[Graustark]

Interesting review of the Burmester system in the 718 Cayman (auf Deutsch):

Test Porsche 718 Cayman S mit Burmester: Dynamik pur - LowBeats

Der Tornado rast mit über 200 Stundenkilometern auf Stuttgart zu. Zwischen all den Warnmeldungen sti

www.lowbeats.de

Translated to English:

https://www.translatetheweb.com/?re...che-718-cayman-s-mit-burmester-sound-im-test/

[/URL]

 

[Kingmota]

Interesting review of the Burmester system in the 718 Cayman (auf Deutsch):

Test Porsche 718 Cayman S mit Burmester: Dynamik pur - LowBeats

Der Tornado rast mit über 200 Stundenkilometern auf Stuttgart zu. Zwischen all den Warnmeldungen sti

www.lowbeats.de

Translated to English:

https://www.translatetheweb.com/?re...che-718-cayman-s-mit-burmester-sound-im-test/

[/URL]

I would love to read this, but cannot get the translate function to work

 

[Kingmota]

I would love to read this, but cannot get the translate function to work

Got it using google translate. Thanks.

 

[MattRG]

I like my 718 a lot but I think if I were to do it again and actually order what I wanted I would spring for the Burmester. Listening to music is right up there with driving for me in terms of enjoyment and time spent on a hobby. Great review. Thanks for the link!

 

[Pedidoc]

Interesting review of the Burmester system in the 718 Cayman (auf Deutsch):

Test Porsche 718 Cayman S mit Burmester: Dynamik pur - LowBeats

Der Tornado rast mit über 200 Stundenkilometern auf Stuttgart zu. Zwischen all den Warnmeldungen sti

www.lowbeats.de

Translated to English:

https://www.translatetheweb.com/?re...che-718-cayman-s-mit-burmester-sound-im-test/

[/URL]

Safari has a translator that lets you immediately translate the article to English.
Pick View menu and Translate

 

[Kingmota]

I have stated this In some other threads, but in summary the Burmester in the Cayman is not worth the up charge and yet i would not buy a Porsche without it. The caveat is that only applies if you will be using good high quality music sources. I would not get Burmester just for Sirius/XM radio. I love listening to powerful music driving down the highway on the way to golf and then again hearing the pounding bass and great treble while crushing the twisty backroads on the way home. The 2.5 GTS with PDK is awesome and with Burmester I forget about all the engine sound arguments while flying around the curves and hearing great music.

 

[MikePhDPE]

in my boxster i find there's too much wind noise to be able to appreciate an increase in the audio fidelity.

 

[JakiChan]

I'm glad I got it. It made it not necessary to have a stereo shop "upgrade" the system. It's pretty decent. It may be over priced, but so is the card.

 

[Pedidoc]

I have stated this In some other threads, but in summary the Burmester in the Cayman is not worth the up charge and yet i would not buy a Porsche without it. The caveat is that only applies if you will be using good high quality music sources. I would not get Burmester just for Sirius/XM radio. I love listening to powerful music driving down the highway on the way to golf and then again hearing the pounding bass and great treble while crushing the twisty backroads on the way home. The 2.5 GTS with PDK is awesome and with Burmester I forget about all the engine sound arguments while flying around the curves and hearing great music.

What audio sources do you recommend?

 

[Kingmota]

I am not an audiophile / expert. I try to get at least CD quality which is 320 kbs. My main source has been Spotify and for quite some time I was using a 3rd party app called Sidify to download Spotify to SD memory cards at 320 kbs. I did some tests on the files and the very top and bottom of the sound spectrum is cut out, but probably not anything I could hear anyway.

Recently, Spotify notified me Sidify (or others like it) is not within their licensed usage, so now I am downloading my songs within Spotify on my home WiFi. I put Spotify in offline mode when driving (to make sure I am not streaming music) an connect via Bluetooth to the Burmester, as I cannot get Spotify to work via a USB cable. I am pretty sure the Bluetooth connection is doing some compression, but it is what I have for now and it still sounds good. In another car, I do Spotify (again offline) via Android auto and it is slightly improved. I suspect people using Apple Car Play have some better options.

