That looks kinda neat, @orbit398 -- especially as you have the space back there. You may want to test that out and see how it sounds -- as that's easy enough to do. Just watch for the ohms per the rear vs. what's OEM (I think).
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!
21 - 40 of 75 Posts
@DS3 - Happy to help if I can. I ran into a major issue tonight the dash tweeters are not fitting; a lot of people have been able to easily shuck the earlier versions where they just drop in. These appear very glued together; unclear if I want to potentially sacrifice these (they'd run $100 to replace). We'll see...
@orbit398 - I'll keep you posted per a few pics and the ASK amp wiring coming into the door.
Stay tuned.
@orbit398 - I'll keep you posted per a few pics and the ASK amp wiring coming into the door.
Stay tuned.
So did you use any special harness adapter from the sony to the ASK? (Something like you might get at crutchfield, etc..?)
Metra 70-9003 Receiver Wiring Harness
Connect a new car stereo in select 2001-12 BMW, Mercedes, Mini, Porsche, Pontiac, and Volkswagen vehicles
www.crutchfield.com
And keep those photos coming!
Generally speaking, I would NOT remove any crossover or capacitor that is already part of the new speaker. These are likely there to protect the speaker, after all... no sense in removing it as it could cause the speaker to fail, and then it won't be warrantied.
That said, I would like to know what is actually there (on the 8" speaker)... as it may be more than just a capacitor? If it's just a cap, if you can read the value, we can likely determine what it's doing and how low it will filter (we'd need to know the speaker impedance as well to calculate this).
For the 8", you could probably get away with removing it... as they are not as sensitive to low frequencies. The tweeter, however, WILL be more sensitive, and could blow out without the capacitor... ask me how I know
That said, I would like to know what is actually there (on the 8" speaker)... as it may be more than just a capacitor? If it's just a cap, if you can read the value, we can likely determine what it's doing and how low it will filter (we'd need to know the speaker impedance as well to calculate this).
For the 8", you could probably get away with removing it... as they are not as sensitive to low frequencies. The tweeter, however, WILL be more sensitive, and could blow out without the capacitor... ask me how I know
If you look at Suncoast for the replacement components, this is the stock tweeter.
www.suncoastparts.com
Tough to read the part number, but looks like 7PP 035 4??
You can also read what looks like "997 645 021" in there.
Cross-referencing porsche parts, looks like it might be the one, but it may very well just be a stock pic of any porsche tweeter and NOT the specific one for the 987. Is this what it looks like, @foodbiker ?
www.sunsetporscheparts.com
![Peripheral Camera accessory Gadget Audio equipment Automotive wheel system]()
Dashboard Tweeter - Standard
Check out the deal on Dashboard Tweeter - Standard at Suncoast Porsche Parts & Accessories
www.suncoastparts.com
Tough to read the part number, but looks like 7PP 035 4??
You can also read what looks like "997 645 021" in there.
Cross-referencing porsche parts, looks like it might be the one, but it may very well just be a stock pic of any porsche tweeter and NOT the specific one for the 987. Is this what it looks like, @foodbiker ?
2005-2012 Porsche Inst Panel Speaker 997-645-021-00 | Sunset Porsche Parts
2005-2012 Porsche part # 997-645-021-00 - Inst Panel Speaker
www.sunsetporscheparts.com
21 - 40 of 75 Posts
