Helix + Audison audio upgrade

[tayCanadian]

Haha sure, it's never too late to learn how to fuck up an audio job.

Removing the original DSP is just about the dumbest way to do this..... Scan your car with PIWIS there'll be tens of fault codes ? about the now missing BOSE DSP

Posted by you in another thread:

The BOSE DSP is the biggest piece of shit ever made. It can barely drive the stock speakers.

So it's the biggest piece of shit, but removing it is dumb. Way to contradict yourself.

Just stop. It's not your car and I'm happy with it. Get over that because there are more than 1 ways to skin a cat.

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[ct14garage]

So it's the biggest piece of shit, but removing it is dumb. Way to contradict yourself.

It’s shit, that’s why you add a new DSP, anyone with half a brain gets that. The original one just stays as a passthrough, while the new DSP handles the actual audio output to the speakers.

This way, everything stays factory. No fault codes, no issues. Porsche can still service the original BOSE system like nothing changed.

Your method might work on a Chevy or some shitbox , but on a Porsche? That’s insane.

 

[f1eng]

Posted by you in another thread:



So it's the biggest piece of shit, but removing it is dumb. Way to contradict yourself.

Just stop. It's not your car and I'm happy with it. Get over that because there are more than 1 ways to skin a cat.

I agree.
There is no "right" answer in car audio, if you like it that is all that matters IMO.

 

[tayCanadian]

It’s shit, that’s why you add a new DSP, anyone with half a brain gets that. The original one just stays as a passthrough, while the new DSP handles the actual audio output to the speakers.

This way, everything stays factory. No fault codes, no issues. Porsche can still service the original BOSE system like nothing changed.

Your method might work on a Chevy or some shitbox , but on a Porsche? That’s insane.

Well I don't want to accuse you of having half a brain, but you're suggesting feeding the DSP a signal that has already been processed by the Bose amp. Factory EQ curves, time alignment, crossovers, and compression are baked in. You cannot undo that distortion—you’re just "fixing" a bad signal and then that signal is analog only, not digital. The Helix would have to work around factory coloration, which limits its effectiveness. You also don't get full control over channel mapping.

By removing the Bose we are able to extract a clean digital signal via MOST and bypass the Bose DSP entirely - no EQ, no compression, no filtering etc.

It's not a Bose system anymore, and don't I want Porsche to service it when I have a professional to do that. Not worried about codes.

 

[tayCanadian]

I agree.
There is no "right" answer in car audio, if you like it that is all that matters IMO.

Exactly. I don't disagree with you that a car is not the best environment for audiophile quality listening, but I spend a lot of time in my car and this upgrade has substantially improved the sound I had from the factory system. Everything is relative, right?

 

[tayCanadian]

It’s shit, that’s why you add a new DSP, anyone with half a brain gets that. The original one just stays as a passthrough, while the new DSP handles the actual audio output to the speakers.

This way, everything stays factory. No fault codes, no issues. Porsche can still service the original BOSE system like nothing changed.

Your method might work on a Chevy or some shitbox , but on a Porsche? That’s insane.

If you ask high-end car audio installers (especially those who work with Audison, Helix, Mosconi, etc.), they almost universally recommend: “Bypass the factory amp. Always.”

Especially in vehicles like a Porsche where the factory amp uses heavy processing (e.g., Bose or Burmeister), the only way to unlock true audiophile-grade performance is to start with a clean signal via MOST.

Clearly, you are not in this group of high-end installers if you're suggesting keeping the factory amp in the chain. The fewer the components in the signal chain, the better. Anyone with half a brain should know that.

 

[ct14garage]

Well I don't want to accuse you of having half a brain, but you're suggesting feeding the DSP a signal that has already been processed by the Bose amp. Factory EQ curves, time alignment, crossovers, and compression are baked in. You cannot undo that distortion—you’re just "fixing" a bad signal and then that signal is analog only, not digital. The Helix would have to work around factory coloration, which limits its effectiveness. You also don't get full control over channel mapping.

By removing the Bose we are able to extract a clean digital signal via MOST and bypass the Bose DSP entirely - no EQ, no compression, no filtering etc.

I won’t even bother with the “half a brain” thing, I got nothing else to add as you’ve already done a brilliant job proving my original point yourself with your own words ??


At no point did I say we take the signal after the BOSE DSP. It’s left in place purely to keep the system stock, no faults, no nothing. That’s how it’s done properly not the redneck way.

Take a look at that custom wiring harness, it’s all there. We tap the signal before it hits the BOSE amp and route it to the aftermarket DSP. The BOSE DSP still powers up thinking it’s doing everything, but in reality, it’s doing nothing. All done through a plug-and-play connector that mirrors the factory one. This is how high end audio installs are done. Specially on high end vehicles.


