Plenty of discussions on the forum about this particular subject.
I have the Bose, its set up - imho - correctly and is more than loud enough, in fact, too loud if pedestrians are nearby, and that's the music not the wonderful Farts and Belches my 718 makes which I prefer the pedestrians to appreciate
I use wireless CarPlay and AMZ music downloaded at best quality available. I mention this also as sometimes playing over the Bluetooth, some systems do suffer - in this one, if It does, I do not notice.
I had the Burmester system in my last car - a Merc convertible - and it was honestly just ok but not worth the extra (by far) outlay, again imho.
Overall, I am more happy with my 718 + Bose (10 speaker, 505 watts) rather than the Burmester (12 speaker, 821 watts).
I do not have any experience on the Base unit but its only 6 speaker and 110 Watts - which I do think is far too little, especially in the Boxster. The jump then from Base to Bose is significant but Bose to Burm is quite small in comparison.
I - again personally - would not worry in the slightest about resale regardless of the system chosen as supplied.
An add here, is Mrs Sub has the Bose in her Merc SUV and its cr@p in comparison to my Bose in the 718. Absolutely no idea why and I have played with all its settings trying to replicate mine but it just does not and will not pump out the sounds in the same way - with this on both the base sounds and the volume to note.
My conclusion with this in fact is the Merc is far better with the Burm and the 718 far better with the Bose.
IF you have the money to spend then of course go for the best you can then get BUT finally, do ask your centre for a demo of all 3 systems in operation. This really the only way to then decide AND then its your chosen spec.
Everything with these cars is a personal choice, seats, colours, trim and materials and sounds is just another one on the list.
Some will absolutely prefer the base unit IF then never really using the sound system for instance.
Good luck in your choices and let us know the end outcome.

 

Good day. Would like to get some real life feedback and info on available audio option on 718: want to understand the differences between the Base audio system, Bose and Burmester. Although I really enjoy the sound of the 4.0 engine, I also enjoy good clear and loud music once in a while. I’m also thinking about resale value and if the extra 1000$ on Bose and 6000$ on burmeister is a good investment both for resale and for my own enjoyment.
I appreciate all the feedback you can give related to this.
THANK YOU.

Appreciate your question but you really need to listen for yourself. From other discussions, the opinions vary widely….and wildly. I think the Bose is acceptable for a 2 seat sports car. For me Burmeister quality belongs in my living room. But back about 40 years ago I had a system in a Datsun B210 hatchback that was multiple rings up the ladder from Burmeister, so there you have the idiosyncrasies of asking other’s opinions

 

Appreciate your question but you really need to listen for yourself. From other discussions, the opinions vary widely….and wildly.

This. You might as well ask about colour.

 

In the FWIW department:
I have heard only the Bose system. I bought my car from dealer inventory, the only one they had at that time, and it is Bose. I'm happy with it. When I'm sitting still it sounds awesome, including the subwoofer. When I'm driving, the rest of the car makes lots of tire and engine noise. I can turn the audio up plenty loud, but the "full audio experience" will never be concert hall quality with all that noise. Do check whether the settings are good, bad, or indifferent. You never know how someone else set them. The "surround sound" option just makes voices sound muddled, a problem if you are trying to hear a news or sports report while driving. The compensation for car volume is a nice touch. The tone controls can be whatever you want, but I generally leave mine flat, with "linear volume". (I believe that "linear volume" settings is the traditional bass-compensation from old-style stereo pre-amps.)

I certainly would not pay $6000 for the Burmeister upgrade. The audio environment isn't worth it, IMHO.

I have posted this next point a few times but it is generally ignored by the audio-power junkies. A car's interior is about the worst environment possible for good audio. Good audio is far more than just power, though power is necessary to cut through road and engine noise. In a car, the difference between good and great audio can be indiscernible, especially with enough road noise, so just getting more power might be sufficient for most people. (Some credentials: I spent 10 years as an engineer at Lexicon (a Bose competitor) working on high-end consumer and pro-audio gear. I developed and wrote the coding for a very effective surround-sound room correction system for the MC-12. Once I actually worked out the complex algebra formulas to use head-shadow effect to try to accommodate both driver's and passenger's stereo sound stage in a car. The company did not follow up on the effort though and I was never able to determine if the final result was degenerate or contained numerical anomalies.)

