Looking forward to your updates! Those are the speakers I am leaning towards as well. It’ll be great news if the factory speaker adapters can be made to work w/o anything extra. I was leaning towards getting these adapters custom cut to accommodate the 8” speakers but that company never responded to my email/website inquires.
987 SPP (Sound Package Plus) Speakers - Not BOSE
Hey gang,
Just wanted to follow up here with some cool information about replacing and upgrading my busted 987 SPP (Sound Package Plus -- NOT BOSE) speakers in my 2010 Boxster. After 255K miles, the door speakers were toast likely due to heat, humidity, and just plain wear -- as 242K of those miles from the original based Georgia original owner. Plus, as the interior was looking a bit sorry when I bought the car, I wouldn't be surprised if the last owner just blasted the speakers until they tore.
This being said, although I'm a musician -- I'm admittedly not a die-hard audiophile when listening to recordings. Plus, I simply don't have the funds to spend a fortune on this project. I figured that if I could get something that would be close enough to the great BOSE sound in my former 987.1S and my current 981 Outlaw, that would be more than fine with me. I want a full sound with crisp highs and deep lows; it's about fun music on the road while also enjoying the song of the flat-6 engine; I don't need studio monitoring perfection. I also didn't want to spend the time or money on a dedicated amp, subwoofer, and extra wiring. I also don't need a subwoofer powerful enough to loosen ceiling tiles or tooth fillings. Finally, I wanted to do this once and do this right for the life of the car -- especially as the DIY door card removals can apparently be very trying on a 987.
Going back a bit, I already had the crappy ASK amplifier tested, and that wasn't the problem per the original hiss and buzz. So after dropping in an inexpensive (new-in-box) Sony head unit last year with CarPlay (that I bought for $175 on Craig's List last winter), that was a help. Plus, I already did the rear parcel shelf speaker project (4x Kicker speakers) last summer which helped create better audio imaging in the cabin. So, replacement speakers were the next stop on my audio journey as the original OEM speakers were clearly burnt toast.
Anyhow, after tons of searching, a lot of people had various opinions on how to best accomplish this on a budget. A lot of people weighed in with different solutions on the 987 Owners Group (Facebook), and the solutions were dizzying. A key issue at play involves the shallow door depth and finding shallow speakers that would fit. Apparently Audion speakers fit just great and are fantastic, but they are wicked expensive and I don't think they'd perform well when powered by the low wattage ASK amp. Was there anything reasonably affordable, yet simple out there?
Well, a lot of people have replaced their OEM 8" speakers with various inexpensive 6.5" speakers, and re-using the original 8" speaker grill. As I don't have a subwoofer and didn't want to make a monster project of this, I wanted as closest to the 8" I could get.
In short, I've pulled the trigger on Focals. These didn't seem nose-bleed expensive but are apparently a great upgrade from OEM. I figured since I was already doing the replacement, it was time to pay the money to replace the mids by the same manufacturer, and ideally have them match.
So as of writing this (March 2023), here's what I just ordered from WoofersEtc.com this afternoon:
So, the cool thing is that I reached out to customer service at WoofersEtc.com -- and was able to obtain a promotional discount for me to share with you: At checkout, enter in promotional code Porsche5 -- which will give you an extra 5% off your purchase (as of writing this). That drove the price down to just under $400 (free ground shipping and no sales tax) -- which seemed great for what I was getting. FYI - they didn't give me any special discount for passing this info on, Food Biker / Road Feast promotional consideration, or any of that. This was simply one of those things where they encouraged me to pass on the code, and gestures like a small discount are always worth sharing.
Anyhow, the ASK system (SPP) seems pretty obscure as most of the 987 systems appear to be BOSE. There were no clear wiring diagrams easily available...and it took a while to figure out how to get the rear speakers going last summer (I forget what I tapped into down at the ASK amp). You can read up on the rear speaker project elsewhere -- it's easily found online as many people have done this before. Basically I set up two sets of ~3" Kicker speakers in parallel, which then directly tapped off the ASK amp. This AMP, BTW -- is under the passenger seat on a 987.2 and may be in the frunk on 987.1 models.
