A car is definitely the worst possible place for sound quality. That being said though, I am sure the Burmeister makes a great difference to a trained ear. To the untrained ear or the non-audiophile it may make a small difference but performance and aesthetics will always bring a larger smile. Plus you can always get aftermarket components that are better than the stock counterparts regardless of the system.

Just my $0.02

 

I commend your decision to spend $5k on a high end sound system. Congrats! But then I take it you are getting the S?

 

Probably not, I don't see myself getting 100% use out of the extra 50 horsepower. It's definitely not a money thing, i just don't think I'll need it. I love driving my 4s now and its amazing in every way. The new base has performance on par with the old S. I want to truly utilize the performance of the 3.4 and I plan on attending Porsche Driving School this summer to truly learn the limits of the car. I will be checking many of the performance boxes, as I do intend to take this car to the track and enjoy it in it's natural enviroment. The build I'm looking at is well within the S price range and then some. After a few years when I feel I have truly extracted the potential of the car I will look at upgrading to the 2S. In the meantime I will be driving this car daily and I want it to be as usable as possible for commuting, so the options I'm looking for are the ones I feel I will get use out of. At this current time I look forward to the goals I have in mind for the base. My other half will be going for the 991 C4S next year when it launches and I will have that to look forward to as well.

 

Very rational thinking when you say you won't need the 50 hp. I can't say you are wrong on that. It's not needed but fun to have. But I also have your thinking on the upgrade, except that I first want to fully extract the 991s potential (if possible) and then upgrade to the turbo. Even that is supposed to be a great DD.

 

I have thought about the turbo and it is going to be amazing, no doubt. And there will be an S in the garage next year. I have no doubt that I would love to drive an S everyday, but I prefer to be rational on this than not. And a turbo is still in the upgrade path, who says you cant jump from a base to the turbo? But more than that I know how fast I like to drive and I do enjoy spirited driving; I also don't want to be that @$$hole who buys a turbo right out the gate and wraps it around a tree because they're overconfident. I think people get hung up on the S and what it means as a label. Lets not forget how much of an absolutely amazing sports car the 911 is before you add anything to it. The base is a performance car through and through, it has been mentioned in several reviews in passing. Top Gear guys Hammond and May don't even drive turbos, they bot have 997's and they are the 2S. They think its the best version and has incredible performance, and these guys also own Ferraris and Lamborghinis. No doubt the 911 will challenge me and my driving skills in its most basic form without any options. I don't believe this is true for everyone and I think the decision between the S and base is a very personal decision, there is no wrong choice and both cars will bring you years of joy and smiles. For me and what I want out of the car right now that choice is the base. Lets not forget the small percentage of cayman and boxster drivers who could afford the 911, GT3 and turbos included who went down to the baby brother, they felt it offered immense performance and power for what they wanted; and these are all slower than even the base 911. The most important option to consider when choosing your 911 and it's many many variants is you the driver. What car meets your needs the best. Bigger isnt always better for everyone. It's the reason we choose 911's over corvettes and vipers, because we feel the car we chose had the best attributes to fit us. Fits aren't always permanent and they are bound to change as time goes on and our skills and needs increase. Not trying to sound like I'm justifying being cheap and going for the base, just trying to get it out there that just cause someone chooses the cheaper (not necessarily lesser) car, means they are less of a person or poorer than you. It's a stigma in our capitalist world (keeping up with the Jones) that we need to get over and try to be better than. I am very happy that you went with the S if you truly thought it was the best fit for you with the options you chose. I hope it brings you many years of enjoyment and happiness, also that it remains the correct decision for as long as you see fit.

P.S. The Guards Red does look amazing, wish I knew I could live with it everyday cause it really make the 991 pop out at you.

 

Thanks. Yeah, the GR is a real attention getter and it looks even better in person in my opinion, the pics don't do it full justice.

As for your base choice, I don't think it is a wrong one. Just bear in mind that it is a brand new engine downsized to 3.4. But still should be great. The part I don't fully get is that you are willing to spend on other heavy ticket options in a sports car, before first upgrading to the S version. But this can be very subjective and your thinking differs from mine in that area. I wud get a non-optioned S before a loaded base. If getting a base I wud option it minimally. Changing a brand new car next year wud translate in to a major financial hit, a no no in my book. But whatever rocks your boat. The point is to enjoy your purchase and only you know best what you need.

 

I posted earlier about ordering just the base system ... I have the bose in my 997 and I have to admit I NEVER crank it up ... I listen to Howard Stern a lot and Comedy for when Howard is on vacation ...
I do like cranking up some music once in a while but find it kind of rare.

For some reason when I was much younger I loved a great sound system but nowadays I find the stock systems are terrific I hope I feel the same way about the 991 when I get it.

 

From what I have heard the stock system has improved over the 997 one and the bose has also improved itself to compete with burmester.

 

It's only a couple grand more than Bose and I wish wish wish I ordered it. Damn! It's soooo good.

 

I'd like to think this is the case, but my 2012 x5 with factory Harmon Kardon blows the 991 Bose out of the water...

As a 991 w/bose owner I don't take this lightly :/

 

This is what I'm saying about the full leather now, so...enjoy the [vast majority of] things you got right. That's what I'm doing.

 

I have only heard the Burmester in a 991, and it impressed me greatly. I hope the word on Bose being improved over the 997 is true, as I did not find the 997 Bose all that. I do have a Bose on order, however, as I listen almost exclusively to satellite radio, which is not that great quality anyway, so thought it would be a shame to waste the Burmester talent (and my $) on the dumbed down satellite sound quality.

 

God this forum makes me sad....it's the only thing I didn't get

Burmester - Since you can't describe sound in words, let me just say that it was like a drug. It was like being blind your whole life and then suddenly having vision bestowed on you. My buddy and I went on a test drive in a Burmester car and our jaws just dropped. Even Justin Bieber sounded fantastic!! (Ok maybe not that good.)

 

+1, although I do listen to music and do consider myself somewhat of an audiophile, I just can't spend $5k on a audio option. With the BMW E92 M3 their audiophile system is $1900 and I'm happy with just the base HiFi.

Dave

 

Agreed, Im aware of the downsized engine, but it is also up on power. As for changing into another car next year, we will be getting a 991 4s regardless of what I get, so the option to drive it will be available to me regardless. I think it will take more more than a year of track events and schools, to fully exploit the potential of the base 991, and I know I won't keep the car for more than 3 years. I will not own a car outside of warranty as I see to be a huge liability in terms of repairs and time taken out for said repairs. You can't buy time. So I'm in and out of in 3 years no matter what it is. What if I go for the S and I don't get the use out of it, it's an equally risky proposition. Anywho, heres to everyone finding a porsche perfect for them; thats whys there's 18 variants and an option list as long as a drag strip. Cheers