loose). Then I could pull the big wire, carefully, and the speaker wires came with it.

[KevinH90]

Here's a nice write up on rear speaker installation: http://www.pelicanparts.com//techarticles/...ar_speakers.htm

There are some minor differences between these instructions and those for the PNP kit.

I've installed two Harvey kits. The first took about 5 hours, the second took about 2 hours. I highly recommend using a piece of stiff wire to fish the cable through the door sill.

[Lyn]

We finished up the installation of Harvey's rear speaker kit on my 2003 S yesterday AM. It took about 5 hours ( about normal) and went well. We elected to drill a 1/4" hole through the large rubber gromet that holds the main harness in the firewall to pull the wires through. A little silican sealant around the hole and it was sealed up tight again. That step made it much easier to get the wires from under the dash into the battery compartment.

The improvement in sound is well worth the money and effort and I would agree that this as the best first step towards improvement of your Boxster stereo system. I have the CDR23 HU and a Becker 6600 Amp.

Lyn

[Edman]

I ordered mine today through the eBay listing. Early Father's Day gift. I'm pumped.

[erics]

finally, 4 weeks after having received my speaker kit, i finally got them fitted today.

Now, i am a bi disapointed... here is why:

My car is a 2004 550 spyder boxster s. It has the sound pack and pcm2. Unlike my previous 2002 boxster s, my current car seems to have lost its fader adjustment.

What a disapointment!

I cannot increase the volume coming from the rear :(

The kit obviously works fine, but here i must admit that i feel a bit unlucky....

Why did porsche remove the fader adjustment on pcm2??????????????????

[babeins]

i just completed this install. I got an OEM kit from ebay for $145 with free shipping. The same seller now has a few kits for $105 with free shipping! Anyway, cutting out the old shelf compartments was really the hardest part. Everything else was pretty easy. Thanks to this post I used an electrician's metal phishing tool to get the wire to the front. The link to the pellican parts intall was helpful as well. Thanks RennTech!