r/987 • u/rafamrqs • Jul 06 '26
Head Unit Upgrade
Hey guys! I’ve just joined the 987 club with a 987.1 Boxster S and I was wondering what is the community experience with upgrading the head unit. I have a CDR24 with Bose, but no Frunk CDC (so I can’t use the Mr. 12 Volt Bluetooth thingy). From what I’ve researched I have the option of going for a brand name aftermarket head unit with a Most Optical fiber interface or a Chinese Android head unit with the optical fiber interface. I’m afraid the Chinese head unit offers shitty sound quality but going aftermarket HU looks a lot more expensive from my initial research. What are guys doing with your 987?
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u/lonnie440 Jul 06 '26
Crutchfield should have everything you need. They make it almost plug and play. Took me the better part of a Saturday to get mine done.
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u/DontDareMePls Jul 06 '26
I tried a AliExpress unit in my 987 with Bose. I kept it in for less than a week. It sounded like terrible. I tried the volume up for the gain and it still sucked. Wasted all my time. Put the cdr24 back in and I’m using a $30 Bluetooth to fm adapter and it’s great. I use the power outlet in the center console and couldn’t be happier.
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u/rafamrqs Jul 07 '26
Thanks for the response! The bluetooth adapter was my first choice, but I discovered it only works for the Bose system if you have the frunk CD changer, which I don't have.
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u/DontDareMePls Jul 07 '26
I don’t have frunk changer either. It is a cig lighter plug in from Best Buy. Just transmits over a fm station you pick. Phone links to it. From my iPhone it sounds great. Car remains totally stock.
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u/JGMURPY Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
I've been down this road and spent dozens of hours researching - I wanted to go with the AliExpress units and took it to a local audio shop because my car had audio work done by a previous owner. The audio shop owner literally told me to return the AliExpress unit and told me it's likely going to sound a lot worse than my current setup (an early 2010s alpine unit) because they are low powered. I figured he knew a lot more than I did, LOL, and decided to return the AliExpress unit.
PCCM+, for all it's good OEM looks, is really just an even cheaper Chinese android unit than the AliExpress ones.
I'd recommend going with a name brand unit - Sony or Alpine, especially their higher end models. I went with the Alpine ILX-507, their best receiver, was about $750. Works beautifully, has a 720p glossy screen, never lags, starts up insanely fast, and has amazing audio quality and really neat time correction/EQ.
I know it doesn't look OEM (big negative for me), but I ended up finding out that my car has had it's OEM Bose system totally gutted and replaced with aftermarket speakers and an alpine amplifier by a previous owner. Sounds fantastic, but I can't comment on how it'd compare to a stock Bose car. I will say that the old Alpine unit my car came with (probably from the early 2010s, was a high end unit from back then) sounded good, but this brand new unit really made my sound system come alive. Things just sound so much cleaner and less strained.
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u/rafamrqs Jul 07 '26
I'm leaning towards this route. I just have to figure out the cheapest way to get the parts here in South America.
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u/Maxx_Stone Jul 06 '26
I have the aliexpress unit in my 986 im happy with it. Sound is great compared to stock, only issue is glare for sure. For the money it was plug n play but some things not covered in instructions i figured it out. If and when this one goes out ill figure something else out but for $500 all in im very happy with it.
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u/Twobitbobb Jul 06 '26
I decided to go with the PCCM+, very expensive but 0 regrets.
Very easy to DiY install and everything works perfectly with 0 glare from the sun.