[nineball]

slowly starting to get the new audio system installed in the cayman over the winter at a friend's shop. i'm keeping the factory headunit but replacing everything else. i am really hoping the base audio system has a toslink on the back but if not i'll just do it analog. the system will consist of the following:

dynaudio esotar2 110 tweets
dynaudio esotar2 650 mids
alto mobile falstaff 12
helix dsp2
arc audio xdi v2 1100.5
all power and speaker wire from knu konceptz

here are a few shots showing some deconstruction. as i slowly progress i will post up more photos. some interesting things to note so far.

there is a lot of foam used in our cars, i'm guessing for sound insulation. it's thick and very soft to the touch - think seat foam but softer.

the only part of the door that is metal is the outer skin. the rest of it appears to be some form of fiberglass infused plastic.

the areas in the rear quarters where the storage pods are is HUGE! i suppose it has to be to house all the stuff needed for the convertible top of the boxster. those spots would be perfect for installing an 8" sub on each side but my plans are different for this install. to give you an idea i put a legal sized envelop in one of the areas in a photo.

everything but the speaker wires in the door are tied into the canbus system. as you will see there is a removable panel attached to the door itself once you remove the interior panel. that had to be removed to get the dynamat installed on the outer skin.

i have no idea what the little round thing is on the rear firewall. i goggled the part number but nothing came up. i'm wondering if it has something to do with the possibly sound-enhanced exhaust. fwiw i do not have the PSE.

 

[Sails Call]

The last pic is of the Porsche Soundaktor (engine sound generator). What is the cost of all of the stereo setup? Let us know how the install goes and how it sounds.

 

[nineball]

i thought it had something to do with the exhaust. pretty small thing though.

the listed gear other than the wire and sub retails for around $4500 total but they were purchased from a dealer at a significant discount via another forum. the sub has been out of production for a long time but used they go for $350-500 depending on condition and availability. between wire, cld and install accessories i probably have another $400-500. have pretty much everything but the techflex on hand already, now if only there were more hours in a day...

i must say after seeing the insides i am really glad i am not a porsche tech who has to work on the engine. my back was sore from just removing everything due to all the weird angles and stretching i had to do. really, really glad i have not installed a rollbar yet

another interesting point is the lack of any type of connector on the door wiring. i was anticipating dealing with a molex connector or something similar and making space for the speaker wires but it's basically just an open tube inside the rubber boot. everything (windows, locks, airbags, etc) plugs into a module in the front upper corner of the inner door panel and runs out from there.

 

[GregW]

Thanks for the pics. Please do keep us up-to-date.

That's an awful lot of Dynamat. When I quieted my previous espresso machine I was told to use only small portions on each panel. IIRC one packet did the whole machine. It is great stuff. When finished you could hear the water circulating and the switches/levers then made quiet 'clunks' rather than loud 'clangs'.

 

[trusted]

Very cool project!

 

[Sails Call]

My car is still on order and I went with the standard stereo. I actually never turned the radio on during my test drive. I figured I could upgrade it in the future, if I need to. I am not a real audiophile, but may want to add a powered sub, if necessary. Any recommendations?

 

[4802]

Thanks for the pics. Please do keep us up-to-date.

That's an awful lot of Dynamat. When I quieted my previous espresso machine I was told to use only small portions on each panel. IIRC one packet did the whole machine. It is great stuff. When finished you could hear the water circulating and the switches/levers then made quiet 'clunks' rather than loud 'clangs'.

Despite being somewhat addicted to coffee I've never actually thought of that & I know it wasn't really car related as such, but I just love that post. You really are quite the eccentric Sir!

 

[GregW]

Despite being somewhat addicted to coffee I've never actually thought of that & I know it wasn't really car related as such, but I just love that post. You really are quite the eccentric Sir!

Ha!
If you think that's eccentric, you should see what I bought to replace it.

 

[agent 86]

Great thread. I certainly appreciate all the photos you are including. More please. My interest is what's involved in getting to the air filter when it's time to change.

I removed almost the entire interior of my Subaru BRZ to install sound deadening and a dash cam. When it comes to my Cayman, though, I'm must admit to being a bit of a chicken.

I used to have a 2013 VW Golf R with the sound generator. I found this photo online. Looks very similar as others have indicated.

 

[dave22]

outstanding
cant wait to see what you do
keep us up to date!

 

[Slade]

Wow that's a serious project that you've undertaken, and with the money your spending I'm sure the difference will be night and day. Are you just an audiophile to go to such extreme measures with the system upgrade? Most people would probably just throw in an amp and some aftermarket speakers and call it a day. You'll have to let us hear how it sounds. Not sure I've ever come across a Porsche with a sub in it before aha.

