Porsche Radar Detector And Audio Upgrade Skillfully Installed

A client from Reisterstown, Maryland came to WSS Westminster Speed & Sound with his beautiful 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabrio. We had done work for this client on several of his vehicles so he knew us well. He had a few specific goals for this vehicle:

• Great sounding Audio
• Lose no cargo space
• Integrate his iPhone
• Add a backup camera
• Add custom installed radar

Porsche vehicles are more challenging than most vehicles to work on, but we know them well, so we were up to the challenge. We worked up three different solutions for the client, he chose 1 of them, and an installation date was set.

Porsche Audio Upgrade Starts At The Dash

Let’s start with the audio upgrades. This vehicle came with the factory navigation system, which was now very outdated. It also had the Bose premium audio system which sounded anything but premium. We started by installing a Pioneer AVH-4000NEX touch screen unit in the dash. This unit allows us to integrate the client’s iPhone seamlessly. He can now have full control over his music library, contact list, and several apps on the phone, including a GPS Navigation app. The color screen allowed us to install a high quality backup camera that gets displayed on that screen just like a factory unit. Bluetooth is built-in, allowing for wireless music streaming and hands free phone calls.

Bye-Bye Bose Speakers

In the front doors we removed the Bose speakers and installed a set of German Maestro SV6509 speakers. In the dash we removed the existing speakers and installed the tweeters from the German Maestro set. You will notice that the tweeters were installed on an angled mount allowing us to aim the sound more effectively than the factory equipment, resulting in a much better, more realistic sound stage across the top of the dash. The doors were treated with Stinger Roadkill to eliminate the possibility of rattling and to help seal the woofers in the door more effectively.  FAST rings were also installed on the front of the door woofers to acoustically couple the door panel to the speaker so no musical energy gets lost inside the door. All of this is done to maximize low-end bass response and increase output potential.

Hertz HCP4 Amplifier “Fits” The Bill Perfectly

For an amplifier a Hertz HCP4D was chosen for a few reasons:

1. It  fit perfectly in the spot where the factory cd changer used to reside
2. It offers great power output and clarity in a small package
3. The crossover network inside the amplifier allowed us to dedicate discrete amplifier channels for each speaker, meaning in the simplest of terms that each speaker got its own 85 watts per channel amp dedicate to it.

This resulted in much better sound quality and allowed us to fine tune the sound more effectively. We were very, very impressed with the sound quality of this vehicle considering the minimalist approach we took with it.

Porsche Radar Detector Addition A No Brainer

Lastly, if you are going to own a Porsche Turbo, you are probably going to drive it like one. So a custom installed radar detector is more like a necessary option than a luxury. For this Porsche radar detector installation, we chose the Escort 8500ci system. The display is discreetly mounted in the ashtray in the center console and is completely hidden just by flipping the cover closed. The LED was flushed into one of the blank switch knockouts to the left of the new stereo in the dash. The radar system was hidden behind the front bumper, completely invisible to the naked eye. We also installed the optional laser shifter kit and put the shifters in the lower front spoiler as you can see in the pictures.  Now the client has a great radar/laser system that is completely integrated into the vehicle and is almost invisible.

Porsche Project Delights the Eyes and Ears

We were thrilled at the finished product in the vehicle. The sound quality of this system was way better than we had even hoped. The vehicle had nice tight bass, even though there is no subwoofer! This was from all the detail that was put into sealing the doors. The sound stage across the dash was wonderful and the crispness and airiness of the treble was a delight to the senses. The new Pioneer unit looked and performed just like the client had hoped and the rearview camera made backing up a breeze. Of course the radar/laser system just knocked it out of the park.

If you own a luxury car and would like to have these upgrades done to your vehicle, call us, stop in, or Contact Us today. Here at WSS Westminster Speed & Sound we are passionate about what we do, and we know luxury vehicles very well. We will design and install a custom solution that fits your own, unique needs.  Stop in and find out for yourself.