Probably a longer answer than you needed, but could be a good separate thread for all of us to learn about other options like Tidal, Apple Music, etc.

 

[Tulkinghorn]

Having now had my Cayman for almost four weeks, I am so glad I got the Burmester. Hi-Fi/music listening is my main hobby, and so this option was at the top of my priority list for the car. During the wait for my build, I was tempted a couple times to jump the gun and settle for an in-stock Cayman with Bose. But I’m very glad I held out as I have been thrilled with how the Burmester system sounds. It well exceeded my expectations for a factory car sound system. For my personal priorities, the cost was well worth it. And the price will seem very reasonable if you compare it to any of Burmester’s home audio gear!

I do tend to listen to SiriusXM music stations a good deal, and the Burmester does make that source sound about as good as it can. For higher res listening, I have been using the following sources: (1) FLAC files ripped from CDs in lossless CD-quality sound, (2) some actual physical CDs, taking advantage of the fact that the 718 is one of a dying breed of cars still with disc players, and (3) streaming from Qobuz through a wired connection to my iPhone. Qobuz is a lesser known streaming service that caters to audiophiles. All of its music is streamed at CD quality or above; most is in hi-res, meaning higher than CD quality, at least for newer releases. I highly recommend checking it out if you are interested in higher streaming quality than from Spotify, Apple Music, etc. But it is important to use it with your phone plugged into the USB port rather than just via Bluetooth to listen in hi-res.

I also often listen to Radio Paradise, a free online “radio station“ that has an app that will stream in hi-res FLAC or ALAC format. Both Qobuz and Radio Paradise have CarPlay versions of their apps.

 

[Pedidoc]

Thanks for the above info.

I have learned more about attempting to play HiDef music on a Burmester system in my new car.


Info from Apples Support site; About lossless audio in Apple Music


Apple has developed their own AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) that delivers audio that’s virtually indistinguishable from the original studio recording. This is their standard High Quality playback format.

Most audio compression techniques lose some amount of data contained in the original source file.

Lossless compression is a form of compression that preserves all of the original data.

Apple has developed- Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC)



The entire Apple Music catalog is now also encoded using ALAC in resolutions ranging from 16-bit/44.1 kHz (CD Quality) up to 24-bit/192 kHz.

This was started in June 2021.

Keeping up with Spotify HiDef Streaming service I imagine.



The above support article has some great information.



Lossless requires a lot more data than AAC.

Your Iphone will show you the amount of increased data when you change your format for streaming or downloads. As follows.

10gb of space can hold the following;

3,000 songs of high quality(AAC)

1,000 songs of lossless(ALAC)

200 songs of Hi-Res Lossless



I plan to download over my home WiFi to my Iphone songs in ALAC format to save my wireless data usage and expense.


To play in ALAC format you must be connected by USB(some wired connection) to your system.

I plan to use Apple Car Play via USB.

You will not get playback in ALAC format over Bluetooth. It will play in AAC format over Bluetooth.



I have downloaded a few songs in HiDef Lossless when iTunes indicates it is available in that format.



I am anticipating a great sound experience from the Burmester in my CGTS4 using this new format. (Not until November)

Looks like I will eventually need an Iphone with more storage!

 

[Tulkinghorn]

Good to know about Apple Music adding lossless. I might have to try it out now. When deciding on a music streaming service a few years ago, I gave Apple a pass because they didn’t have lossless at the time. Back then, Qobuz was one of the few that did.

One thing I’d be interested to see is if Apple now has more transparency about what resolution you are listening to. Having used iPhones and iPads for 12 years now, as an audiophile, I have always been frustrated by Apple devices not revealing the resolution they are playing music in. For example, I’m pretty sure that when I add a CD to iTunes in lossless ALAC format, it gets transferred to my devices in a more compressed format, but I have no way to tell for sure since nothing on the device tells you what bit rate you are listening to. By contrast, the Qobuz app tells you exactly what resolution each recording is in. Another example is that it took scrounging around the Internet to figure out that (we think) the highest resolution you can hear through Apple AirPlay, as opposed to a wired connection, is CD quality.