 

hi Jim,
for sure, you should have followed this sound Project though and then pushed your solutions through to this very forum.
just saying 😎

 

My SA didn't recommend it - he said it was better spent in a Cayenne / Macan / Panamera. The sports cars are noisier environments and the Bose & Burmeister options in the other models have more speakers and more amplification over the 718. The 911 options are more higher power, more speaker count as well

in the Cayman - you have the engine compartment within the cabin since its a hatchback body style vs. the Boxster which has the cabin isolated from the top of the engine

since I'm getting CGTS, the Bose system was available and that's my selection. I have Bose in another car and I've been happy with the 8 speaker setup (specs were not advertised for what amplification power it has)

 

Hello Hal,
The specs as I was aware for all 3 versions are in my previous thread - these from Porsche.
I had not considered the Cayman/Boxster difference in the sound on the Bose but this would certainly explain some of the woe I then read here.

 

I've driven Caymans with base audio and Bose audio. As often said by many, Bose is bass heavy but you can adjust the balances and to me, it's fine once adjusted. For me, it's never a matter of how loud you can crank them. I'm sure even the standard audio system can be cranked up to be adequately loud. It's a matter of clarity to me as I don't listen to my music very loudly and my source is usually SiriusXM which is known for mediocre clarity. Unfortunately I've never heard the Burmester system in any car but you can't compare it to the ones on Mercedes as I believe Mercedes has two levels of Burmester branded systems in their cars and their cabin acoustics are entirely different from a Porsche sports car. Both their upgrade and premium systems are Burmesters and you'd have to know which one it is. Now I have Bose in both my Cayman and my Macan and they sound different to me. I'm sure the acoustics and size of the cabin is a huge factor so you need to listen for yourself in the car you are buying. I've also had Bose before in two Nissan products and again, they were different. I have an Audi with Bang & Olufsen which sounds better to me than all of the Bose systems I've personally experienced.

Unfortunately I know how difficult it is to find these cars to sit in let alone one with Burmester so my advice is that if you really care about audio quality, go ahead and order the Burmester. Other than that, don't worry about resale value. Like with many of these comfort/convenience options on a sports car, you're unlikely to recoup anything on these high dollar items. Bose may be the expected standard but I really don't think it's going to make or break it for the majority in the used market. Performance options and colors are much more important. Order it for yourself, not the next person.

 

No Bose available, and spent on Leather and performance options.

 

I think Bose option represents good value for money for most people. Short of having the luxury of doing extensive personal comparison it is a safe choice. The luxury audio shop I consulted said it is worth it just for the added speaker locations even if you did a full rip and replace. SA also thought it was the “sweet spot”. Since Bose is not available currently on 4 cylinder cars, I would be going Burmester.

My Process:

Sound Package Plus (SPP) Upgrade Planning

Porsche is no longer offering the Bose system in the 718 Cayman / Cayman S (currently). I had planned to go with the Bose based on managing budget, then upgrade it later if I found it intolerable as some do. Can someone confirm I have this correct in terms of the locations for the 8 speakers in...

www.718forum.com

 

I initially selected the BOSE option but Porsche decided I didn't need it and deleted that option. Because of that I went with the Burmester option instead.

 

I had SPP in my previous 718 Boxster and it was ok at a low volume but as soon as it was turned up the bass was too heavy and made the doors rattle. It was pretty disappointing to be fair. I chose to upgrade to Bose on the current Boxster and it is much better, not perfect but better. Easier to balance and if set up correctly quite able to provide a clear, crisp sound. I couldn't spec Burmester as my hearing isn't good enough to get any real benefit over Bose.

 

Good day. Would like to get some real life feedback and info on available audio option on 718: want to understand the differences between the Base audio system, Bose and Burmester. Although I really enjoy the sound of the 4.0 engine, I also enjoy good clear and loud music once in a while. I’m also thinking about resale value and if the extra 1000$ on Bose and 6000$ on burmeister is a good investment both for resale and for my own enjoyment.
I appreciate all the feedback you can give related to this.
THANK YOU.

I chose the Base radio because I ordered a T model. While I normally blindly tick the Bose box like most Porsche owners, I really wanted to keep my T as light as possible and didn't want to needlessly add heavier options. So I decided to listen to both systems side by side before deciding. After listening for over an hour with radio, CDs, I decided that the base radio sounds good and that the Bose sounded not as bright and a little dull.

