Audio upgrade for base sound system

[Skilly]

There are tons of posts warning that the base sound system Porsche uses is really poor.

You'll want to take it to an independent car shop for a quote on upgrading the speakers. It may or may not affect parts of your warranty, specifically applying to the electrical. You could do it through your Porsche dealership to maintain the warranty but you'll easily pay 3 or 4 times what an indy shop would charge you.

Those are your options. Do not attempt to DIY a speaker replacement on the Taycan.

As for the Bose system, it's a perfectly nice system (for a car) and any issues are either source or something that a dealership should look at. The Bose should be a satisfactory experience for 95% of people. It is fairly common for the door speakers in particular to be faulty or mis-aligned, so if the Bose is acting up that's the first thing to get a dealer to check out.

How would you think a warranty would void in electrical with a swap of some speakers? Never ever heard of that before - Magnusson Moss Warranty Act protects us all (in the US) from over reaching like that. Also, Porsche would have zero experience improving the sound quality and would have no options to spend your money short of suggesting a trade in - they wouldn't even be able to suggest a Burmeister route.

This is not a complex fix with the right audio shop - there are several out there that could do it. It would be a move to something like a Morel or Focal set up and a bypass of the system amp; replacing it with multiple digital options to clear up the sound (the amp is likely where the flat sound is originating). To do it right, prepare for Burmeister pricing though - in fact, that option would have been cheaper than any fix to improve the sound quality.

I did it in a 2017 911 TTS that came with Bose and it was around $8,500.00 - and that was a deal

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[lenk]

I changed out the speakers in the door and in the dash. I used Gladden speakers made for VW, Rennspec spacers and speaker harnesses. Sounds much better and easy to do. At the same time you can also tackle the horrible resonation coming from the doors that is present in all systems. i will offer details son as i just had hand surgery and can't type to well.

 

[NC_Taycan]

Two years into Model S ownership and an OTA update added a 5 band graphic equalizer to the (what was at the time the top-bin) audio system. Wonder if Porsche might do something like that for the Bose system - better than just the bass and treble controls.

 

[lenk]

"Skilly" is correct, as a lawyer, i can say your warranty cannot be voided unless in can be proved that swapping out speakers damaged the other component. Perhaps if your amp overheated because you used the wrong ohm speakers, and porsche can prove that, they could refuse to warranty your amp but that is as far as it goes.

 

[02bluesuperroo]

I checked a configuration for a Turbo and it listed Burmester for $5700. I have seen other options at less $ on higher end versions versus the base RWD.

(I ordered my car with BOSE)

The Burmester is cheaper if you already have the Bose system in your configuration (like Premium package). Maybe the Turbo already comes standard with the Bose system.

Most likely the best way to upgrade the base system would be to replace the amplifier. New speakers with the same low powered amp isn't going to sound better but the stock speakers with a better amp might sound a lot better. It's probably also cheaper and easier to install/upgrade the amp than all the speakers.

 

[XLR82XS]

Most likely the best way to upgrade the base system would be to replace the amplifier. New speakers with the same low powered amp isn't going to sound better but the stock speakers with a better amp might sound a lot better. It's probably also cheaper and easier to install/upgrade the amp than all the speakers.

By the time you spend time/money to this - just better off getting Bose for $1500.

 

[02bluesuperroo]

By the time you spend time/money to this - just better off getting Bose for $1500.

I agree 100%. I think OP is past that point unfortunately.

 

[BeTay22]

I changed out the speakers in the door and in the dash.

Looking forward to your report on how you did this!

 

[Chubbs85240]

The base sound system in the 4s is awful. If I had known I’d definitley have upgraded. I can’t actually believe that in a premium car the base sound system is this bad, it’s definitely the worst I’ve had in any car in the last 10 years and by a long way (Mercedes/jaguar/Land Rover/bmw all of which cost less new). It feels a bit like listening to music on a cheap TV

 

[XLR82XS]

The base sound system in the 4s is awful. If I had known I’d definitley have upgraded. I can’t actually believe that in a premium car the base sound system is this bad, it’s definitely the worst I’ve had in any car in the last 10 years and by a long way (Mercedes/jaguar/Land Rover/bmw all of which cost less new). It feels a bit like listening to music on a cheap TV

Agreed. Bose at minimum - worth the $.

 

[bgatxy1]

I changed out the speakers in the door and in the dash. I used Gladden speakers made for VW, Rennspec spacers and speaker harnesses. Sounds much better and easy to do. At the same time you can also tackle the horrible resonation coming from the doors that is present in all systems. i will offer details son as i just had hand surgery and can't type to well.

Can you share details?

 

[DexD]

I changed out the speakers in the door and in the dash. I used Gladden speakers made for VW, Rennspec spacers and speaker harnesses. Sounds much better and easy to do. At the same time you can also tackle the horrible resonation coming from the doors that is present in all systems. i will offer details son as i just had hand surgery and can't type to well.

I'm keen to learn more about the improvement in experience.

 

[SHM]

If the Porshe does DSP as I would imagine, then simply going bananas and swapping speakers might not yield the result one dreams about. Maybe you need a new factory speaker kit or a third party kit that is designed to work together in tandem with the OEM AMP and DSP.

 

[blame.latitude]

With the unavailability of the bose system, I think many of us will be looking to aftermarket options. Certainly, for me, the dead quiet environment of the Taycan implies a great base to start a killer stereo setup. One challenge for those of us who arent afraid to open up thier cars is there is a serious lack of information on what the stereo looks like. What's the speaker sizes? for example. Basic stuff isnt out yet, due to how new the platform is.

Here is a guide I found from someone who opened up the taycan with base stereo and what they found. Hopefully we can start to learn about what is going on in the taycan and how to best upgrade it. I'm thinking this amazing environment would be perfect for Focal Utopias

Electric Porsche Taycan: Audio Upgrade - Car and Home Stereo (carhomestereo.co.uk)

 

[bgatxy1]

With the unavailability of the bose system, I think many of us will be looking to aftermarket options. Certainly, for me, the dead quiet environment of the Taycan implies a great base to start a killer stereo setup. One challenge for those of us who arent afraid to open up thier cars is there is a serious lack of information on what the stereo looks like. What's the speaker sizes? for example. Basic stuff isnt out yet, due to how new the platform is.

Here is a guide I found from someone who opened up the taycan with base stereo and what they found. Hopefully we can start to learn about what is going on in the taycan and how to best upgrade it. I'm thinking this amazing environment would be perfect for Focal Utopias

Electric Porsche Taycan: Audio Upgrade - Car and Home Stereo (carhomestereo.co.uk)

That site calls out 3way's in the rear doors. I don't think that is the case with the base system. I believe the 10 speaker base system is:

Corners dash = 2 tweeters
Front doors upper have mid and lower door woofer = 4 speakers
Rear doors upper have tweeter and lower woofer or mid = 4 speakers

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