On the storage issue, one option might be to make use of the SD card slots in the 718. You get two slots, each of which can take cards up to 128g. They can hold quite a lot of music. So far, I have been using one SD card that is not yet full, and I have it loaded with well over 100 complete albums in CD-quality FLAC format. I do not know if Apple Music lets you copy files to other storage devices, or if the 718 will play the Apple formats directly from SD card. But you might try it (assuming that your main concern is for listening in the car, rather than wanting everything on your phone for listening elsewhere also).

 

[sonicworld]

There is an amazing lack of information re the Burmester interface. Could anyone provide a general description of what sound settings are available? I assume there is at least a bass and treble control but is there a midrange as well? Porsche's web site also talks about preset EQ curves? Any details greatly appreciated.

 

[Tulkinghorn]

There is an amazing lack of information re the Burmester interface. Could anyone provide a general description of what sound settings are available? I assume there is at least a bass and treble control but is there a midrange as well? Porsche's web site also talks about preset EQ curves? Any details greatly appreciated.

Below are some pictures showing the sound settings screens. As you can see, there are bass and treble controls but no midrange. Burmester gives you three sound modes in addition to the neutral “Pure” mode. The description of the modes on the screen gives a pretty good idea of what each does. Personally, I tend to just leave all settings to neutral/Pure most of the time as I normally like to let the recording speak for itself. But obviously that’s a matter of personal preference. I have experimented some with the different modes. Smooth does not suit my preferences—it really does smooth over everything and blur the edges, which to me makes music less exciting. But it may suit someone with different tastes. Surround and Live both keep the excitement, and arguably ramp it up. Even with my normal preference to keep it on Pure, I can see myself using those modes once in a while. Live especially seems to live up to its billing—I have tried it with a couple “live” albums of jazz and blues music, and it really does add spaciousness and give a sense of being in the live venue.

I do always use the Sound Conditioner, which adjusts for car noise. It works well to my ears.

Here’s a review of the Burmester system in the current 911: Burmester High-End Surround Sound System (2020 Porsche 911) review. It is pretty applicable to the system in the 718 also, in my opinion. If you search YouTube for just “Burmester Porsche“ (that is, not limited to 718 or Cayman/Boxster), there are a few videos on Burmester in various Porsche models that can also give you an idea of how it works overall. (Most of these videos are not great—they’re made by guys who don’t seem to know much about audio and try to demonstrate by playing crappy “music” via Bluetooth, etc.—but they can still give you a sense of it.) Overall, there is more info out there about Burmester in Porsches in general than specifically in the 718. When I searched specifically for info on the Burmester system in the Cayman, this very thread was one of the few hits.

One thing I will quibble with that is mentioned in some reviews like the What Hi-Fi 911 one is that I’m very pleasantly surprised and impressed by how well the system masks engine and road noise (at least with Sound Conditioner on). Even with sport exhaust on, the music sounds good, rich, and full. By far the best audio experience I have ever had in a car. (For comparison, three cars ago, I had a Lexus with a Mark Levinson system. That was previously the best sound system I ever had in a car, and the Burmester in my Cayman easily bests it.)

BTW, very cool screen name!

 

[sonicworld]

Below are some pictures showing the sound settings screens. As you can see, there are bass and treble controls but no midrange. Burmester gives you three sound modes in addition to the neutral “Pure” mode. The description of the modes on the screen gives a pretty good idea of what each does. Personally, I tend to just leave all settings to neutral/Pure most of the time as I normally like to let the recording speak for itself. But obviously that’s a matter of personal preference. I have experimented some with the different modes. Smooth does not suit my preferences—it really does smooth over everything and blur the edges, which to me makes music less exciting. But it may suit someone with different tastes. Surround and Live both keep the excitement, and arguably ramp it up. Even with my normal preference to keep it on Pure, I can see myself using those modes once in a while. Live especially seems to live up to its billing—I have tried it with a couple “live” albums of jazz and blues music, and it really does add spaciousness and give a sense of being in the live venue.

