We all know the PSE history... sounded great on 997, then the DFI 997.2 PSE was a little lacking. Now with the 991, almost everyone with an opinion says its great. Loud, sounds excellent etc...

I went to the track last week and heard the PSE 991S manual in anger. And it was not loud at all, and the sound, while good, was not really typical flat 6 porsche.

Since I've plunked down a decent amount of greenbacks to get one retrofitted (on order), theres a question burning in my mind... What if owners are singing the praises of PSE because of the sound symposer (which is in every 991)?

So, has anyone heard/compared 991 without PSE and one with PSE back-to-back? Or does everyone just love the sound of their car that came with PSE from the factory...?

My sales associate told me PSE on the 991 is really loud, but that wasn't the conclusion I came to. One footnote: the 991S I heard with PSE didn't even have 1000 miles on it, so the exhaust was probably still packing in.

I'd love to hear from someone whose heard both exhausts back-to-back in and out of the car.

Thanks,
DRP

 

I find my 991S with PSE loud from the outside of the car when the Symposer is turned off.

In other words the car is not in sport or sport plus but I have the PSE on. I have also been told by many people that they think my car is loud and I am talking about every day people who are not car enthusiasts ... like when I pull into my office parking lot the people outside having a cigerette will actually say 'wow that car is really loud'

Anyway I know it is a lot of $$ but if I were to re-order the car again I would get it ... also you get a lot of additional gurggles (is that a word?) coming from the car when the PSE is on.

 

I forgot you can leave the symposer off while still having PSE on. Glad to hear its loud

I know what you mean about the gurgles.

Thanks for the feedback.

DRP

 

I thought the symposer was functional at all times regardless of mode. Any way in response to your original question, I do agree with your supposition that the symposer has a lot to do with how pse sounds inside the cabin.
But I think pse is loud on the outside to, as I can judge by the response of pedestrians or other drivers, it simply attracts more attention. For example simply idling with pse on at a gas station attracts more attention than with pse off.
Overall, I think pse is an expensive option, but I have to say worth it, at least in a sports car, coz you can't be driving like a race car most of the time, at least you can get an aggressive sporty sound.

 

In my opinion, sports exhaust should be the standard option and you have to pay more to quiet it down. I can't imagine there is a $3000 difference in parts or labor between PSE and the regular exhaust.

 

I love it and judging by the expressions of people around me it is plenty loud. What sold me at the dealer was listening to a PSE equipped car pull away. Wont regret it!

 

This from SAE Vehicle Engineering (click for full article)

"Electronically synthesized noise is not a Porsche solution, so the engineers developed a new Sound Symposer that is standard on both versions of the car. An acoustic channel picks up intake vibrations between the throttle valve and air filter and a membrane incorporated in the channel reinforces the vibrations and transmits them as an engine sound into the cabin. The system is driver activated or deactivated via a “Sport” button that controls a valve ahead of the membrane.

The result is a direct acoustic link between the cabin occupants and the engine, providing optimal transmission of the load-dependent sounds. The sound of gearshifts can also be enhanced.

The Sound Symposer*incorporates a tunable Helmholtz resonator to achieve an harmonious sound pattern, damping out unpleasant noise occurring at*around 5000 rpm."

 

Ok, I guess symposer is not on all the time. But below is probably why I felt it was:

"If the Sound Symposer is deactivated, an aperture in the air filter housing still allows the basic engine and exhaust tones to be heard—"because we don’t want it to sound boring!” explained Dr. Bernhard Pfäfflin, General Manager of the Noise and Vibration Department."

 

Actually, I too thought it was on all the time! I was surprised by the explanation. Hey ho, live and learn!