911 3.2 Stereo upgrade: Porsche Classic PCM, Dynaudio & JL Audio by Musicar Northwest

[auchenberg]

Hi all,

Back in the summer of 2019 I purchased a 1987 911 Targa locally here in Seattle, WA. The car was retrofitted with an older Sony Alpine radio and speakers. It sounded terrible. So as a part of the renovation project I wanted a new high-end stereo in the car.

I reached out to Nick from Musicar Northwest down in Portland (after seeing their amazing attention to detail on newer 911's like https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3-gt3rs-and-911r/1061937-musicar-stage-iii-audio-upgrade-991-porsche-gt3rs.html and https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3-gt3rs-and-911r/1150324-porsche911gts-16-s-gt3touring-ppf-audio-radar-laser.html) to hear if they also did installations on older 911's.

They did, and after a few emails we had a ballpark budget and setup going. The design goal for the project was to replicate the original premium sound system, and keep things looking as original as possible. We ended up going with just front-speakers, and a custom-made low-profile subwoofer enclosure that's inside the passenger footwell. You barely notice it!

Setup details:
- Porsche Classic PCM
- Front Stage - Dynaudio Esotec System
- Amplification - JL Audio XD600/6v2
- Processing - JL Audio TwK88DSP
- Integration of USB ports into ashtray
- Custom subwoofer enclosure for a 8" woofer

The DSP and AMP is mounted under the passenger seat, and it sounds amazing. Incredible sound with just 4 speakers and a small woofer.

















I'm already thinking ways to get the rears upgraded, and to find a way to get more woofers in, without disturbing the OEM look too much.

Thought I would share as inspiration for others, and a big shout out to Musicar Northwest for their great work!

[rwest]

Nice clean install.

I wouldn’t worry about speakers in back; at a concert, all the sound comes from in front of you.

I don’t think you can improve much on what you have without changing out what you put in. You could try for a bigger sub, individual amps, electronic crossovers and DSP, but you would need to start over for most of those.

[Canada Kev]

Looks really good. There are some nice details in there, too, like the PORSCHE script between the USB ports in the ash tray.




One thing that may be an issue is that if you haul around any tall passengers. There isn't much room on that side before the sub, but probably noticeably less, now.

And I concur that installing rear speakers will likely not be worth the effort.

[JonT]

looks very nice. I've never understood why someone doesn't build subs into the door pocket space.

[paachi]

Nicely done. I like the cleanliness of the install. I concur, I wouldn't go with rears..and maybe a dsp to help fine tune the audio. But in such an enclosed space you don't have much gains to extract, especially over that air cooled engine noise.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Keithg]

NICE! Mind telling us the cost?

[Koizumi]

I’ll also throw my 5 pfennigs in and say that rears won’t help much and will mess with the soundstage. Happened to me. Focals all around with a sub. Sounds great but sounded better sans rear.

[rennch]

Looks very clean. Not dissimilar to the install I did in mine, with the controller in the ashtray. I opted for a flat, pancake-type sub under the rear seat, with some hidden focal integrated separates in the doors.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by rwest

Nice clean install.

I wouldn’t worry about speakers in back; at a concert, all the sound comes from in front of you.

I don’t think you can improve much on what you have without changing out what you put in. You could try for a bigger sub, individual amps, electronic crossovers and DSP, but you would need to start over for most of those.

Audio playback venues (theaters, concerts, your living room, etc.) project sound from speakers either at eye/ear level or slightly above.... and in front or toward the front. Aren't many sound engineers that recommend at knee level where car door speakers usually are. High frequencies are directional and unless those drivers are pointed toward the listener's ear, become diffused (Note: many car speakers are a compromise with high frequencies dipping relative to low and mid-range frequencies. In addition, many consumers prefer bass thumps in addition to high frequency hearing loss as one ages.

Car interiors are a challenging sound chamber, often competing with better-sounding engine and exhaust notes.

Sherwood

[rokemester]

Lovely inside and out! Very cool!!

[Tremelune]

I dig that footwell sub. Could they make more? My plan was to stick a powered JL PowerWedge in the frunk and just deal with the firewall through sheer power...

The doors don't work well for subs because they're fulla holes. It's a whole operation to make them air-tight.

Rear speakers will only confuse the sound stage.

[auchenberg]

Originally Posted by Canada Kev

Looks really good. There are some nice details in there, too, like the PORSCHE script between the USB ports in the ash tray.




One thing that may be an issue is that if you haul around any tall passengers. There isn't much room on that side before the sub, but probably noticeably less, now.

And I concur that installing rear speakers will likely not be worth the effort.

Right? I thought this would be better usage of the ashtray, and it's nice to be able to pull down the ports when needed.

It's mostly a solo driver car, but my partner have short legs, and so far she hasn't complained 😜

[auchenberg]

Originally Posted by Tremelune

I dig that footwell sub. Could they make more? My plan was to stick a powered JL PowerWedge in the frunk and just deal with the firewall through sheer power...

The doors don't work well for subs because they're fulla holes. It's a whole operation to make them air-tight.

Rear speakers will only confuse the sound stage.

You should ping Nick, always responsive!

[auchenberg]

Originally Posted by Keithg

NICE! Mind telling us the cost?

Ballpark $3500 in parts + installation

[josephvman]

I worked at a high-end car audio place during college in the mid 80's (selling, not installing) and our installer used to install a sub in that passenger floor board. Now I'm in the process of doing my system and have come to the realization that there is no way to get decent sound out of 4x6 and 5.25" speakers without a sub. I would also be very interested in knowing more about your sub installation and buying something that's already put together if your installer is interested in making something available.

[cmcfaul]

That's great. I upgraded to a top of the line Alpine head unit and the best speakers I could find in the same sizes all the way around. Sounds just OK. A bit of a dissapointment. The original amp is still under the seat. should I remove or replace that?

Thanks

Chris
89 Carrera

[Tremelune]

Originally Posted by cmcfaul

The original amp is still under the seat. should I remove or replace that?

If the issue is low volume or distortion, replacing the original amp will improve that. If the issue is low bass response, you'll want a subwoofer. Sound treatment in the doors (sound deadening and closing all the holes) will help regardless.

It is unlikely you'll be able to replace that amp without running a few new wires.

[josephvman]

Is that woofer contained in a sealed box or just baffled with foam behind the floor board? Do you know which driver they used for that?

[auchenberg]

Originally Posted by josephvman

Is that woofer contained in a sealed box or just baffled with foam behind the floor board? Do you know which driver they used for that?

The woofer in a sealed enclosure, custom made to fit the foot well. The unit is a 8" SWS 8Xi.

[wildthing]

Kicker sells 8" low profile subs, but they're powered. I think they fit under our seats. I was hoping they sold ones that I could plug into my existing amp but no, they don't have RCA jacks... I am resigned to the fact that I can only get half decent sound in my 911. At least my Cayenne has the Burmester upgrade.