So to me it made no sense to add the extra weight needlessly. The Bose adds and AMP and subwoofer and the other speakers are a little heavier. Keep in mind that in Europe the radio delete is standard on a T, but not here in the US, so you already get the radio. I found the base radio to be brighter. It is a little bit boomy compared to the Bose but turning down the Bass takes care of that and it is so bright, that I also turn down the Treble on the base radio.

The 4.0 is NOT about being lightweight so it really doesn't matter here but the T is and I respect that since cars are porkers nowadays.

Finally the resale value thing is a crock of dung and should play no part in your decision. It is ridiculous to say that you will spend $1000 even if you get $500 more at resale. Even if you got $700 more at resale, which is unlikely, you spent $1000 plus tax on that and in california, higher registration costs. to eventually get $200-$300 on average more. Makes zero sense at all. If you like the Bose, get it but not for "resale" value. The only time you might consider resale value is if you got an option that might return as much or possibly more in the future. For example if you were buying a Ferrari 430 and the Scuderia option was $10000 more, THAT option might get you back the $10000 in the future and possibly even more.

The base radio is decent and actually based on what some say, it is pretty good after some saying how horrible it is. Upon doing my research, I found many that said the base radio is horrible, then after I would press them, many said, they heard the base in their Macan or their 987 so therefore the 718 radio must be horrible also. It is not horrible! My honda CRV has a horrible radio. The only issue I have is that the door cards buzz when the Bass is up and that is annoying but it is not the radio's fault, it is the door latch that rattles and buzzes and I hope to get that fixed but that door buzz/rattle issues also happens to Bose radios.

To me the Bose option is not worth the money and weight cost, but I am one of the few that care about weight in cars. Best wishes and whatever you decide, major kudos to you for at least thinking it through and not blindly following the herd with others and just tick the box.

 

So to me it made no sense to add the extra weight needlessly. The Bose adds and AMP and subwoofer and the other speakers are a little heavier. Keep in mind that in Europe the radio delete is standard on a T, but not here in the US, so you already get the radio.

in the US from MY 2018 >, backup cameras are require on all passenger vehicles and light duty trucks

• so the radio delete isn't possible since the PCM screen is used for the backup view system
• and its another reason why any vehicles shipped off assembly line w/o the amplifier module can't be delivered to customer; the radio / PCM is non-operative until the amplifier module is installed

 

While I really do not understand or then even appreciate any weight difference in our cars here, I am myself not a lightweight 😎
tbh, pretty sure there is not a massive difference in the weight from a std sound system to a bose or even a Burm - however I respectively and totally respect your thoughts on this.

 

I had the Burmester set up in both the 992 and Panamera (thanks to their original owners!) and they were decent systems, certainly clearer than the Bose in the Macan and the 718. However, as many above had said, the Bose is a perfectly acceptable system in the 718... especially when you swap out the front tweeters for the Burmester versions for around $130! Now you can go and spend that $4870 you’ve just saved on Burmester on some interior upgrades, winter wheels - or a few tanks of petrol!

 

I got the Bose system for my T. There was a time when that was supposed to be the best. Besides, I have listened to my radio maybe one time in the last year.

 

Porsche took care of the lightweight design. BMW no longer cares. Arguing about the 5 pounds weight difference on the audio selection is pointless for my priorities.

 

I voted base because in about 4 years and about 15K miles, I've nothad my radio on but did put some music in the jukebox and listened to it about 10 minutes. That was almost 4 years ago and I really don't remember the sound well enough to judge quality.

 

Our '17 BS had Bose. Sound clarity (for my non-audiophile senior ears) was fairly decent up to ~35 mph and just okay on to ~50ish, then road/exhaust noise overwhelmed the listening experience and didn't feel it was useful for anything but talk radio.

Opted for Burmester at the last minute for our '22 BGTS. Sound quality is very good up to ~65 mph, but the road/exhaust intrusion degrades the experience fairly rapidly, which isn't very good over 80. Could barely hear a very seriously cranked Radar Love on COTA's back straight before hammering the brakes for turn 12. Then again, not sure windows down at 155+ creates an ideal listening environment.

 

I originally wanted Burmester in my 2017 Boxster S when I built it but couldn't justify the price upgrade so I chose Bose,
My 2023 Boxster GTS 4.0 build was originally Bose again but then they dropped it so I Added Burmester, I have kept the Burmester in the build as its locked in now.

 

Just enjoy the sound of 4.0 purrrrrrr & spend the extra cash track days.