I do always use the Sound Conditioner, which adjusts for car noise. It works well to my ears.

Here’s a review of the Burmester system in the current 911: Burmester High-End Surround Sound System (2020 Porsche 911) review. It is pretty applicable to the system in the 718 also, in my opinion. If you search YouTube for just “Burmester Porsche“ (that is, not limited to 718 or Cayman/Boxster), there are a few videos on Burmester in various Porsche models that can also give you an idea of how it works overall. (Most of these videos are not great—they’re made by guys who don’t seem to know much about audio and try to demonstrate by playing crappy “music” via Bluetooth, etc.—but they can still give you a sense of it.) Overall, there is more info out there about Burmester in Porsches in general than specifically in the 718. When I searched specifically for info on the Burmester system in the Cayman, this very thread was one of the few hits.

One thing I will quibble with that is mentioned in some reviews like the What Hi-Fi 911 one is that I’m very pleasantly surprised and impressed by how well the system masks engine and road noise (at least with Sound Conditioner on). Even with sport exhaust on, the music sounds good, rich, and full. By far the best audio experience I have ever had in a car. (For comparison, three cars ago, I had a Lexus with a Mark Levinson system. That was previously the best sound system I ever had in a car, and the Burmester in my Cayman easily bests it.)

BTW, very cool screen name!

View attachment 33986 View attachment 33987 View attachment 33988

This is a immensely helpful and enlightening post. BTW, have you ever had the chance to compare this to the BOSE option in a 718?

 

[Tulkinghorn]

This is a immensely helpful and enlightening post. BTW, have you ever had the chance to compare this to the BOSE option in a 718?

I haven’t had a chance to do a really serious comparison. While waiting for my car, I did one 30-minute test drive in a CPO Cayman with Bose. The only music source I was able to try it with was a local FM station that I frequently listen to in the car. My main impression was that the Bose sounded acceptable, and I could probably live with it if I had to. But when my car with Burmester came in a couple months later, it sounded very obviously better than I remembered from the Bose. It’s not the most fair comparison since I have been able to listen to higher resolution music sources in the Burmester, but the difference is still obvious on the same FM radio station I got to listen to on the Bose.

Basically, for my priorities, the Burmester was the right choice. I put it at the top of my options budget, and passed over other options that I might like to have if money was no object but that were less important to me. But if my priorities were different or my budget was more limited, I could have lived with the Bose.

 

[Raven]

Had Burmester in my 2015 MB. Have Bose in 2021 Boxster. Both have Apple CarPlay. For music I use libraries from my iPhone. Primarily, on road trips, I listen to eBooks so fidelity isn't an issue. The Burmester system was a little bit more robust (range is probably the correct term) for light classical listening. Rock and Folk hard to tell. I do notice that conversations in Bumblebee with the top down (99% of the time) need normal talking volume. Very little wind noise in the cockpit. And that's with the side windows down and windscreen installed between the seat backs. Enjoy!

 

[nova996]

I had the Burmester in a Panamera for about 5 years and 50k miles.

It was better than the Bose systems. It wasn't good enough, though, that I would actually use it for music. So I'd listen for like 30 min on a highway and then I'd switch to a podcast or something. It didn't suck, but it also wasn't really that good.

Music systems are such a personal thing. Our ears and tastes are all different. But for me, it ended being a bad choice on that car and I'd rather have had the $5k back (or 7 or whatever it was on that car)

 

[Pawshaaah!]

Can anyone speak to the point of sound (music) induced vibrations in the Cayman for those with the Burmester system? At higher, yet comfortable dbl levels does the Cayman maintain its integrity, or is it known to have creaks and rattles? Also, on a Burmester install, do they apply any additional sound dampening material to the panels, or is it strictly a speaker and component swap? Any insight is appreciated!