 

[4802]

Not sure I've ever come across a Porsche with a sub in it before aha.

I won't enter into further discussion here with regard to the sound quality of the Bose & Burmester systems available for the 718. That subject has already been largely discussed elsewhere, by both myself & a great many others. However I will point out that both of those systems actually include active subwoofers. A 100-watt unit in the case of the Bose & a 300-watt unit with the Burmester. Both units are integrated into the vehicle body.

 

[Viffermike]

Glad to see someone tackling a pro-level audio install in a 718 Cayman with the base SPP audio. Those pics are valuable; when I tackle my own not-quite-as-drastic upgrade this coming spring, I'll likely provide those to my installer.

Keep us up to date!

 

[nineball]

Thanks for the pics. Please do keep us up-to-date.

That's an awful lot of Dynamat. When I quieted my previous espresso machine I was told to use only small portions on each panel. IIRC one packet did the whole machine. It is great stuff. When finished you could hear the water circulating and the switches/levers then made quiet 'clunks' rather than loud 'clangs'.

for car applications the general rule of thumb is to cover approximately 30-40% of the large flat panel areas with a cld (dynamat) which is what the inside of the outer skin is. i did a little more than that in the doors, maybe 50%, for a couple of reasons. first, i'll be mounting the mid in the door and giving it some decent power; second, after seeing what the rest of the door is made of a little more won't hurt; third, i have a few boxes laying around still from past installs for myself and friends i also put a layer on the outside of the middle piece of the door to keep it somewhat factory looking if the door panel was ever removed. i'll probably go overboard a little more with the application simply because i will never use as much of it as i have. every other vehicle has been done already.

My car is still on order and I went with the standard stereo. I actually never turned the radio on during my test drive. I figured I could upgrade it in the future, if I need to. I am not a real audiophile, but may want to add a powered sub, if necessary. Any recommendations?

if you have a cayman and just want to add a sub the area under the rear speakers is wide open and would be perfect for a glassed 8" enclosure. any reputable shop should be able to knock it out pretty easy. i've installed my fair share of those slim all-in-one subs and i have never liked any of them (then again i have spoiled ears) and the only place i could see one getting installed would be in the trunk.

Wow that's a serious project that you've undertaken, and with the money your spending I'm sure the difference will be night and day. Are you just an audiophile to go to such extreme measures with the system upgrade? Most people would probably just throw in an amp and some aftermarket speakers and call it a day. You'll have to let us hear how it sounds. Not sure I've ever come across a Porsche with a sub in it before aha.

i prefer the term audionut music has always been a big part of my life and i like cars, so it was a natural marriage. i taught myself basically when i was a teen, eventually working in a few shops and at one point collaborating on some builds for sema with harmon kardon. it was a long, fun trip... did everything from absurd amounts of power and subs to sound quality installs (and learning a lot more than i thought i ever would). when i restored/replaced the interior of my 83 targa i put a full system in there as well. an alpine 5 channel amp, different line of dynaudio speakers and a pair of jbl 8" subs. the worst part was the carpet... 13 pieces, maybe more...

it's similar to cars. any of us could have bought a cheap daily driver but that's not what we wanted. anyone can (in my opinion) overpay for upgraded factory audio systems but i prefer to do my own, my way, because that's what i want

 

[nineball]

a small update. one of the guys who works at my friend's shop decided to install the dynamat for me and went a little overboard i now have 100% coverage on almost everything in the rear half of the car. sure it added a little weight but nothing terrible, and what's done is done.

i don't have photos here but the door speakers are in, wiring is ran and the rack/enclosure is underway for the rear (gonna do a little glassing for this one). i also put the sub remote into the ashtray and i must say, it looks pretty good. i'll post those photos as soon as i have them home.

 

[RsZk]

WOW! That is a lot of Dynamat. Can you guess what it all weighs?
I used to compete in car audio decades ago in the early 90's. Put in 26k in custom audio in a Honda CRX...haha!
I'm now okay with OEM stereo's but this is a very cool project.
Can't wait to see how it all turns out, and I wonder how much better it will be than the Burmester Audio system that can be ordered. I have the BOSE system in my Cayman.

 

[nineball]

a little more than a bulk pack total. it weighs 0.45lb/sqft and i'm guessing 40sqft total (bulk pack is 36sqft), so around 18lbs.

 

[vrrroommm]

subscribed! would really like to see some update on this. I'm also planning an upgrade from a "standard" audio system.

 

[phroenips]

I too, am planning to spec my car with the SPP and upgrade aftermarket. Any updates on this project?

 

[don]

Really interested to hear what difference the Dynamat makes. I don't think it is a particularly noisey car but a little bit more comfort never hurts when you want it and I notice rough freeway roads really resonate through the cabin, although similar to lots of other cars.