But hey, if you’re cool with butchering the car good luck shall your PCM ever fail (as some of them do). Porsche will never cover that!

 

[MissionE]

Finally got my Bose sound system upgraded. I started with a DSP amp upgrade just to see what a better signal and more power will do for the factory speakers. Also swapped out the Bose sub and enclosure with an Audison sub in a custom made box that is driven by a mono amplifier.

All I can say is that this upgrade is a night and day difference! The bass pounds nicely and the speakers are louder and clearer. I may still upgrade speakers in the future because this is an addictive hobby lol.

Its a pretty stealth install so not many pics. Here's a list of components:

Helix V12 DSP Amp
Nav-TV Zen-V to connect the DSP amp to the head unit
Audison APBX 10 S4S subwoofer box
Match UP1FX amp to drive the sub
Sound deadening in the floor of the trunk

Burmester is the way…

I wish auto manufacturers would just build one audio system for their car. Because the moment you offer more than one, it makes one inferior to another.

 

[IvanBux]

I know one Russian company "Trioma" which is producing MOST adapters for a vast car brands, including Porsche.
They've got adapter called "Valse-3" (MOST150->Toslink) and it emulates original DSP. You can replace original DSP with this adapter + any Toslink DSP and you won't get errors on PIWIS. The only problem you can't get much info in other languages than Russain...

 

[ferdiaz]

I know one Russian company "Trioma" which is producing MOST adapters for a vast car brands, including Porsche.
They've got adapter called "Valse-3" (MOST150->Toslink) and it emulates original DSP. You can replace original DSP with this adapter + any Toslink DSP and you won't get errors on PIWIS. The only problem you can't get much info in other languages than Russain...

I suspect that's the same adapter as this one below, which I got to fit an AliExpress unit with TOSLINK output to my (previously owned) Macan Turbo (2015), so that I could run a full digital signal path to the Bose amplifier. I wanted to avoid at all costs doing an analog-to-digital conversion with a MOST box using the analog output of the unit, as this usually results in lower audio quality due to the unnecessary conversions:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000469538257.html

What is funny is that the russians sell their unit for 550 bucks, which if I understand correctly, does very much the same thing:

https://trioma.ru/catalog/audio-interfejsy-most/audio-interfejs-valse-3

I got mine in AE for 70 at the time. Now it seems to be around 90 instead, as per the above link.

 

[ItsElectric]

I won’t even bother with the “half a brain” thing, I got nothing else to add as you’ve already done a brilliant job proving my original point yourself with your own words ??


At no point did I say we take the signal after the BOSE DSP. It’s left in place purely to keep the system stock, no faults, no nothing. That’s how it’s done properly not the redneck way.

Take a look at that custom wiring harness, it’s all there. We tap the signal before it hits the BOSE amp and route it to the aftermarket DSP. The BOSE DSP still powers up thinking it’s doing everything, but in reality, it’s doing nothing. All done through a plug-and-play connector that mirrors the factory one. This is how high end audio installs are done. Specially on high end vehicles.


But hey, if you’re cool with butchering the car good luck shall your PCM ever fail (as some of them do). Porsche will never cover that!

Where can one purchase this harness and which DSP can this be used with?

 

[William992]

Kicking this topic ..

I have the burmester system and would like to upgrade it. My local audio guy recommends a combination of hertz/audison speakers with a dsp in the trunk. Would only upgrading the speakers + subwoofer be a smart choice or is the DSP a must? The DSP involves a lot more work due to additional cables etc...

 

[sacman]

Kicking this topic ..

I have the burmester system and would like to upgrade it. My local audio guy recommends a combination of hertz/audison speakers with a dsp in the trunk. Would only upgrading the speakers + subwoofer be a smart choice or is the DSP a must? The DSP involves a lot more work due to additional cables etc...

What don't you like about the Burmester?

 

[William992]

Lack of base and overall range.

 

[prj]

Lack of base and overall range.

Lack of bass? Sounds like something is broken.
At ~25 volume if you put a bass heavy track on the entire car shakes and you get hit in the gut with the bass.
Unless you want to go into some SPL contests or something I don't see why you would need more bass than that. Even with the stock subwoofer the limitation is not the amount of bass, but half the car starts rattling before you manage to max out the subwoofer.
At least for music - there's probably not a lot of subbass extension for a movie, but it's not used in music anyway.

As for overall sound profile, yes, it could be better. But then a car is also an imperfect environment with the sound bouncing everywhere, so I am not sure how much better it's going to sound with different speakers.

I have never heard any in-car setup that comes even close to my home setup, and the reason is not the speakers used, but the fact that my home room has enough dampening materials that it kills all the excessive reverb.

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