Hey guys,
Recently we have replaced the wife's 08 Lexus IS250 with a 06 Cayenne S (new baby and she needed the room, I just needed a Porsche). I've searched for topics on replacement for this radio unit that has the Bose speakers but I'm getting mixed answers. Supposedly this is the fiber optic speakers but the headunit can be replaced with an adaptor to run the Bose speakers.....? This is the wifes car and she wants the Navi w/iPod and backup camera so we are looking at the Pioneer unit. Since she doesn't really care to much about all the additonal stuff, such as better speakers, we are looking at replacing just the headunit.

So, is this possible or not?

 

It is possible but in addition to buying the pioneer head unit you have to buy a box kinda like a converter box for the fiber optic to hook up to the pioneer. Last I checked it was around $350...i believe this is it Soundgate CANPULSE4

 

it will be a bit more expensive but...

http://www.navtv.com/news.php?NewsID=20

 

Also, don't forget about the dash mount kit. It's supposed to be pretty difficult to actually find one that looks stockish

 

Fiber optic speakers? I thought there is just optical cable between the head unit and the amp? Replace the head unit and amp, along with the bezel mounting kit. If you haven’t worked with a lot of stereos on these types of cars I wouldn’t mess with it and leave it to the pros. I’ve had experience with the Kenwood DNX8120 along with alpine PDX amps and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Always gone with alpine for head units but this Kenwood plus a talk with the guys at the local high end car audio/vis shop changed my mind.

 

they have that also... last time I checked it was a few weeks out. you should ask why they built this unit...

...Well long story short, the PCM3 has been problematic, so the owner said screw it... and wah lah... head unit replacement module

 

I understood what he meant, the unit that I listed takes all the fun out of it, and trust me when I say I have done many cayenne radio replacements... this is cake walk... and for the cayenne they do have the bezel, sports cars were awaiting the bezel. Also they have a nice rear camera for the vehicle that is integrated, just very labor/time consuming.

also the unit I listed works on all bose equiped fiber optic speakers LOL... alright Bose amp'd system

 

I just put in a Kenwood DNX8120 w/ Navi, Ipod, Sirius, Backup Cam, USB, and I used the Canpulse 4 to use the Stering Wheel Controls on my Cayenne S, my installer custom made a dash kit and had it painted at a body shop matte black to match the interior trim, he bypassed all the optical connection issues of the Bose system by pulling out the Bose amp and using a Kenwood Amp ( he hide it away in the trunk slot where the CD changer was) the System sounds awesome and its gots all the bells in whistles any unit is capable of handling.... I paid $1000 for the Unit online and he charged me $900 for everything else... he's done 2-3 cayennes before - but its not an easy job!

 

Do you have a link/picture of the bezel? I'd like to put an aftermarket HU in my CTT but the biggest thing holding me back is the double din fascia.

 

Is the sound quality any better or worse when using one of these conversion units to use an aftermarket HU?

 

sound quality is about the same seeing that both an aftermarket and the factory unit put out the same frequencies 20-20k Hz. this saves the trouble of splicing into the wiring from the output of the factory amp maintaining the factory integrity of the wiring. I will see if there is any pictures on line of it, actually I think there is a video I will look for it.

Husky, I wouldn't let that deter ya

 

http://www.perfectinterface.com/disp...do?partId=3225

complete with video and pictures.

 

I'm facing the same issue as eds123 with my '04 Cayenne S. CDR23 went out, and I don't see the point in replacing with the same unit. I was planning on the Kenwood 8120, but Soundgate tech supports says no go for the Canpulse 4, that it won't convert the output to the factory Bose amp. Is it possible the tech is mistaken? Is my only choice to replace the amp as well? Appreciate your expertise, gang!

 

I think the 04 had a different optical Most connector, but I will find out tomorrow.

 

There was a difference b/w '04 & '05 according to NAV-TV folks. They don't support earlier than '05 as a result, but he didn't know the exact reason why. Thing about Soundgate was that their tech said Canpulse 4 wouldn't convert any analog signal to optical, so wouldn't work with any factory Bose amp that uses optical inputs, regardless of vehicle year. I told him I had heard otherwise, but the conversation wasn't going anywhere. I'll replace the amp if necessary, but would be great if I could keep as much of the factory setup as possible in place since super hi-fi sound isn't my main objective (and would more than double the price of the job). Also, I imagine a compatible amp will be pretty big bucks since there appear to be so many channels (4 each L&R, phantom center, sub-w, by my count). I'm rambling... Never realized how big an ordeal this would become. Can't tell you how much I appreciate your input!