Meanwhile, a really cool guy on Facebook (in the aforementioned group) named Lyndon Conrad Bell (Thanks, Lyndon!!!) steered me towards these speakers and already gave me a ton of great advice. He made and posted this amazing ASK diagram, which really helps make sense of things:
![Product Organism Rectangle Font Circle]()
So as you can see, The head unit drives the 4" door speakers. Wired in parallel to these are the front L and R channels, which are apparently easily replaced with the tweeters that come with the 8" woofers. I think the passive crossovers from Focal go in between the new tweeters and the new 4" speakers... but I'll have to make sure I ordered the right kit?!?!?
Also, keep in mind that some of the IEN speakers are 2 ohm. But especially if you're changing out your HU (head unit) like I did, they usually handle 4 ohm speakers so it's likely not a problem. I think that with the OEM HU and 4 ohm speakers, you just have to crank the volume up (from what I understand)...
So especially if you add rear speakers, you get a nice audio image in the car. Interestingly, the ASK amp take's the HU signal and drives the two 8" woofers and separates out a single center channel... while the HU drives the rears (if installed), the 4" mods in the doors and the front L/R tweeters in the dash.
Finally, as apparently the door card removal/install is a PITA, hopefully I'll get into each side and will only have to do it once. I already ordered a bunch of extra door clips (I think it was $10 for a bunch as they WILL break), some inexpensive sound deadening material from Amazon and a small roller (apparently makes a difference) and I plan to tighten everything while I'm in there (door squeaks, etc.) Plus, apparently the 4" and the tweeters drop right into place with no mods necessary, but apparently I will have to modify and reuse the baskets of the old 8" OEM speakers. Not sure how that's going to go but we'll see.
Stay tuned for updates!
Just wanted to follow up here with some cool information about replacing and upgrading my busted 987 SPP (Sound Package Plus -- NOT BOSE) speakers in my 2010 Boxster. After 255K miles, the door speakers were toast likely due to heat, humidity, and just plain wear -- as 242K of those miles from the original based Georgia original owner. Plus, as the interior was looking a bit sorry when I bought the car, I wouldn't be surprised if the last owner just blasted the speakers until they tore.
This being said, although I'm a musician -- I'm admittedly not a die-hard audiophile when listening to recordings. Plus, I simply don't have the funds to spend a fortune on this project. I figured that if I could get something that would be close enough to the great BOSE sound in my former 987.1S and my current 981 Outlaw, that would be more than fine with me. I want a full sound with crisp highs and deep lows; it's about fun music on the road while also enjoying the song of the flat-6 engine; I don't need studio monitoring perfection. I also didn't want to spend the time or money on a dedicated amp, subwoofer, and extra wiring. I also don't need a subwoofer powerful enough to loosen ceiling tiles or tooth fillings. Finally, I wanted to do this once and do this right for the life of the car -- especially as the DIY door card removals can apparently be very trying on a 987.
Going back a bit, I already had the crappy ASK amplifier tested, and that wasn't the problem per the original hiss and buzz. So after dropping in an inexpensive (new-in-box) Sony head unit last year with CarPlay (that I bought for $175 on Craig's List last winter), that was a help. Plus, I already did the rear parcel shelf speaker project (4x Kicker speakers) last summer which helped create better audio imaging in the cabin. So, replacement speakers were the next stop on my audio journey as the original OEM speakers were clearly burnt toast.
Anyhow, after tons of searching, a lot of people had various opinions on how to best accomplish this on a budget. A lot of people weighed in with different solutions on the 987 Owners Group (Facebook), and the solutions were dizzying. A key issue at play involves the shallow door depth and finding shallow speakers that would fit. Apparently Audion speakers fit just great and are fantastic, but they are wicked expensive and I don't think they'd perform well when powered by the low wattage ASK amp. Was there anything reasonably affordable, yet simple out there?
Well, a lot of people have replaced their OEM 8" speakers with various inexpensive 6.5" speakers, and re-using the original 8" speaker grill. As I don't have a subwoofer and didn't want to make a monster project of this, I wanted as closest to the 8" I could get.
