I know there are a ton of threads about this, and I have reviewed a bunch of them on this and other sites, but most go above and beyond what I am trying to do.

I have a '99 996 with a stock stereo system (CDR-220 upgraded from a CDR-210, 6-disk CD changer, M480 amp, 2 dash speakers, 2 door speakers and 2 rear speakers). The only addition is a bazooka behind the rear seats that was added by the previous owner. I am not sure how the speakers and bazooka are connected but they all are working and there are no other components (amps, subs etc) in the car. Of course the sound is crap, as everyone knows, so for now I just want to replace the dash and rear speakers and perhaps the amp. I don't want to do any physical modifications so the new speakers need to fit into the standard space provided. I have already purchased two sets of original Porsche speaker grills to reuse for the new install.

Question 1. What speakers should I get for the dash and rear?

Question 2. Can I replace the M480 amp with something more powerful but keep the CDR-220 head unit? I know a lot of people think the Becker/Porsche head units are crap but they look good in the car and I can't stand the plastic/bling look of the more modern head units.

Question 3. Is it worth keeping the bazooka installed?

Thanks in advance for your help.

T

 

I replaced the dash and rear speakers with a set of 4" Polk speakers from BestBuy. Good upgrade for $160.You'll have to modify the stock speaker grills a bit to make aftermarket speakers fit but nothing hard at all. I added a self powered Kenwood Sub behind my seats and like it enough but really want to add a Basslink-they work excellent.

Since the hard part of the work for the sub is done then definitely replace the Bazooka with another self powered sub. It will take you maybe 10 minutes to swap them out and anything will sound better.

Swapping the amps might make a difference to justify the expense and hassle but I don't think you can justify it.

I'm one of those people that HATES aftermarket stereos, everytime I buy one I regret it and I've installed/worked on about 20 car stereo systems.

My next plan is to buy a set of component speakers and install the tweeters in the dash next to my new coaxials and install the woofer in the doors to replace the stock ones.

So, buy some 4" speakers and swap them. $200 for four will do a lot for you. Polks are nice and Infinitys too. Swap the sub without a doubt.

Then, decide if you want to replace the amp.

 

After replacing my headunit, I realized that one of my rear speakers isnt working. Can a guy use any 4.0"inch speaker back there? Is 4.0"inch the biggest you can cram in there? I'm not looking for anything fancy, but if i can go bigger I may as well.

 

4" is easy. Dont think anything bigger will fit.

 

Looking at the Infinity site I see both component and multi-element 4" speakers. Which ones should I be looking at?

 

coaxials, check out this link.
http://www.crutchfield.com/g_51200/4...rs.html?tp=102

 

Thanks for the info. The Infinity Kappa 42.9l look good.
Just checked the Bazooka that is installed and it's a BTA8200. That seems to be a fairly well reviewed model so perhaps i should stick with it for now. I'm not sure how the guy has hooked it up however so I'll look into that.

 

Make sure the depth is acceptable especialy in the back.If i remember corectly nothing more then 1.8 inch mount depth will fit.

 

There are a tonn of options i like 5.25 or 6.5 in the rear, and 4" in the front. the doors hold the focal 13ks and 13ws perfectly

 

I just finished swaping out my fronts and rears for Infitity 4 inch. There is a DIY on here that shows how to put replace the OEM speakers with 4 inch aftermarket. You have to completely trash the old speakers, but it is a quick install - 30 minutes per set - if you follow the instructions that call for cutting into the old speakers. I can certify that everything fits and the Infinitys were twice the side of the OEM (weight wise).

I have to say - in response to the comment from Bullitt that I also replaced my head unit and amp with aftermarket and it looks totally OEM and sounds absolutely amazing. I'm the kind of guy that won't stop until everything is perfect and I am very happy with the result. I built my sub box to fit the space behind the rear seats and added a set of speakers as well. Here are some pics...

 

If you don't listen to the radio all that loudly, you can get a very good SQ(sound quality) based system with just front dash speakers, and a time/eq correction based deck for the Porsche models that have at least the Hifi option.

I used to compete in IASCA back in the mid 80's and had one of the first Alpine CD units for the car back in '86 if that says anything. I also hold an audio engineering degree FWIW.

I usually don't like to respond to these kinds of posts because it's like a broken record sometimes and sometimes it turns into debates, or endless explanations.

For SQ system, you can get by with something like an Eclipse or Alpine deck that has Time and EQ correction/alignment and get a higher quality 4" front speakers like Boston Acoustics or equivalent.

The factory HiFi system does a decent job with rear fill duties and LFE(low frequency extension) on the door speakers to a certain point(both frequency and spl limited). The trick is tuning the Time and EQ settings correctly.

I have the Eclipse CD5030 and Boston Acoustics S45 only besides the factory Hifi system and I challenge anyone to do an blind A/B test in my car and see if they can point out any differences. This combination along with my settings provides very good soundstage, imaging, smooth frequency range.

My other car has extensive audio equipment like ppi, focals, alpine, jl audio and sounds very similiar to my Porsche at lower volumes.

Obviously if you want a booming system or great LFE, then you should at least upgrade the amps and subs too.

But for me in the Porsche, the radio takes a back seat to listening to the real music of the flat 6 and just more engaged in driving than anything else.

Ok, this will be my last audio post for awhile.

 

Thanks for all the responses. Of course now I have a few more questions:

The Becker CDR-220 is rated at 4 x 18W with a minimum speaker impedance of 4. Most of the replacement speakers I've been looking at have an impedance of 2 so I guess they couldn't be connected directly to the head unit. However could they be connected to the amp? The Amp I have is rated at 6 x 40W. If I connect all my speakers to the Amp does that mean the low output power of the head unit becomes a non issue or will it still affect the overall sound?

While I am still going to wait and see how things sound with the Becker CDR-220 I think I may be willing to consider the Nakimichi CD 400 as an alternative. It has a very simple design that will blend well with the Porsche interior and it has the option of changing the display color to amber. It also seems to be a well reviewed unit with output power of 4 x 47W and would pair nicely with their PA-4100 4-channel amp.

 

Call Rod at CarAudio Innovations. If you just want speakers mounted, you can send the doorpods and they will install Focals for you. They do a LOT of 911's, so they will have whatever setup you want/need based on your budget.

-td

 

Will all of these fit in the dash?

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/s_091100K...RS.html?tp=102

The only way to go as....

I AM NOT ASSOCATED WITH THIS LINK!