6 channel amp, anyone?

[matthewjamesdunn]

Hey guys, anyone know of anyone whos looking to sell a HAES 6-channel amp? If theres none out there anyone know of a decent 6 channel amp I could throw in the boxster that's not gonna require any crazy mods. Not looking for a ton of juice either. 40 to 50 watts per channel would be fine. Thanks in advance.

Matt

[Cassiebox]

Hey guys, anyone know of anyone whos looking to sell a HAES 6-channel amp? If theres none out there anyone know of a decent 6 channel amp I could throw in the boxster that's not gonna require any crazy mods. Not looking for a ton of juice either. 40 to 50 watts per channel would be fine. Thanks in advance.

Matt

there was one on ebay last weekend that ended w/ 0 bidders and a price of $.99 + like $20 shipping. Might search on recently ended auctions and contact the seller directly. Good luck :)

[KevinH90]

Here's the item number for one on eBay now: 260209150285

It was for sale when I bought mine. If that doesn't work, search for "Porsche amp" on eBay.

I installed my six-channel amp last Saturday. I think it makes a noticeable improvement in listening experience.

[matthewjamesdunn]

Thanks fellas, I found it.

Matt

[Cassiebox]

Matt-

As an FYI, make sure the amp you buy matches the system you have (i.e. M490 or M680) as they are not cross compatible. FWIW, I have a transplanted 996 6x40 amp in my '99 986. It's nice to have and the swap was easy but in reality don't over pay for one. They truly aren't worth more than $50-$60 delivered. I've seen people bid them up over $100 and at that price, you can easily get something aftermarket which will fit your needs much better. Good luck ;)

[matthewjamesdunn]

Good point. Not sure which system I have. I have an aftermarket eclipse head unit and the stock 6 CD changer under the hood. I was planning on spending around $75 for the 6 channel on ebay but if there is some other aftermarket 6 channel amp that works good in a boxster let me know. Like I said, doesn't have to put out tons of juice.

Matt

[geoff]

As an FYI, make sure the amp you buy matches the system you have (i.e. M490 or M680) as they are not cross compatible. FWIW, I have a transplanted 996 6x40 amp in my '99 986. It's nice to have and the swap was easy but in reality don't over pay for one. They truly aren't worth more than $50-$60 delivered. I've seen people bid them up over $100 and at that price, you can easily get something aftermarket which will fit your needs much better. Good luck ;)

I searched and couldn't really find a good answer... My '01 2.7 has the door subwoofers as stock, so I think I have the 4x40 amp. From what I've read, I'll get the best bass from the doors with the fader set to the middle. If I pick up a 6x60 amp on fleabay, trim off some connector tabs to it to fit, will the sound be any different? Or will I just have the bragging rights that come with a 6x60 amp? Will the 6x60 amp only provide a benefit in conjunction with adding rear speakers to the storage box?

[Cassiebox]

To answer you both.......

The 6x40 amp is really only beneficial to those w/ rear speakers so they can be powered by the amp equally w/ the rest of the system. Otherwise people run the rears off the h/u which is only 18W. Basically, it's the same as the 4x40 stock amp just 2 extra channels. Still has the crossover for the door speakers (only sends them lows) and is only 40W. To transplant, yes all you need to do is trim off 2 tabs in the 6x40 amp (very easy) so it accepts the 4x40 harness in the car and run the rear speaker leads to the harness.

M490 and M680 are based on different architectures. In a nutshell, the M680 is the DSP (Digital Sound Processing - IIRC) set up which includes the 'batwing' controller (in console) to create different "accoustics". If you're still unsure which you have, you can either unbolt your existing amp from the front trunk wall and read the label or look at your options sticker - both are clearly marked as either M490 or M680.

Now, having said all that remember..... the weakest link in most OEM sound sytems (believe me Porsche is not an exception but more like epitome of the rule) are speakers. Then the amp and finally components. Simply put, the stock speakers Porsche uses are C-R-A-P. The speaker from a Days Inn alarm clock could put them to shame..... small magnets, paper cones, little range.

