Can one replace only the speakers with a different brand or does the optical come into play?

 

From my understanding they are not interchangeable unlessss you have something that handles the EXACT spec of what they pull.
each speaker group (front dash, each door, rear area) has its own independently wired fiber optic input amplifier.

I have heard of one guy changing the front doors to a different brand.

this beg the question, the 14 speaker bose surround system supplied by porsche is SO good, and SO high end, why would you want to change it? sound reproduction is impeccable through all ranges and distortions are almost non existent, after all, it is bose.

I have enjoyed many different brands of high sound over the years, but slowly have migrated everything in my home, office, headphones, and vehicles to bose. I have the bose sub option in the rear of my CS. love it all.

 

I hate to burst your bubble but Bose is one of the lowest quality sounding speakers on the planet. If you don't believe me feel free to ask the experts at avsforums.com. They have some of the worst frequency response of any speaker. Basically you're missing out on a bunch of frequencies that your ears could hear because the speakers can't reproduce it. Not trying to put you down or anything but I would suggest you listen to some quality brand speakers that you can only find in dedicated audio stores or some internet direct companies such as Aperion Audio before you give Bose such lofty praise.

For car audio I would say that its sufficient but for home audio, don't waste your hard earned money on Bose. For the money, you can get much much better quality sound.

 

Bose is overmarketed crap.No highs and no lows

 

No 92...

I have heard this argument before and respect it. I have had klipsch systems, infinity, mark levinson. nothing sounded to me as good as any of my bose systems. with a freq response of 18-22k hz, i cant imagine my 30 year old ears being able to hear anything outside of this range and i hear things on my bose systems i dont hear on any others. beyerdynamic dt 880 headphones in my study are about the only thing i have heard that outdo sitting in my cayenne. i have the lifestyle system wired in the rooms in my home and honestly, its an absolute pleasure to hear each and every detail of the violin concertos. i think it is all a matter of preference. If bose was one of the lowest quality systems out there, well, i dont think the top car maker in the world would have picked them to accent the world's most well built and highest performance vehicles. but thats just me.

i hear things through these speakers i dont hear anywhere else. it brings to life recordings that i thought i knew like the back of my hand. i also like i can bring the system to capacity without a bunch of modification to the sound and the bass automatically self levels as to not overload the smaller subs in the doors. the rear sub doesnt really come alive until you get the volume really up there.

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again, I respect all views and thoughts on the forum, this includes yours.

 

+2 on that. I used to work as a recording engineer.. I've been delighted with the Bose system in the Cayenne. It can reproduce the lowest pipe-organ notes I've found on my pipe-organ CD's and it passes the real acid test - a piano sounds like a piano on it.

If your system sounds bad - either your expectations are wrong (like looking for booming bass), or your system isn't working correctly. When I have a chance I'll make up a list of 5 or so CD's that sound exceptional on the Cayenne system (and it will be a mix of classical, pop, jazz and vocals) It sounds almost as good as my two somewhat esoteric home systems which is pretty amazing given the environmental conditions.

It is necessary to do a bit of tweeking on the frequency response controls - and I'd strongly (VERY STRONGLY) suggest turning off the Bose enhanced audio setting (that does fuzzy everything up..) If you're interested, I'll make a note of what my settings are..

 

If you would like to change the Bose speakers, it is absolutely possible. You just need to find a shop that knows what they are doing and has experience with Porsches.

I haven't changed the system in my Cayenne yet, but I'm planning to upgrade the entire system in the near future (headunit, amp and speakers).

I did remove all the Bose speakers and amps in my 911 and I had them replaced with Focal speakers and amp, and I replaced the headunit with a Kenwood double-DIN unit. The improvement over the OEM Bose system was dramatic in that car, and I would imagine it will be a similar improvement in the Cayenne. I'm not trying to knock Bose - I generally like their stuff. However, it can be upgraded and you will be able to tell the difference.

 

I slithered out of Crossfit this morning into my CTT. One of two cars we have with the factory Bose system. I will have to say that I am actually pretty happy with the overall sound of the system. A little more *punch* out of the low end would be nice, but over all it sounds good.

What I am not very happy with is the factory head unit. The Bose sounds good when you get a good digital source into it. Which is tough with the older Nav systems. (especially the 04 and back).


I think the original question is "can they be replaced". The loop between the headunit and the amp is fiber optic. The output to the speakers themselves is just regular speaker wire.

The trick with the system is the Bose output is propritary and not many, if any, aftermarket speakers match up perfectly. Kind of hit or miss what will work and how well.

To eliminate the amp and go aftermarket also requires an aftermarket head unit. Which will eliminate the function of the steering wheel buttons unless you add the $500-700 module. (which would also let you run an aftermarket head unit with the stock amp and speakers.).

 

I know the steering wheel butons can be used with an aftermarket head unit and the appropriate module. What I think you'll give up is the integration of the navigationn and audio system information on the screen in your instrument cluster. Do you know if that's true?

 

As far as I have read. You do lose the center display information no matter what.


Edit, I saw a picture somewhere here where someone had video and a back up camera showing through the center display. So there must be some way to get information to the center display at some level.

 

deilenberger - I'm interested in your settings if you care to post

 

I took out the rear sub woofer, located under the spare tire, and replaced it with a stealth box rear sub and an Alpine sub amp. I have to say it is like night and day ... what the Bose is missing is bass. I have to look at the settings ... but after the sub woofer replacement I have the trebble turned up and the bass on 0. I have also had quite a few aftermarket high end audio systems in several different cars ... and the the Bose holds up pretty well. Just my opinion.

 

im not into big bass myself, but i have noticed the the bose sub tends to come alive really later on in the volume curve.

what is this stealth box and if i wanted something that was more responsive in the lower volume levels would this be a good option? i would only do it if it was completely discrete. id like maybe a little more response from the sub at lower volumes.

thoughts?

 

JL Audio Stealth box is one of the best car audio sub woofers out there. In the case of the Cayenne, they go behind the rear drivers side panel (in the rear cargo bay on the drivers side. Remove the cargo side panel, and the sub fits in there) hard to explain... so if you look down at the thread attached, there are some good pictures, and discussion. I am not a HUGE bass fan either .. but this is night and day. Also I hooked up the Alpine amp as per this same thread. It took me a full day to do the install, and it is not easy, but I did do it myself. Install looks perfect .. and the sub is totally hidden behind the panel.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...b-upgrade.html

 

this is freakin beautiful. thank you for the information and pictures.