In short, I've pulled the trigger on Focals. These didn't seem nose-bleed expensive but are apparently a great upgrade from OEM. I figured since I was already doing the replacement, it was time to pay the money to replace the mids by the same manufacturer, and ideally have them match.
So as of writing this (March 2023), here's what I just ordered from WoofersEtc.com this afternoon:
IS200 - Focal 8" 2-Way Component Speaker System with Grills
Focal ISN-4 Shallow 4" 40 Watt RMS Mid Woofers
So, the cool thing is that I reached out to customer service at WoofersEtc.com -- and was able to obtain a promotional discount for me to share with you: At checkout, enter in promotional code Porsche5 -- which will give you an extra 5% off your purchase (as of writing this). That drove the price down to just under $400 (free ground shipping and no sales tax) -- which seemed great for what I was getting. FYI - they didn't give me any special discount for passing this info on, Food Biker / Road Feast promotional consideration, or any of that. This was simply one of those things where they encouraged me to pass on the code, and gestures like a small discount are always worth sharing.
Anyhow, the ASK system (SPP) seems pretty obscure as most of the 987 systems appear to be BOSE. There were no clear wiring diagrams easily available...and it took a while to figure out how to get the rear speakers going last summer (I forget what I tapped into down at the ASK amp). You can read up on the rear speaker project elsewhere -- it's easily found online as many people have done this before. Basically I set up two sets of ~3" Kicker speakers in parallel, which then directly tapped off the ASK amp. This AMP, BTW -- is under the passenger seat on a 987.2 and may be in the frunk on 987.1 models.
Meanwhile, a really cool guy on Facebook (in the aforementioned group) named Lyndon Conrad Bell (Thanks, Lyndon!!!) steered me towards these speakers and already gave me a ton of great advice. He made and posted this amazing ASK diagram, which really helps make sense of things:
So as you can see, The head unit drives the 4" door speakers. Wired in parallel to these are the front L and R channels, which are apparently easily replaced with the tweeters that come with the 8" woofers. I think the passive crossovers from Focal go in between the new tweeters and the new 4" speakers... but I'll have to make sure I ordered the right kit?!?!?
Also, keep in mind that some of the IEN speakers are 2 ohm. But especially if you're changing out your HU (head unit) like I did, they usually handle 4 ohm speakers so it's likely not a problem. I think that with the OEM HU and 4 ohm speakers, you just have to crank the volume up (from what I understand)...
So especially if you add rear speakers, you get a nice audio image in the car. Interestingly, the ASK amp take's the HU signal and drives the two 8" woofers and separates out a single center channel... while the HU drives the rears (if installed), the 4" mods in the doors and the front L/R tweeters in the dash.
Finally, as apparently the door card removal/install is a PITA, hopefully I'll get into each side and will only have to do it once. I already ordered a bunch of extra door clips (I think it was $10 for a bunch as they WILL break), some inexpensive sound deadening material from Amazon and a small roller (apparently makes a difference) and I plan to tighten everything while I'm in there (door squeaks, etc.) Plus, apparently the 4" and the tweeters drop right into place with no mods necessary, but apparently I will have to modify and reuse the baskets of the old 8" OEM speakers. Not sure how that's going to go but we'll see.
Stay tuned for updates!
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Living in West Coast by the time I catch a break from morning/afternoon meetings it’s usually too late to call but maybe I’ll give that a try. In any case if you can make the stock grills work then that‘ll be the simpler solution
Are you getting the ISU 200 model? I think that’s the latest 8” one that is currently on sale.
Challenge flag accepted, @Topdown -- I may be wrong, but pretty much what I understand -- the signal from the HU comes all the way down to the ASK....and then recodes it to spit out the two door woofer and center channel. I was surprised with all this, but that's how it seemed.
What I can confirm for you, and is pertinent here for your question, is that I successfully did the rear parcel speaker project (101 Projects For Your Boxster) with my 987.2 Boxster, by tapping off the wires to my ASK amp underneath my seat; no Cayman ASK amp required. I'm afraid I don't remember which ones they were, but they were pretty easy to figure out and tap off of, once the seat was out of the car. There appeared to be rears on mine at the ASK but they weren't being used -- which was great.