If your serious about upgrading your sound system without spending a fortune, change out the speakers - dash and doors. Dash will take 4.25" and require some quick/easy mods to fit as the OEM is a molded basket (much info in the archives here - especially under DIY Section - Upgrading Boxsters Sound Sytem post by Andy M).

The door OEM "tuned" port takes 5.25". You can take the long route, like I did, and try to find better sounding 5.25". Almost all fit.... none sounded better (2 sets were worse, 1 was same as OEM). Hold up here is power and range. 5.25" speakers, by their very nature (b/c of size), can't produce low end w/out lots of power. Lots of power takes takes you back to the amp - 40W peak is not considered lots. So..... the alternative is to upgrade to 6.5" or 6.75" (plenty of room too). 6.5 or 6.75s can produce lower frequencies w/ out nearly as much power. Make sure you get efficient speakers (high sensitivity rating 92dB+ and low resistance - 2ohm w/ a range below 50kHz) so you can maximize the 40W you have available from the amp. Using some plywood and sound deadner (Dynamat et al) make a baffle to mount them on and install in OEM location - even using only the OEM mounting holes if you like. Again, much info in the archives here - especially under DIY Section - Upgrading Boxsters Sound Sytem post by Andy M. There's even a template for the baffle there ;)

With only a few hours (and seriously I mean only a few) and for under $300 you can have a sound system in your Boxster that looks stock but sounds great. Who would of thunk hearing bass w/ the top down at hwy speeds was even possible :o .

Good luck and very rewarding :)

[koendp]

Well, it happens that I bought myself an M490 6 channel amp to drive the rear speakers instead of from the becker unit.

The 6 channel amp came without any manual or so. I guess I can swap it straight with my 986 M490 4 channel amp?

In that case does anyone has the pin-numbers to be used for the rear speakers?

Thanks.

I was kind of disappointed with the rear speaker volume when I originally installed them (PNP which are presumably better than the stock ones) and hope to get a better sound distribution now.

Searching through the forum, the only pin numbers that came up were 5 and 15 plus 6 and 16 for the rear speakers.

Can anyone confirm those?

Edited June 5, 2008 by Koen De Poorter

[Cassiebox]

Searching through the forum, the only pin numbers that came up were 5 and 15 plus 6 and 16 for the rear speakers.

Can anyone confirm those?

Those were the correct ones for me (MY'99) and I think they hold true thru MY'02 but might change w/ the MOST intro in '03. :)

[kbrandsma]

You will need to shave off this tab on the white part of the amp.

Here is the pin asignment. Make sure you check and recheck. Once pins are installed in the harness that attaches to the white receptacle, they are difficult to remove without a special tool.

[koendp]

You will need to shave off this tab on the white part of the amp.

Here is the pin asignment. Make sure you check and recheck. Once pins are installed in the harness that attaches to the white receptacle, they are difficult to remove without a special tool.

Thanks for the hints! I will report back when it's fixed. (will be a couple of weeks)

[Cassiebox]

You will need to shave off this tab on the white part of the amp.

Here is the pin asignment. Make sure you check and recheck. Once pins are installed in the harness that attaches to the white receptacle, they are difficult to remove without a special tool.

Thanks for the hints! I will report back when it's fixed. (will be a couple of weeks)

The pin #s are marked on the amp and harness. Depending on your level of "chronological advancement", you may or may not need a magnifying glass and flash light to see them ;)

Here are the pin # designations to put the rear speaker in phase w/ the fronts as well:

RL- 16

RL+ 6

RR- 15

RR+ 5

To trim the extra tab off the amp, just use and exacto or utility knife and slice it off. It will come off very easily and you don't need a perfect cut either, just get the majority of the tab off. Enjoy your new amp!

Edited June 6, 2008 by Cassiebox

[kbrandsma]

You will need to shave off this tab on the white part of the amp.

