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Sound Options - Debate / Thoughts.


runner

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Hiya,

Would you say that DAB is necessary or is an FM only, well AM / FM good enough in peoples' opinion?

Second sound question please too ... does Porsche have an option for using a Bluetooth phone to stream from your phone ?  Or do they only offer the socket in the glove box that plugs into the headphone socket, when the main head unit wont let you control the music on the phone ?

Thirdly, what's the "Jukebox" option ... I've seen it on adverts and don't know what that is please ?

Thanks once again ... sorry for so many questions, but the only way for me to learn ;o)

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I have the BOSE option on mine, which I bought secondhand at about 13 months old. I have owned it since Christmas last year. It has the jukebox option I think. 

I have never turned the sound system on. I have never used the Sat nav. 

I have a  6piece band behind me to listen too. ?

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DAB is very much a personal choice. If you like the channels that are only on DAB (like BBC 6 Music or 4 Extra), it's the only way to get them. The "normal" channels sound pretty much the same to me on FM as they do on DAB but DAB can suffer a lot from dropouts (silence) in weaker signal areas where FM might only go a bit crackly.

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I love the DAB in my new Passat company car daily. RadioX is a treat and the quality and coverage for the channels is brilliant. 

I don't need or want it in the Porsche. Almost pointless in an open top car with a wonderful engine/exhaust sound.

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I have/had DAB and Bose on both my 981s and would recommend them if you like music or talk channels like Talksport. The sound is clearer and better. However, like most things in life, its what you prefer that is most important.

 

 

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DAB was an essential to me as I listen to Planet Rock a lot and it is only on DAB. If you only listed to FM channels then don't bother with dab, the sound quality is no better IMO.

I use my boxster as a daily driver so all the talk of radio not being needed is nonsense in this case. Yeh the engine may sound great but not so much on idle in a traffic jam!

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I hired a brand new BMW X5 recently. It had DAB.  Changing from FM to DAB for the same radio station revealed FM to be far better. Clearer,  livelier and better stereo separation. I always thought DAB was supposed to be superior. That's certainly not my experience. 

 

And,  by the way,  that wasn't just one go at one location. I tried numerous different times at different locations... Just in case it was a signal issue. 

 

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DAB - I'd spec it on a new car and love it in my BMW.  However my 981 doesn't have it but I survive perfectly well. ?

Bluetooth - Yes you can stream via your phone by selecting  'AUX BT' (need to have a BT phone connected for it to appear).  You can stream most DAB stations (and more) from an app so negates the drama of no DAB.

Jukebox - a 40GB(?) internal hard drive that allows you to copy music to.  See my reply to your other post, USB stick can provide the same functionality if your PCM is an early one.

HTH

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Hi Simo,

so the Aux BT on,y works if you have a BT mobile phone ? I'm surprised that Porsche decided to get into bed with BT only and design / limit a useful Bluetooth option to people with BT only mobiles ?

Apprciate you taking the time to explain this limitation ... Thanks ! 

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the BT (bluetooth) has bitstreaming control support so if you link your device to the car you can use the stalk to flick through tracks in your right window -or- use the touchscreen. I have mine hooked up to spotify and use the stalk to walk through tracks etc. so you dont have to take your eyes off the road and you can just sling your phone into the glovebox. Off topic (ish) but the standard PCM I had in the loaner is awful the screen resolution is terrible - definately dont get a car without the upgrade. Also the default sound system is woeful get the plus or bose (little to chose between the 2 imo)

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49 minutes ago, toocan said:

the BT (bluetooth) has bitstreaming control support so if you link your device to the car you can use the stalk to flick through tracks in your right window -or- use the touchscreen. I have mine hooked up to spotify and use the stalk to walk through tracks etc. so you dont have to take your eyes off the road and you can just sling your phone into the glovebox. Off topic (ish) but the standard PCM I had in the loaner is awful the screen resolution is terrible - definately dont get a car without the upgrade. Also the default sound system is woeful get the plus or bose (little to chose between the 2 imo)

Thanks for this Toocan ... how do you know if a car has the "upgraded" version as opposed to the "awful screen resolution" type ... be useful for a newbie to know that please ?

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21 hours ago, The Caped Crusader said:

I hired a brand new BMW X5 recently. It had DAB.  Changing from FM to DAB for the same radio station revealed FM to be far better. Clearer,  livelier and better stereo separation. I always thought DAB was supposed to be superior. That's certainly not my experience. 

 

And,  by the way,  that wasn't just one go at one location. I tried numerous different times at different locations... Just in case it was a signal issue. 

 

Yes. In theory fm radio is the best possible sound reproduction with a good receiver and a live broadcast with good signal quality (better than vinyl, cd, etc) 

dab == mp3

fm == vinyl

But dab gives you lots of stations not available on fm, and in a good reception area sound quality is acceptable IMO.

 

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9 hours ago, runner said:

Thanks for this Toocan ... how do you know if a car has the "upgraded" version as opposed to the "awful screen resolution" type ... be useful for a newbie to know that please ?

The situation is complicated because Porsche changed the 981 spec from I think 2013, but I think the way to tell is probably as follows:

If you have satnav (MAP & NAVI buttons under the screen) then you have PCM, which has the "high-resolution touchscreen". From 2013 on this also included the Jukebox (as Simo_UK pointed out on your other thread, early 981 PCMs didn't have the Jukebox). I think all 981 models with PCM included the USB socket in the glovebox.

If you don't have satnav but do still have a USB slot in the glovebox, then I think this means you have CDR+ which was introduced in 2013, and also has the high resolution screen. As well as the USB facility and the hi-res screen, CDR+ had more speakers than the base system (though this can also be affected if Bose etc has also been added), playback of MP3 CDs and display of coverart. I think it also has a digital radio (which even the POCM doesn't have as standard).

If you don't have the satnav or the USB socket, then I think that means you have the base CDR system, which still has a touchscreen but one which Porsche don't describe as "high resolution". I've never seen this for real so I don't know what it looks like (toocan obviously wasn't impressed!), but given that the CDR system doesn't have to display maps (or probably album cover art), then presumably Porsche thought it was good enough.

If you want more detail or to check to be sure whether what I've said is right, then search online for the Boxster 981 brochures as PDFs. There are different versions for 2011 and 2013 (as well as later years, though I'm not sure if there were significant changes in this area in later years).

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21 hours ago, Simo_UK said:

DAB - I'd spec it on a new car and love it in my BMW.  However my 981 doesn't have it but I survive perfectly well. ?

Bluetooth - Yes you can stream via your phone by selecting  'AUX BT' (need to have a BT phone connected for it to appear).  You can stream most DAB stations (and more) from an app so negates the drama of no DAB.

Jukebox - a 40GB(?) internal hard drive that allows you to copy music to.  See my reply to your other post, USB stick can provide the same functionality if your PCM is an early one.

HTH

what he said...except I dont have BMW :) and wasn't overly impressed with DAB in a 14 plate Cayman I had recently

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i have DAB in my SEAT...if im honest its a pain in the ar*e.... as you loose signal v easily,much prefer FM

Si

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7 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

....[Mel Smith] Yes, but how do I listen to my old 78s?

Mel smith as in "not the 9 o'clock news" ? :)

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most uk broadcasts are 80kbps to 128kbps as a quality measure 128 is the same as cassette tape 192kbps is cd quality - no one broadcasts at 192 afaik. DAB in principle is excellent idea but the bitrate should be 192 minumum. Your better off just streaming internet radio or using spotify/tidal

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