Having done it, I would STRONGLY just suggest that anyone who wants to do it -- just do it the right way and buy the $300 prepackaged kit from Suncoast and be done with it; my trying to modify OEM parts to fit much better Kicker speakers was a PITA and wouldn't have been that much of a cost savings overall. Do a quick search here on P9 per @deilenberger and read his article on that. Trust me -- either spend about $200 in parts and waste a ton of time, or spend $300 and get quickly set up -- complete with the factory connectors.
Finally, I absolutely recommend installing rear speakers in a 986/987 Boxster -- as it gives far better audio imaging. Does it offer a ton of extra volume? Absolutely not. But it makes the car a much fuller experience (like a 5.1 theater) -- for a shallow space that our Boxsters have.
-- I may be wrong, but pretty much what I understand -- the signal from the HU comes all the way down to the ASK....and then recodes it to spit out the two door woofer and center channel. I was surprised with all this, but that's how it seemed.What I can confirm for you, and is pertinent here for your question, is that I successfully did the rear parcel speaker project (101 Projects For Your Boxster) with my 987.2 Boxster, by tapping off the wires to my ASK amp underneath my seat; no Cayman ASK amp required. I'm afraid I don't remember which ones they were, but they were pretty easy to figure out and tap off of, once the seat was out of the car. There appeared to be rears on mine at the ASK but they weren't being used -- which was great.
Having done it, I would STRONGLY just suggest that anyone who wants to do it -- just do it the right way and buy the $300 prepackaged kit from Suncoast and be done with it; my trying to modify OEM parts to fit much better Kicker speakers was a PITA and wouldn't have been that much of a cost savings overall. Do a quick search here on P9 per @deilenberger and read his article on that. Trust me -- either spend about $200 in parts and waste a ton of time, or spend $300 and get quickly set up -- complete with the factory connectors.
Finally, I absolutely recommend installing rear speakers in a 986/987 Boxster -- as it gives far better audio imaging. Does it offer a ton of extra volume? Absolutely not. But it makes the car a much fuller experience (like a 5.1 theater) -- for a shallow space that our Boxsters have.
Is this the suncoast kit you're talking about?
Aftermarket Radio Installation Kit (997.2 / 987.2)
Check out the deal on Aftermarket Radio Installation Kit (997.2 / 987.2) at Suncoast Porsche Parts & Accessories
www.suncoastparts.com
Complete 9X7.2 Custom 2 DIN Kit Includes:
- Trim Bezel - Bezel finished in black, matches other black dash components
- Includes radio cage
- Complete with speed sensor & illumination wires, harness & radio antenna adapters, wire taps, solder shrink connectors and nylon cable straps
- Housing brackets designed for proper installation into factory opening - Featuring spring loaded secure locking mechanism & built-in guide rails. For some radios, minor modifications are required.
- Instruction Manual Included
Welcome to P9, @orbit398 - Glad to have you aboard. Make sure to introduce yourself in the new member's section and post pics of your ride.
Thanks for the link to the previous thread, and the ASK Amp diagram. I haven't looked at the diagram extensively yet, but at first glance -- that looks like the actual Porsche wiring diagram -- which would certainly supersede the diagram that the the gent on Facebook sent posted. Cheers.
Thanks for the link to the previous thread, and the ASK Amp diagram. I haven't looked at the diagram extensively yet, but at first glance -- that looks like the actual Porsche wiring diagram -- which would certainly supersede the diagram that the the gent on Facebook sent posted. Cheers.
So I was thinking of adding a 6.5" speaker in leu of the 4" rear deck speaker in my SSP system. Just extend the wire back to each side. Being (I believe) the ASK amp powers all speakers, I was thinking this would be an additional improvement. Want to replace the door 8" woofer and the 4.5" mid-range speakers and then add the 6.5" in the back. Just not sure what to buy yet. See pics of where and what my idea is (first template draft shown)
![Hood Vehicle Motor vehicle Automotive design Wood]()
![Road surface Hood Asphalt Bumper Floor]()
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