I had Bose in my 08 Cab but I did not order it in my 09 Coupe. I don't miss it at all. The real sound is the engine!
I am a big Bose supporter, have two of their home systems and three of their Wave radios.
You do not need it in the Porsche.

 

I've got BOSE in my houses and love it.

As I've posted more than once previously, I've got BOSE in my 997.1 and it's about as good as those $10 imitation Walkmans used to be. The longer I own it the happier I am that it's a pos; who wants the radio/disc on when you are driving (as opposed to just riding in) a Porsche?

 

Bose developed some superior speakers in the past, and I loved the AM5 speakers I bought in 1986. IMO I think they exploited their good reputation and assumed that people would accept anything with their name on it as being superior when in fact some of the systems with their name are inferior to other less expensive products, as reported by reputable companies that perform objective tests.
I haven't sampled the non-Bose Porsches, but have not been very impressed with the Bose systems in my last 3 997's. I think the base is mushy, and there isn't much presence or crispness at the high frequencies. As a result I listen mostly to AM talk radio here in LA, so it doesn't matter much. Also, at highway speeds, particularly on rough pavement, the road noise is so high in these cars that I suspect that no system could sound very good.

 

Wow - I was reluctant to start this thread, but it's turned out to be very interesting! If I've learned anything, it's that I'm not going to let Bose (or lack thereof) ruin a deal.

 

But the space where the sub would go is gone in the cab already, right?

Funny thread though of such opposites. I think the Bose is better than the stock (had that in a loner one day - yikes ), but still is crap with no EQ. It sounds fair enough in city traffic, but on the highway the engine takes it out. When I was "shopping" I took one of my Steely Dan DVDA discs along and now that sounded pretty impressive - enough for me to want it. But I own about 10 discs like that and many are already discontinued. That said, I'd want the bose system or know I could get the stock system easily upgraded.

Deal breaker - depends on the deal...and you.

 

I'd rather have Nav than Bose. But since mine came with both, I'm not complaining.

 

Bose really sucks !!!
But as bad as Bose is --the factory system is even worse !!!!

I have to at least have the Bose.
Compared to my M3 premium sound the Porsche is pitiful and I don't even listen to music that much but in a car of this caliber .. stereo is important to me.

 

I've had my E46 M3 for 7 yrs w/o getting the premium sound and i regretted it, it just plays music with no "meat" if you know what I mean. I could have spent $ putting aftermarket stuff but I didn't bother. Now my 997.1 has bose, it does make a diff. If you are shopping for a used 997, the bose option doesn't really make much of a diff in price so I'd say go for it.

I've never listened to music from a non-bose 997, someone can chime in here, if a non-bose 997 sounds the same as non-premium-sound on E46 M3, then bose is necessary. of course going aftermarket route is an option but that's gonna cost more

 

Well, I have to stand up for the stock system! Prior to ordering my car, I asked around here and a few guys who know music (mdrums and others), brought up some good points about the stock stereo that I have found to be true. I would not be surprised to use a Real Time Analyzer on the stock system and find it relatively well balanced. Certainly more balanced than Bose. There is more accurate mid-bass in the stock system, as well as a lack of the upper mid range muddiness that Bose seems to favor these days. Surely, the stock system starts clipping long before the Bose does, so if you want to 'rock the house', then Bose works. If you are looking to simulate live music (albeit at much lower volumes), than the stock system can work. I fiddled around with the tone controls and got to a point where it is decent with the stock system. With bose, you get tubby and forward bass, congested and forward lower midrange, and a semblance of spitty treble around 15K hertz. That would annoy me to no end! (and why do they always need a 6 inch bass driver in a 4th or 5th order ported enclosure?!?!?) C'mon bose, just put an 8 or 10 inch driver in a nice sealed enclosure!
With the stock system, you get better mid bass impact, clearer lower bass, an open but thin midrange and nice extended treble clarity. The biggest flaw is that as soon as you get to a decent volume to make you smile, all the good things I said about the stock system start to fall apart. The treble is especially harsh as the amps start clipping! Ouch. But, keep it under a certain volume, and I would take the stock system over the bose again. The bose does 'hit' harder and play louder, but that is all that I noticed about it in the 'good' category......... (I am not generally knocking the bose system, I am just saying what my ears hear)

 

You summed it up. "No Meat" .
Compared to some of the other high end cars .. I don't even know how Porsche gets away with selling the Bose without hearing more flak from owners.

I certainly understand why people like to listen to the exhaust note . However thsere are those times when one is slow cruizing on a long drive and it's nice to hear a little music . The factory system reminds me of cars in the 1970's sound system .

So did the BMW NON premium systems . In fact even the BMW lesser quality system is better than the Porsche factory one.

 

I ordered my car without Bose. In fact, that's one of the reasons I ordered a car because I specifically didn't want it. As a former audio engineer I can tell you that Bose is very good at "faking sound" rather than concentrating on accurate reproduction which is the goal of virtually any audio professional. Walk into any recording studio and I guarantee you won't find anything in the rack by Bose. They don't make any professional equipment. They only make overpriced consumer equipment. I'm putting the $1500 I saved on Bose toward insurance, tires, etc.

 

I don't like the Bose at all but the factory system can't even fake the sound.

It's like comparing a grade of D(bose) to an F(factory) when there are sound systems in otrher cars where are A and B .

 

good point. I'd get the standard system and upgrade it to an after mkt product.

 

This is very hard to do . One guy on the Turbo forum tried it with a Reus --epic fail .

Another guy took his car to a car stereo place --even worse -- they crashed it. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ed-advice.html

I usually have no secind thoughts about techcians and tuners taking apart my entire engine if need be .. but even they tend to shy away from the electronics.

 

The best sound is the engine! Many of us turn the stereo down to enjoy the engine sounds. A lot of us that track our cars rip the Bose subs out to install roll bars and save weight (my Bose is currently in the attic). It is only a "deal killer" if it really matters to you. From your own comments seems like it shouldn't matter much, but only you can decide what might cause you buyers remorse.