Aftermarket Audio Upgrade

[DavidD]

Hi everyone.

I just acquired a very lightly used 2022 Base Taycan in Dolomite Grey (which looks amazing, especially at dusk), loaded with all mod cons. Having previously driven a Tesla S, I know I am in good company here. Thanks to everyone in this Forum for all the helpful advice as I shopped around, and especially as I am getting to know my car.

I love my new car with one exception -- the Bose audio, which lives up to Bose's reputation in audio circles. ("Got no highs, got no lows, must be Bose" is the familiar meme, but it goes much deeper than this, pun intended.) It does sound better than the Tesla, but not by much.

I am afraid to let just anyone do an aftermarket upgrade due to the complex electronics, etc. Has anyone done a successful upgrade? Can it be done for less than $3k? Can anyone recommend someone in the north or northwest Chicago suburbs to do the job?

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[W1NGE]

Hi everyone.

I just acquired a very lightly used 2022 Base Taycan in Dolomite Grey (which looks amazing, especially at dusk), loaded with all mod cons. Having previously driven a Tesla S, I know I am in good company here. Thanks to everyone in this Forum for all the helpful advice as I shopped around, and especially as I am getting to know my car.

I love my new car with one exception -- the Bose audio, which lives up to Bose's reputation in audio circles. ("Got no highs, got no lows, must be Bose" is the familiar meme, but it goes much deeper than this, pun intended.) It does sound better than the Tesla, but not by much.

I am afraid to let just anyone do an aftermarket upgrade due to the complex electronics, etc. Has anyone done a successful upgrade? Can it be done for less than $3k? Can anyone recommend someone in the north or northwest Chicago suburbs to do the job?

Nice!

I had a Volcano Grey 4S and still think it's one of the top colours.

Most folk rave how good the Bose is in the Taycan (me included) and have is again in my GTS ST). Not sure there would be value in attempting to upgrade.

One or two have done so on the forum so have a search.

 

[DavidD]

Thanks for the response. I suspect that each of us has different expectations for performance of our cars and of our audio systems. (My dad never understood why anyone would buy anything grander than his 1967 Chevy Impala -- since all cars were equally good at getting you from A to B.) I don't expect audiophile quality in my car, but I wonder if a modest investment would yield audible returns.

I did learn a bit from searching the forum but I still have questions. First, will a $3k budget be enough? Second, it is clearly important to find the right installer. Any recommendations for my neck of the woods (north Chicago suburbs)?

 

[JS4S]

I thought about this also....I don't think 3k is enough for budgeting. Simply replacing all speakers with 3 way components would be close to that amount. That doesn't leave much money for quality amplifiers, DSP, wiring....etc. Also, I wasn't about to either add a battery or put any additional strain on the 12v. Not sure of warranty issues "tapping" into the electrical system of an EV.

 

[Moonstone]

The 12v system is separate to the high voltage system so in theory it's the same process regardless of whether the car is an EV or ICE car.

 

[Ambroos]

You're ideally going to want to look for a company that has experience with VW group MIB3 infotainment systems (any Audi from the last 2 years for example). The standard speakers are connected either to the amp (Bose/Burmester) for the big speakers or to the main infotainment unit for the smaller ones (the built-in amplifier that in base audio systems handles everything still handles the small speakers in Bose/Burmester).

The connection between the infotainment and the gateway is digital with A2B (Automotive Audio Bus). I'm not sure there's an easy line out available to bypass the amplifiers.

 

[DavidD]

Got it. Thanks.

 

[f1eng]

You're ideally going to want to look for a company that has experience with VW group MIB3 infotainment systems (any Audi from the last 2 years for example). The standard speakers are connected either to the amp (Bose/Burmester) for the big speakers or to the main infotainment unit for the smaller ones (the built-in amplifier that in base audio systems handles everything still handles the small speakers in Bose/Burmester).

The connection between the infotainment and the gateway is digital with A2B (Automotive Audio Bus). I'm not sure there's an easy line out available to bypass the amplifiers.

This is interesting.
I know Burmester add AMT high frequency units to the “A” pillars and centre dash maybe elsewhere but does this mean that the speaker drivers are largely the same in all Taycans with some additions and a subwoofer with more power added, plus digital signal processing to simulate surround sound?

 

[magnitude]

I don't know how it is in the Taycan, but in my 981 Boxster the BOSE definitely had very different tweeters than the Burmester. I grafted the Burmester tweeters on, and also had to add a crossover cap to them, as the BOSE amp did not actually have filtering compared to the Burmester...

 

[WindsurfUS1111]

Interesting....

I ordered a Taycan in December 2022 with a Burmester system because the Bose wasn't available, and the base audio system is awful. Within the week, Porsche responded to my dealer the only audio system available was the standard base.

My dealer had a base model with the Bose system, so I bought it. Within one month, The Bose and Burmester systems became available :-(.

So I didn't get the build I WANTED, or the color (Ice Grey).

That said, the Bose system isn't exceptional, but it's pretty damned good. I love music, and the audio experience in a car is important to me. It's good enough to keep me happy.

I wouldn't mess around with the audio components and tech in the car. You are asking for trouble.

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