Sounds package plus vs Bose

[Frank987]

I specced my current 987 Boxster with Bose and I am happy with the sound. Now thinking of replacing the Boxster with a pre specced Cayman gen 2 with Sounds package plus.

Will I notice a massive drop in quality from my current Bose system?

[hornetrider]

I'm not sure as I haven't heard Bose - all I can say is SPP on my 986S is excellent, and I've hada fair few aftermarket/factory upgrade systems on previous cars.

[Adam B]

hornetrider said:

I'm not sure as I haven't heard Bose - all I can say is SPP on my 986S is excellent, and I've hada fair few aftermarket/factory upgrade systems on previous cars.

really? I had PSP on my 986S (think PSP+ was on 987) and thought it was very average, although 10x better than std spec was, Bose would be a must have for me in future

Edited by Adam B on Wednesday 11th March 12:58

[mrdemon]

Bose is over rated, i would not worry about it.


all car hi-fi sounds crap imho even if you spend 20k

I am sure there is other spec on the car which is more important.

And you can buy some new speakers if car hi-fi floats your boat.

[hornetrider]

Adam B said:

hornetrider said:

I'm not sure as I haven't heard Bose - all I can say is SPP on my 986S is excellent, and I've hada fair few aftermarket/factory upgrade systems on previous cars.

really? I had SP on my 986S (think SPS was on 987) and thought it was very average, although 10x better than std spec was, Bose would be a must have for me in future

That does seem to be the accepted wisdom. So much so, I do wonder if a previous owner has upgraded the speakers. Mine go very loud with clear, distinct bass and no distortion. I'll have to get round to popping the grills off to check.

[Frank987]

hornetrider said:

Adam B said:

hornetrider said:

I'm not sure as I haven't heard Bose - all I can say is SPP on my 986S is excellent, and I've hada fair few aftermarket/factory upgrade systems on previous cars.

really? I had SP on my 986S (think SPS was on 987) and thought it was very average, although 10x better than std spec was, Bose would be a must have for me in future

That does seem to be the accepted wisdom. So much so, I do wonder if a previous owner has upgraded the speakers. Mine go very loud with clear, distinct bass and no distortion. I'll have to get round to popping the grills off to check.

Problem is, as I am buying new, the new Porsche Warranty would be void if I even thought about changing the speakers with non Porsche items!

[hornetrider]

I doubt popping the speaker grills off is included in the 111 point check!

[Frank987]

hornetrider said:

I doubt popping the speaker grills off is included in the 111 point check!

Ha, Ha! You never know with Porsche at the moment. They will wriggle of claim due to non Porsche dirt under the wheel arches at the moment!!!!

[diffstar]

I have had both, I always thought BOSE was a must, it isn't.

Don't let that stop you.

[Frank987]

diffstar said:

I have had both, I always thought BOSE was a must, it isn't.

Don't let that stop you.

Thank you, Diffstar.

My train of thought is, as the Cayman has the speakers better positioned than a Boxster, and the Cayman should be quieter, this will cancel out the benefit of the Bose system.

[Whitean3]

I have the Bose and was expecting great things from it. I don't think it's good at all- it took me ages to try and get it sounding reasonable- the subwoofer is far too boomy. It wouldn't bother me if I didn't have the Bose stuff in the car- surely this being PH, a sports exhaust would be higher up the list of priorities?

[Adam B]

Frank987 said:

Thank you, Diffstar.

My train of thought is, as the Cayman has the speakers better positioned than a Boxster, and the Cayman should be quieter, this will cancel out the benefit of the Bose system.

a reasonable approach, to clarify:

a) bose is not great, I imagine it is easily bettered by spending the option price on aftermarket stuff (warranty issues and I am not that into ICE as car is never best for sound quality). Bose in my RS4 is certainly better than Porsche bose
b) PSP+ sounded better than PSP in 986
c) bose a must-have in 986, maybe only PSP+ is in a 987 with bose just preferable

Edited by Adam B on Wednesday 11th March 12:57

[GreigM]

Frank987 said:

I specced my current 987 Boxster with Bose and I am happy with the sound. Now thinking of replacing the Boxster with a pre specced Cayman gen 2 with Sounds package plus.

Will I notice a massive drop in quality from my current Bose system?

yes.

Having had a 986 with both PSP (porsche sound package as it was called in those days) and Bose I wouldn't have another porsche without it - not because the bose is that good, more because the PSP was horrendously poor....

[911C2S]

Hello, I had a Boxster S (2004/5) with Bose and now a 911 C2S (2007) with Sound Plus. The Bose is far far better but isn't what I would call fantastic. I'm about to upgrade my sound plus to a nice hertz 3 way a sub and amp. I've not had it done yet but I'm guessing it will make both other systems sound poor and it shouldn’t cost more than £1000.



Tom.

[gilford]

I had Bose in my C4s and was pretty impressed with it, but the Logic 7 in my M5 is far better! I prefer boomy bass so....

On a different note, we have also got an A5 with the Bang & Olufsen upgrade and that really is pants, not worth the extra we paid that's for sure.

[Frank987]

911C2S said:

Hello, I had a Boxster S (2004/5) with Bose and now a 911 C2S (2007) with Sound Plus. The Bose is far far better but isn't what I would call fantastic. I'm about to upgrade my sound plus to a nice hertz 3 way a sub and amp. I've not had it done yet but I'm guessing it will make both other systems sound poor and it shouldn’t cost more than £1000.



Tom.

Thank you for your feedback, Tom. The general consense seems to be that Bose isn't that much better.

Good luck with your new system - just be careful that it doesn't cause you probs if you need to extend your warranty.

[Frank987]

gilford said:

I had Bose in my C4s and was pretty impressed with it, but the Logic 7 in my M5 is far better! I prefer boomy bass so....

On a different note, we have also got an A5 with the Bang & Olufsen upgrade and that really is pants, not worth the extra we paid that's for sure.

Thank you Gilford.

Interesting regards to your A5 comments. If Porsche doesn't play ball on a good deal, I may take a look at the A5's, especially now they offer them in S Line trim.

[christer]

Frank987 said:

diffstar said:

I have had both, I always thought BOSE was a must, it isn't.

Don't let that stop you.

Thank you, Diffstar.

My train of thought is, as the Cayman has the speakers better positioned than a Boxster, and the Cayman should be quieter, this will cancel out the benefit of the Bose system.

lol......tell me what I want to hear. And only that...

[Grant3]

If you are asking about the stereo presumably you want a half decent one, so suggest you DO spend the money on the Bose system. Its very good... if not great.. certainly better than PSP. Aftermarket stereo mods on Porkers are a minefield, better keep the car original IMO.

I know its not what you want to hear, so if you aren't that bothered about the stereo stick with the PSP!

[Frank987]

Grant3 said:

If you are asking about the stereo presumably you want a half decent one, so suggest you DO spend the money on the Bose system. Its very good... if not great.. certainly better than PSP. Aftermarket stereo mods on Porkers are a minefield, better keep the car original IMO.

I know its not what you want to hear, so if you aren't that bothered about the stereo stick with the PSP!

christer said:

lol......tell me what I want to hear. And only that...

The money is not the problem. I specced Bose in my current car which I am pleased with. I have the opportunity to purchase a brand new pre specced car with the sound plus pack - clearly you can't have bose retro fitted.

It is not a case of asking a question hoping to have the right answer! Many thanks for your feedback.

Edited by Frank987 on Thursday 12th March 17:17