Not sure how to fit all that audio you want into such a small vehicle? Maybe we can offer some ideas… A client contacted us about upgrading the audio system in his 2000 Porsche 911 Carrera convertible. As you may notice, Porsche coupes generally do not have much room to work with when adding aftermarket audio upgrades, especially when that coupe is a convertible. This article will show the route we decided to take to get this project just where our client wanted it to be.
The Sony stereo was a great way to head the full stereo system, providing a quality sound, great user interface and delivering a sleek new look to the Porsche interior. A SafetyFirst back-up camera was also added to help ease the reversing and parking processes. The rest of the audio system was factory, aside from the dash speakers previously being replaced. The speaker called for tweeters and 3.5-4” midrange speakers in the dash, 6.5” mid-bass speakers in the doors (with molded speaker pods), and speakers in the rear quarter panels. The rear speakers were deleted due to the fact that the client was fine with covering up the mounting positions with the custom enclosure.
Product used…
· Sony 7” Touchscreen Stereo
· Audio Dynamics 6-Channel Amplifier
· Audio Dynamics 3” 3000 Series Mid-range Speakers
· Audio Dynamics 6.5” 3000 Series Component Speakers
· Audio Dynamics 12” 1100 Series Subwoofers
· SafetyFirst Back-up Camera System
· XKGlow LED Lighting & Control Kit
· HushMat Sound Deadener & Foam
· Stinger OFC Wire & Interconnects
All components in the new stereo system were wired using high quality Stinger Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) wiring and RCA interconnects. We decided to replace all available speakers in the front of the Porsche with Audio Dynamics speakers. Custom mounting plates were built in place of the factory dash grilles where the new Audio Dynamics 1” tweeter and 3” mid-range are now installed. Adding the Audio Dynamics 6.5” speakers to the doors proved to be a bit more work than the dash speaker mounts. It was necessary to remove the existing front baffle of the door speaker pods and plastic weld a .5” piece of ABS to the front that would help to properly fit our new driver into the factory location.
For this small vehicle, we powered the front speakers and the sub-stage using a single Audio Dynamics amplifier, which allows for plenty of audio volume output on the road. The factory amplifier is traditionally located in the front boot of this Porsche, so it only seemed right for us to install the new 6-channel amplifier into the factory position, with the passive crossovers installed close to the amplifier on the custom amp rack. The rear seat was deleted to house the 12” subwoofers that were built into a custom fiberglass enclosure and covered with a custom LIS Audio dress panel.
True Porsche leather was used on the aftermarket dress panels to match the factory Porsche interior. We removed the factory door speaker grilles to open up the sound, and look, we then added our custom pressed LIS Audio grilles to this section. Similarly, pressed grilles were added to the subwoofer dress panel to protect them from any foreign objects. Along with these open spaces allotted to see the new components, we added some XKGlow LED accent lighting that offers control from a smartphone app. A Porsche emblem was also 3D printed and professionally painted to accent the sub-stage build and dress panels. We swapped the headlights as well, for an even more updated look.
Overall, this system sounds and looks fantastic. Our client was exceptionally happy with the results of the upgrades and will be back for more with other vehicles. For us, the best part about builds like this is adding the factory styling to the custom work as to confuse other car enthusiasts as to whether the vehicle came with the upgraded package originally, or not. In this case, it may take more than just a common auto enthusiast to recognize the audio system was custom built, and that’s just how we like it! Hopefully you’ve found some inspiration or maybe even a bit of knowledge reading up on this build!
Thank you for reading our How-To blog! Make sure to follow the LIS Audio Blog to see what we will feature next!! Find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube!!
Contact LIS Audio if you have any questions…
Call: (913) 912- 6990
E-mail: info@lisaudio.com
Website: http://www.lisaudio.com
631 A-Line Dr, Spring Hill, KS 66083, USA
If you have a drop-top with less room than the one in our article, there are still other options. Check out this ’98 Porsche Boxster we added an audio system to…
LIS Audio Blogs 