Here is the pin asignment. Make sure you check and recheck. Once pins are installed in the harness that attaches to the white receptacle, they are difficult to remove without a special tool.

Koen De Poorter

The Pin assignments I listed above are for the stock 6 channel amp in 2003 and 2004. Not all 6 channel amps will work. I believe the 996 Cabriolet Amp M490 is the only other one that will work and that PIN assignment is different. What AMP are you using?

[koendp]

The Pin assignments I listed above are for the stock 6 channel amp in 2003 and 2004. Not all 6 channel amps will work. I believe the 996 Cabriolet Amp M490 is the only other one that will work and that PIN assignment is different. What AMP are you using?

Hm, I bought a 996 Coupe M490 of eBay, I'm in the US for another 2 weeks so I can't check here. But it's definately no Cab one.

I don't know the year either, but maybe I can check with the partnumber when I get home.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Koen

[kbrandsma]

I took a closer look and it is:

HAES 6x40

996 Coupe M490

996.645.311.00

It sounds like you have the right one.

[Tool Pants]

This is from last year.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...504&hl=ebay

Here is the one I bought for my 1997. Not put in yet.

[Bristol]

Now, having said all that remember..... the weakest link in most OEM sound sytems (believe me Porsche is not an exception but more like epitome of the rule) are speakers. Then the amp and finally components.

I concur... I worked for Harman International for a decade and was their speaker cone expert. I can attest that the Porsche OEM speakers are pretty weak. Some old Mark Levinson Lexus speakers I have are MUCH more impressive than the Porsche units. I would change speakers first and then later look at the amp and other components as Cassiebox recommends.

I've got the OEM DSP system and quite honestly I think this is pretty good. I was working at the Harman automotive OEM headquarters when they acquired Becker. There was a lot of excitement about obtaining their time delay/phase alignment technology that's present in the Porsche DSP system (the "Position" selection). This may not seem like a big deal, but I thoroughly believe that time delay DSP can make a HUGE difference in sound quality. I competed in IASCA and USAC sound quality competitions in '96 and '99. I did okay in '96 but only won one show. In '99 I won six shows, including the Indiana state championships. The difference - an Alpine unit I added to do time delay control. It's pretty sweet that the Porsche DSP system has the same kind of technology already pre-tuned for three positions in the car. I think I'm going to add another amp and some subs to my car and I'm upgrading the OEM speakers, but I'm very hesitant to pull any of the other electronics. If I do it will only be to replace them with my own EQ, time delay, and surround sound processors.

[cbr786]

Now, having said all that remember..... the weakest link in most OEM sound sytems (believe me Porsche is not an exception but more like epitome of the rule) are speakers. Then the amp and finally components.

I concur... I worked for Harman International for a decade and was their speaker cone expert. I can attest that the Porsche OEM speakers are pretty weak. Some old Mark Levinson Lexus speakers I have are MUCH more impressive than the Porsche units. I would change speakers first and then later look at the amp and other components as Cassiebox recommends.

I've got the OEM DSP system and quite honestly I think this is pretty good. I was working at the Harman automotive OEM headquarters when they acquired Becker. There was a lot of excitement about obtaining their time delay/phase alignment technology that's present in the Porsche DSP system (the "Position" selection). This may not seem like a big deal, but I thoroughly believe that time delay DSP can make a HUGE difference in sound quality. I competed in IASCA and USAC sound quality competitions in '96 and '99. I did okay in '96 but only won one show. In '99 I won six shows, including the Indiana state championships. The difference - an Alpine unit I added to do time delay control. It's pretty sweet that the Porsche DSP system has the same kind of technology already pre-tuned for three positions in the car. I think I'm going to add another amp and some subs to my car and I'm upgrading the OEM speakers, but I'm very hesitant to pull any of the other electronics. If I do it will only be to replace them with my own EQ, time delay, and surround sound processors.

ME TOO I WILL HAVE SOME OF THAT ACTION