A repeat client from Mechanicsville, Virginia, came to Extreme Audio to upgrade his beautiful 2005 Porsche Boxster audio system. He was also looking to gain integration with his smartphone. One of our team members looked over the vehicle with the client, and listened as he explained his goals for the upgrades. After we reviewed all of the information, we offered a solution to the client. He liked our proposal and we set an installation appointment. (It should be noted that we did this build in two parts, and have combined them into one article for ease of reference.)
Pioneer Radio Offers Improvements In Sound And Technology
It was decided early on that we would change the radio in the dash. This would allow the client to see significant improvements in technology. We installed a Pioneer AVH-4000NEX unit in the dash, giving him Bluetooth for hands-free calling and music streaming, along with full control over any digital media. It uses a 7” touchscreen display and looks right at home in the dash.
Front Speakers Powered By Arc Audio Amplifier
The musical signal travels to an Arc Audio KS300.2 amplifier that supplies more than 350 watts of clean power to the front speakers. We hid the Arc amplifier and the crossovers for the front speakers behind an upper trim panel in the front trunk, so the client saw lost no trunk space.
Front Speaker Upgrade By German Maestro
When it came time for speakers, we chose the M Series three-way package from German Maestro. It comes with a 6.5” woofer that we installed in the factory locations in the doors, and a 4” midrange and a 1.6” tweeter that we installed in the dash. The team at Extreme Audio made custom mounts for all six of the drivers to mount them properly, and to allow the factory grilles to be reused. We installed sound damping in the front doors to eliminate the possibility of buzzing or rattling that may occur after the installation of high-performance speakers.
Rear Fill Duties Handled By JL Audio C2 Speakers
The client wanted rear speakers in the vehicle, and it did not come factory-equipped with them, so we found a factory Porsche rear panel designed to hold 2.5” rear speakers. Then the team modified the panel to hold larger JL Audio C2-350x 3.5” coaxial speakers.
Amazing Bass From Small JL 6.5″ Subwoofer
We knew the client was going to want great-sounding bass in the vehicle, and we also knew that space was at a premium, so we installed a JL Audio CP106LG-W3v3, a 6.5” subwoofer in an extremely tiny slot-ported enclosure. We installed the box in the passenger footwell with the woofer firing toward the floorboard, and it looked right at home there.
Additional Amplification By JL Audio XD Amplifier
When it came time to power the subwoofer and rear speakers, we went back to JL Audio and used the XD500/3v2 amplifier. It is a small-footprint, three-channel amplifier that can supply up to 500 watts of power. Thanks to its small size, we were able to hide it behind a factory trim panel in the trunk.
End Result, Another Happy Client And a Boxster Audio Upgrade Worthy of a Porsche!
At the end of the day, what’s important to us is that the client likes the work we do. And he loved it. The stereo system had incredible clarity and brought out nuances in the music that most systems could never reproduce. He also appreciated the way we hid everything.
When you are ready to upgrade the audio system in your vehicle, we invite you to stop by Extreme Audio. One of our team members will work one on one with you to design and build the audio system that best fits your unique needs.
You can also contact us here for more information about any of our products and services.
How much did the whole job cost? I live in CT
This particular build ran right in the $4k range.
Sorry, he came back in a second stage to add the rear speakers, sub, and amplifier. All in, it was about $5500