Porsche Audio Upgrade for Westminster Speed Demo Vehicle

The Westminster Speed and Sound team has always believed that having a demo vehicle in the showroom is one of the best ways to show clients the options available for their car or truck. Our latest demo car is this stunning Shark Blue 2023 Porsche 718 Spyder. We have several upgrades planned for the car, but let’s start by taking a good look at the upgraded Porsche audio system we designed and installed.

Porsche Audio System Speaker Upgrade

The first order of business in upgrading the audio system in our Porsche 718 was to replace the speakers with new units from Helix. We mounted a set of Compose-Series Ci7 W200FM-S3 8-inch woofers and a set of matching Ci7 M100FM-S3 4-inch midrange speakers in the stock locations in each door. A set of Compose Ci7-T20FM-SC tweeters were installed in the dash locations near the base of the windshield. A Brax GL2 2-inch dome midrange serves as the center-channel upgrade. We created a custom mounting bracket for this speaker from expanded PVC plastic. With the Compose FlexMount brackets and FlexConnect wiring adapters, all speaker upgrades use factory locations and fasteners. As such, the vehicle can be returned to its original condition with no trace of the modifications.

While keeping road noise down with a Spyder is challenging, we wanted to maximize the speakers’ performance. We treated the outer sheet metal to a layer of our WSS damping material, and we added a layer of SoundShield sound deadening to the inner door panels to cut down potential vibrations or wire harness rattles.

All-Digital Factory Radio Interface

We wanted to keep the vehicle looking as original as possible inside, so there was no plan to replace the factory-installed infotainment system. We flashed the radio to Bose specifications and activated its optical output. The fiber-optic cable connects to a NAV-TV Zen Audio interface to convert the MOST signal to a stereo SP/DIF signal. The Zen Audio interface connects directly to the optical input on a Helix V8DSP eight-channel amplifier. The Helix amplifier is mounted under the passenger seat. All the wiring is routed under the carpet along the factory paths to ensure safety and security.

Audio System Tuning – The Icing on the Cake

Choosing good equipment and properly integrating it into the vehicle are crucial to creating a high-quality sound system. How that equipment is configured is paramount to the accuracy and realism of the sound system. We set the crossovers in the digital signal processor in the Helix amp to optimize the performance of the three-way Helix speaker system and feed a dedicated signal to the Brax center channel. Then we adjusted the output level of each speaker and equalized the response at the listening positions to deliver smooth and accurate sound.

The 8-inch woofers do an impressive job of recreating bass frequencies, while the midrange and high-frequency drivers render vocals with amazing clarity. Best of all, the system can play loudly without distorting – so it’s a blast whether the top’s up or down. 

If you’re looking for an audio system upgrade for your vehicle that will make you feel like you’re sitting at the console of a world-class recording studio, drop by our store and speak with a member of our award-winning team. We’ll evaluate your goals, then use our experience to design a solution that will exceed your expectations. You can audition this Porsche audio system upgrade if the car isn’t at a show or event. If you can’t get to our store during regular business hours, feel free to give us a call or use our contact page to send us an email.