 

Just leaving this here since the title asks about difference:
Sound Package Plus, 8 loudspeakers, 150-watt total output with integrated amplifier.

 

I’m assuming there is no subwoofer in the bose system? If there is what is the watts? Burmester has a 300 watt subwoofer. Hence the 821 watt rating vs 500w on bose.

 

Had Bose on my 991.2 C4S Cab and it absolutely stunk, so I never considered not getting Burmester this time around. To me, it was worth every penny compared to the Bose.

 

Burmester in a Boxster i have and it is worth it. Just expensive. The Bose is a very good deal for decent sound. Burmester is like immensely more awesome and should be.

Base is just for people that dont really listen to music much ever, or just from time to time. Base is also the choice for those upgrading it from what i gather. It also saves 5 Kilograms compared to bose and burmester is 6 kg.

 

100 Watt Active Sub with Bose.
Adding link to full pdf:

718 workshop manual

Does Anyone have access to or know where I can find the workshop manual for the 718? cheers Dan.

www.718forum.com

 

I've had the Burm in my Macan S since May 2014 and also have it in my 3 month old GTS 4.0. To my ears and enjoyment the Burm in the GTS is far superior to the Bose/Base options in the Cayman, but of course comes at a price. I'll also share that the Burm in my Macan is conservatively 10 times better, fuller, richer, more natural than the Cayman Burm. YMMV hope this helps.

 

Good day. Would like to get some real life feedback and info on available audio option on 718: want to understand the differences between the Base audio system, Bose and Burmester. Although I really enjoy the sound of the 4.0 engine, I also enjoy good clear and loud music once in a while. I’m also thinking about resale value and if the extra 1000$ on Bose and 6000$ on burmeister is a good investment both for resale and for my own enjoyment.
I appreciate all the feedback you can give related to this.
THANK YOU.

I had the bose before waasn't impressed. I went with the standard and am very happy with it. I have a high end system at home and find the standard 9 speaker system as good as my home system. Personally I would not upgrade. I also bought the split a/c heater and wouldn't go for that upgrade. Not worth it. The upgrades that I find the most important are the lane assist and the 24 way seats. We use our cars as daily drivers. Absolutely love the Cayman. Have hardly driven the Carrera since we bought. Never thought I would like the Cayman better than the 911 series but I have totally changed my mind. After 8 911's I would go for the Cayman 718. The 911's have gotten so much power that I find the the rear end waants to get to the destination before the front end.

 

That’s great info from a relevant source, Having owned so many 911’s. Would like to hear more on why you prefer the 718. I’m awaiting delivery of my 718 GTS in a few months. This is my first Porsche. THANK YOU in advance.

 

Good day. Would like to get some real life feedback and info on available audio option on 718: want to understand the differences between the Base audio system, Bose and Burmester. Although I really enjoy the sound of the 4.0 engine, I also enjoy good clear and loud music once in a while. I’m also thinking about resale value and if the extra 1000$ on Bose and 6000$ on burmeister is a good investment both for resale and for my own enjoyment.
I appreciate all the feedback you can give related to this.
THANK YOU.

As previously stated, it's personal preference.
I'm a car and music lover and the Burmester in my BGTS 4.0 brings me a level of joy commensurate with that of my automobile.

 

Good day. Would like to get some real life feedback and info on available audio option on 718: want to understand the differences between the Base audio system, Bose and Burmester. Although I really enjoy the sound of the 4.0 engine, I also enjoy good clear and loud music once in a while. I’m also thinking about resale value and if the extra 1000$ on Bose and 6000$ on burmeister is a good investment both for resale and for my own enjoyment. I appreciate all the feedback you can give related to this. THANK YOU.

I have the 10 speaker Bose system in my 718s. To be honest it’s more than enough. Very loud and great quality. Even with the roof down on the motorway you can easily drown out the road noise. You can also tinker with some of the Bose options to optimize the sounds (such as a spatial feature) which is Fab.

 

Been saying for some time, the BOSE depends on getting set correctly - imho.
I do also believe - personally - that having the best quality download (if that's what media you are using) also makes a difference here.
For ref - I am using wireless Carplay + Amz music - it all works rather splendidly.
It was/also interesting to learn that the sounds are different or perceived to be with these systems depending on if in a Box or Cay. As per this post, I also have a Boxster and it the BOSE is very loud.