997.2 Cab - Non Bose Speakers Poor

[ferrytrip1]

The non Bose sound system in my recently aquired 2009 997.2 C2S is pretty poor.  At a decent volume to hear the music (not overly loud or thumping) with the roof down I get vibration, distortion and low end "rattling" from both front and rear speakers.  When taking a phone call the results are the same.

 

Just how many speakers are installed in my car - are there any specific units (bass, tweeters) units to identify?

 

Could anybody share information about the way to access the speakers (how to remove panels etc) so I can first check if there is anything physically wrong with the equipment (loose, damage etc)

 

Then could anybody share experience in replacing the stock speakers with something more suitable.  I want to retain the head unit so would installing an amplifier in conjunction with new speakers help?

 

Any and all info is gratefully appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Simon

[Bruce in Philly]

2009 C2S

I replaced all speakers in my car with Focal units in a DIY project.  The results were good but not worth the effort.  It was a ton of work and you will need to Dremel the heck out of your car, speaker mounts, etc etc.... Most don't believe this, but if you want better sound, you need to change out the electronics and not the speakers.  These Becker-built electronics sound hard and harsh.  I heard a 2009 C2S like mine, side by side, that kept the Bose speakers and replaced the head unit and amplifiers (one for speakers, and a small one for the woofer) and the sound was really great.  Most think the speaker makes the sound but in reality, the quality we desire is made with the electronics.   Change the electronics and not the speakers.

 

Of course you could replace everything.   Ideally I wanted to just change the main amp but it is attached to the head unit via a proprietary digital cable and no company at this time makes an adapter therefore, on these PCM3 (997.2) cars, you need to change all electronics.  Again, I did the speakers and while there was improvement, it is just not worth it.

 

There is a large thread on 6speed where I contributed about my speaker replacement project.  Check it out.

 

Peace

Bruce in Philly

[ttocs]

While my 986 is 5 years older and and is non-Bose I think sharing my experience may be of benefit. First off, the sound was just adequate and I wanted more features so I went with a Kenwood double din plus Alpine amp and definitely professional install. I kept the stock wires and optical cable in place for peace of mind - just in case ??? The sound was very much improved. However, upon receiving the very first phone call I immediately discovered that Kenwood's default phone volume setting is maximum!! thus blowing one of the dash speakers.

 

I cannibalized the stock speaker rings and installed a couple of rather inexpensive 2-way speakers in the dash and retained the woofers in the doors. This project I did myself. The sound is now very good. I initially did this as a cheap project thinking that over the winter I would get some really nice Hertz component speakers but I've been so pleased that I'm leaving things as they are. Also, I only listen to music in the car 50% of the time at most, the rest of the time the sound of the engine is my music. Lastly, when one wants to be immersed in glorious sound, there is a chair in the living room just for that purpose, and the chair becomes a time machine because hours go by without realizing it . . . then I go for another drive with the top down!

Edited July 21, 2016 by ttocs