You will not find many aftermarket hi-fi systems in Porsche sports cars these days, and there are three good reasons why.
Firstly, many owners do not want to “alter” the original state of their cars’ interior. Secondly, the factory-fitted Bose system is good enough for most. Finally, there is really not much space for any additional hi-fi components.
Victor, the owner of this yellow Porsche Cayman, thinks differently. And so does Eddie, the car audio guru at Aeon Customs.
The result is a specially-tailored system consisting of (deep breaths): six speakers, two subwoofers, three amplifiers, a 6-channel line output converter and a multichannel audio processor packed into one Porsche Cayman.
Victor also owns a Volkswagen Golf GTI. And after it had a full, customised hi-fi set-up designed and installed by Eddie, he was convinced that he wanted something similar done to his Cayman.
At Victor’s requests (he wanted the original headunit retained, and he loved vocals as well as a strong and tight bass), Eddie set about to design a bespoke set-up which suited the tight confines of the Cayman.
For vocals to be crystal clear and melodic, and with great separation no less, an active three-way front set-up was needed. For this mission, Singapore’s first set of Vibe Space 5 3D components speaker system was enlisted.
These gorgeously constructed speakers, comprising tweeters, mid ranges and woofers, were custom-installed in the door panels. And from the photos, you can clearly see that they blend so well with the original panels that they looked as if they had come straight from Finland.
Driving these beauties were three Vibe Black Box II two-way amplifiers. This meant that each speaker had a dedicated channel – that’s six channels for six speakers – thus allowing for optimal tuning, making this a truly versatile set-up.
The original headunit is a pretty good piece of kit by any standard. But to meet Eddie’s exacting standards, an Audio Control LC6i 6-channel line output converter and Alpine’s renowned PXA-H701 multichannel audio processor were introduced.
What these two components do is to “clean up”, discern and direct each and every frequency – from the headunit to the right amplifier, so as to achieve the proper separation; exactly the kind of stuff audiophiles covet.
And, best of all, the built-in time alignment allowed each note and nuance in the tune to “arrive” at both the driver and passenger at the same time, with good staging.
Rounding up the install, as well as taking care of Victor’s request for “boom-booms”, are slim yet powerful eight-inch active subwoofers located below each seat.
The amplifiers, line driver and multimedia manager were beautifully installed in the “boot” of the car and covered up by customised Perspex covers with laser-etched graphics. Swathed in warm and inviting LEDs, they look gorgeous, especially at night.
For the sound test, I first played the Eagles’ Hotel California. And when the drums started beating, right after the guitar intro, each and every bass note reverberated cleanly and powerfully through the cabin.
When it was time for Don Henley to sing, his trademark husky voice seemed to come straight out from just above the dash’s centre.
Next on the test playlist was Foreplay from Fourplay’s first self-titled album – a track noted for its fast-changing rhythm and pace. Again, the set-up coped with it admirably – from the bass solo to the synchronised drumming and keyboards, everything blended beautifully.
For some, having an eye-catching hi-fi set-up is most crucial. For others, how the set-up plays music is the top priority.
Without sounding (too) cliché, this set-up is really the “best of both worlds”. It marries style and substance excellently. And I, or anyone for that matter, would be hard pressed to fault it.
THE LIST
Audio Control LC61
6-channel line output converter
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Alpine PXA-H701
Multichannel audio processor
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3 x Vibe Blackbox II
2-channel power amplifier
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2x Vibe Space 5 3D
Component speaker system
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2 x 8” Slim
Active subwoofer
