Audio upgrade for base sound system

[funkaboo]

I recently took delivery of a 2021 4S and the car is just amazing!

At the leadership, the base sound system didn't bother me too much. But after driving the car for a couple of days, it started to really bother me... It's a bit late to go back and upgrade, so I am wondering if anyone has had any experience upgrading the speakers (and/or amp) in the car.

Thanks!

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[NormF]

i also am not happy with the Bose sound and hope someone has suggestions. Speakers seem to be poor quality and produce buzzing at some frequencies, especially when using the radio.

 

[W1NGE]

Bose is a pretty good option and sets the middle ground. If you have issues then it's back to the dealer as the forum is full of people really happy with it (I'm one) and in some cases preferred over Burmeister on a bang for buck basis.

I doubt anyone will have upgraded the standard install (yet) but only a matter of time. It will take more than speakers to upgrade I suspect.

 

[Tay Tay]

Without you specifying what’s actually bothering you about the base system it’s hard to give advice about what you should change

 

[loysha]

The car has problems with the audio preparation of the doors. Doors resonate and creak very strongly.
I ordered myself a BURMEISTER, but I also plan to make additional soundproofing and audio preparation of the door structure.

 

[funkaboo]

That’s fair… let’s see, dynamic range is really poor, audio in general is just super flat. I don’t we’d the audio to be super loud, so I suspect upgrading the speakers should improve the overall experience significantly.

 

[Tay Tay]

That’s fair… let’s see, dynamic range is really poor, audio in general is just super flat. I don’t we’d the audio to be super loud, so I suspect upgrading the speakers should improve the overall experience significantly.

At lower volumes that seems way more likely to be a source problem. What source are you using? Eg on Spotify make sure not to use loudness equalization and force to “very” high quality even on cellular.

 

[funkaboo]

At lower volumes that seems way more likely to be a source problem. What source are you using? Eg on Spotify make sure not to use loudness equalization and force to “very” high quality even on cellular.

I am using CarPlay running Apple Music and podcast, and I did try with some hifi local content too. The limited control of bass and treble didn’t help either ?

 

[PanameraFrank]

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.

 

[Tay Tay]

I am using CarPlay running Apple Music and podcast, and I did try with some hifi local content too. The limited control of bass and treble didn’t help either ?

"Local hifi" means USB stick or through CarPlay? I'm not aware that CarPlay supports greater than CD quality audio. Also some people have glitches through CarPlay (you'll see lots of complaints if you google it). If you really want to isolate it make sure you're trying with files on a USB stick.

That being said, I realized something... you were complaining about poor dynamic range and flat sound. The latter is usually a positive, so maybe you prefer the Bose house sound (bigger than life, exaggerated bass/treble). If so, yeah, you're not going to be happy with the standard system. You can improve it with different speakers but not sure to the extent you want with just speakers.

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

Can you point me to one for the Taycan? I've seen posts complaining about the standard system on e.g. a Boxster but even Burmester sucks on a Boxster. This is the first post I've seen complaining about the standard system on a Taycan.

 

[faroutinNM]

Can you point me to one for the Taycan? I've seen posts complaining about the standard system on e.g. a Boxster but even Burmester sucks on a Boxster. This is the first post I've seen complaining about the standard system on a Taycan.

I've seen evidence that for non-US market, the Bose system is the first step UP from the "base" system. Here in the US, Bose is the lowest level. Thus, Bose is standard here, so some of us in the US might think of this Bose system as the "base", (i.e., "base"= "Bose", haha, but not true in Europe, or maybe just not true in UK?)

 

[bgatxy1]

I've seen evidence that for non-US market, the Bose system is the first step UP from the "base" system. Here in the US, Bose is the lowest level. Thus, Bose is standard here, so some of us in the US might think of this Bose system as the "base", (i.e., "base"= "Bose", haha, but not true in Europe, or maybe just not true in UK?)

At the time of MY2020 4S order/config there were 3 audio levels:
Standard 4S
Sound Package Plus with 10 Speakers and a total Output of 150 Watts

Upgrade to Bose - $1,200
14 loudspeakers including a separate subwoofer, 14 amplifier channels, and an overall output of 710 watts

Upgrade to Burmeister - Burmeister - $7,000
21 speakers with a 2-way center system and a 400-watt active subwoofer

 

[faroutinNM]

At the time of MY2020 4S order/config there were 3 audio levels:

Ah! Now I see it in the configurator for a 4S model, the three levels just as you described. I had never looked at a 4S model until now.

Anyway, I guess the bad reviews referred to that Standard 150 Watt system.

From the comments I've read on this forum, the Bose seems to satisfy all but the most discerning audiophiles, who prefer the Burmester. I'll probably envy the Burmester owners eventually, but I've listened to and played a little bit with the Bose in the showroom, and it sounds great to me. when I first tried it, I had to turn down the bass level that someone had set, because the subwoofers were thumping a lot louder than I needed, but I noticed there was no distortion from saturating the speakers, even with it cranked to that seismic level before I got it balanced to my liking. So, I think my soon to be delivered Turbo will be fine with the Bose in it. If the automatic volume adjustment works as well as the system in my MINI Cooper S, I will be probably be thrilled.

 

[XLR82XS]

At the time of MY2020 4S order/config there were 3 audio levels:
Standard 4S
Sound Package Plus with 10 Speakers and a total Output of 150 Watts

Upgrade to Bose - $1,200
14 loudspeakers including a separate subwoofer, 14 amplifier channels, and an overall output of 710 watts

Upgrade to Burmeister - Burmeister - $7,000
21 speakers with a 2-way center system and a 400-watt active subwoofer

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)

 

[KensingtonPark]

I suppose the fact that Porsche won't even let you specify the base system in the Turbo/Turbo S tells us what Porsche thinks of the base system...

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