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993 Head unit replacement

Windy101

Well-known member
Joined
5 Jun 2015
Messages
315
My 993 has a very dated and distasteful Kenwood stereo from when the original packed up and was binned in about 2002.

I am looking for a better looking replacement and have been looking at this.

https://www.bergvillfx.com/index.php/products/car-audio/dab-radios/continental-cdd7418ub-or.html

I am however slightly unsure about what involved in fitting. There is talk of a nokia amp and different ways of wiring the thing up.

Can anybody help clarify the situation.

Also interested in suggestions for alternative head units. To be clear though I am not really interested in top quality hifi, just something that looks decent and sounds ok.
 
I can not comment on the Conti you have linked, but..,

I had a similar issue with my 964 and opted for a Becker unit, which is a fairly well worn path.

Becker are Porsche OEM suppliers and produced the headunits for the 996 and perhaps the 993 :?: someone will be along shortly to confirm or not.

I went for a traffic Pro, its low key, has the benefit of nav, works well with the interior and fitting was straight forward.
 
I have the non-DAB version of this and am very happy. I went non-DAB as I didn't want another aerial. My aerial connection is a bit iffy but, given that, the radio is excellent and very good for iPhone connection via Bluetooth (rarely use) and USB (use a lot).

Simple to connect but very tight once in - you don't want to get it wrong. PM me for more. I had a Sony with a shedload of connections and this just clicks into the original Porsche block, assuming yours have not been cut off. DIN and stuff.

Beckers are great if you have the money and can find one.
 

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I'm looking at fitting a BE7941 in my 996. When I get the job done I'll report back, I suspect it would be similar on the 993.

MC
 
MC - I have also fitted a Traffic Pro in my 996, its a straight swap, the multiplug comes out of your CDR and fits into the new unit.

The only thing you will need to add is a sat nav Ariel, I located mine under the cover where the alarm LED sits.
 
Windy101 said:
I am however slightly unsure about what involved in fitting. There is talk of a nokia amp and different ways of wiring the thing up.

Can anybody help clarify the situation?.

You will only have the Nokia amp under the driver's seat if your car has the 'hi fi sound system option' Look in the front of your service book for the Vehicle Identification sticker. If it has option code '490' then you have the Nokia amp.

Another way to tell if you have the hi fi sound option is the speaker 'pods' added to the door pockets are big and bulbous with the speakers mounted in them rather than on the door card as per the standard system.
 
The Continental is an extremely good unit - almost bought one.

I've put Beckers in mine. I recently had a Cascade installed which I bought on eBay - it wasn't cheap, but looks great, sounds great and the sat nav is easy to use. I took it to a local ICE specialist who installed it for me and ensured the speedpulse was working properly for the satnav - you can also by update discs for a Becker through navigation.com.

Its all personal preference, but I don't like using a separate sat nav, so like Becker units. Indianapolis units are fetching around £200 - £300 on Ebay at the moment.
 

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The continental head units are made by VDO (the same make as our instruments) and available direct from the manafacturer branded as VDO here.
http://www.vdo.com/special-vehicles/audio-products/audio-products/

I've had one of these for about 18 months, replacing the original Sony. It was a complete hornets nest behind the old unit, so I paid a local auto electrician about £50 to fit it for me. I also purchased a very small USB stick and loaded all my music onto that. It only protrudes about 5mm out of the front of the unit. As others have said the radio is great, I also replaced the speaker's as they were shot.
 
Thanks for the trust in our Continental head units guys!

Please be aware that the original Porsche ISO connectors are a bit different from the Continental. Permanent and switched 12V are swapped, so you will either need to modify the original ISO A power connector, or use an adapter for plug-and-play connection. We stock the latter, as well as a similar wire adapter for use in 993's with option code 490 Hi-Fi solution.

We have already sold a lot of these units to the UK, NZ and Australia, mostly the 7418 unit with the added DAB+ tuner. However, the 7412 unit is very popular in the US and eslewhere.

We also stock a PORSCHE sticker for use with these radios, making them look completely OEM. PM me before any ordering, and I'll include it for free for 911UK forum members.

Cheers,
Tore
 
I too replaced a shot OEM Sony with a modern Kenwood about 5 years ago. It does everything you want, but just doesn't look right somehow.....
I think I'll just get Xmas out of the way and order one of these myself - especially now Tore will supply the Porsche sticker too :thumb:
 
I recently binned a full-on in-your-face Kenwood based system for the subtle charms of a Becker Indanapolis Pro (Amber) with the final generation ipod connector (which cost me four times the price of the Indi from ebay - a unit I'd picked up cheap about 4 years ago). Looks good and sounds good too. I can now see why folk go wild for them - they do look 'factory' even given the last units they made were in 2009 (or was it 2008?). Funnily enough my car was supplied new with a Sony head unit. Even though it was a Porsche approved fitment it always looked wrong and out of place!
 
I installed a Continental about 18 months ago, very happy with it. With DAB it means you can actually get some stations! Connectors for me at least were plug & play, no issues.

Only issue from my perspective is that the USB won't charge an iPhone.
 
The Conti USB output is capable of delivering 0.5A, this is sufficient for slow charging on most telephones. It works fine with my Samsung Galaxy.
As far as I know does Apple have a resistor arrangement in the USB output of their chargers to make their customers buy their products only.
Maybe you are able to find a USB charging lead with inbuilt Apple-specific resistors?
Cheers,
Tore
 
ToreB said:
The Conti USB output is capable of delivering 0.5A, this is sufficient for slow charging on most telephones. It works fine with my Samsung Galaxy.
As far as I know does Apple have a resistor arrangement in the USB output of their chargers to make their customers buy their products only.
Maybe you are able to find a USB charging lead with inbuilt Apple-specific resistors?
Cheers,
Tore

Many thanks for the response Tore, appreciated :thumb:

Once it's back out of storage I'll try my work Samsung.

Not sure about the resistors, I assume all you can do is try a variety of cables :?:

Cheers
 
Does it not bother anyone that the face can't be removed from the Continental / VDO?
 

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