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997 Microphone & retrofit HU?

997-Josh

Member
Joined
12 Jan 2018
Messages
17
Good evening all,

This is my first post here as I have recently become a proud owner of a 997.2 C2S. I hope it's in the right area.

As part of the initial work I'm looking to do on the car, I've decided I will swap out the old PCM system (it's a little 'tired' to say the least) for a new Sony XAV-AX100 headunit.

My only gripe is that the unit comes with its own microphone, which I've heard is relatively poor. I also see it as a bit pointless to upgrade to a new unit only to kill the modern 'aesthetic' of it with a bulbous looking cheap microphone stuck on somewhere.

The car was originally fitted with the Bluetooth kit and therefore has a manufacturer fitted microphone nestled somewhere. I'm just wondering if anyone has experience with rewriting this to a head unit, and if so what kind of audio out cable it has (and where)? The headunit input is a 2mm jack so if it is possible, I'm suspecting an adaptor may be necessary. Not sure if anyone knows of any appropriate schematics that could help me out?

Hugely appreciate your support and hope you all have a great weekend.

Many thanks
Josh
 
Does that Sony unit have DAB?

Have a look at these two as well. I have a pioneer in mine and is superb, but about to update it to one of these as they have DAB and mine doesn't!

kenwood dmx7017dabs
Pioneer avh z5000dab
 
2 other things, do you have Bose or non Bose car, steering wheel controls?

also, little tip, the amp turns on from what is effectively the electric aerial switch, and lots of connects2 leads and the like which you likely need don't connect it, so the amp doesn't turn on, and then you get no Bass. Easy to fix if you know about it!
 
DucatiRob said:
On the PCM 2.1 the microphone input is via Plug II and pins 20 (signal) and 7 (ground), maybe the same or similar on the later units. It would be fairly simple to tap off the plug and solder a 2mm jack. Might be worth checking the voltage but expect it should be the same/similar.

http://www.tehnomagazin.com/Auto-radio-car-connector/PORSCHE-Car-Radio-Wiring-Connector.htm

Appreciate this! I will pass it on to the electrician installing the unit. He comes recommended by my local Porsche specialist, though I'm not sure how simple of a job one would consider this.

resigner said:
Does that Sony unit have DAB?

Have a look at these two as well. I have a pioneer in mine and is superb, but about to update it to one of these as they have DAB and mine doesn't!

kenwood dmx7017dabs
Pioneer avh z5000dab

Unfortunately - it does not support DAB. I'm aware this will be a letdown for a lot of people. I chose the unit on considerable balance, it is by no means perfect - e.g. unlike some others it doesn't support wireless Carplay, it's not particularly customizable (although recently a developer has managed to access the firmware and produce some modifications that iron out some of the 'niggling' software features), it's a resistive touch screen - these are usually known for having terrible sun glare, although to be fair, most people say it's really good on this unit and you wouldn't tell it's resistive. If you use reverse cameras (I do not), the AX100 only supports one. I believe this may be corrected in the newer model recently released.

However - the unit itself has a very OEM feel to it, and is arguably the most aesthetically pleasing of all the aftermarket headunits. I know this isn't the most important point to all users though part of my initial gripe with the PCM unit is that I felt it very 'dated' and actually thought it brought down the interior of my car some years. Other aspects of the work I'm doing include a full leather refurb etc - kind of annoys me to do all that and still have a tired looking electronics console.

Most people say it's fairly well made too, has a nice 'Sony' feel to it (everyone loves that it has a volume knob. I'll remain impartial on that one, whatever floats your boat).

For me, I chose this unit because of (1) the way it looks, (2) the significantly lower cost than equivalent HU (I picked it up from Amazon for around £300), (3) the fact that DAB doesn't concern me as I mainly use my iPhone through Spotify, and other drivers generally use FM - it's a Magic household, not much variety necessary.

resigner said:
2 other things, do you have Bose or non Bose car, steering wheel controls?

also, little tip, the amp turns on from what is effectively the electric aerial switch, and lots of connects2 leads and the like which you likely need don't connect it, so the amp doesn't turn on, and then you get no Bass. Easy to fix if you know about it!

I do not have Bose - fortunately, as I'm told that requires an optic audio adaptor at considerable expense. Again though, I'm not much of an audiophile - if you consider yourself to be I would not recommend this headunit for various reasons.

Steering wheel controls - I've already raised this with the electrics specialist who has advised me has the appropriate adaptor to make this possible.

Oof, that amp tip sounds interesting. Appreciate you pointing it out - I might have to try and find some info on that as I've not come across it before.

Jake911 said:
I was looking at the same unit - I used this video to visualize what it would look like fitted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2CEOvvg7Y

Still contemplating :?:

Actually, that's the very video that got me started on all this too! Originally my plan was to upgrade the PCM unit but I was never totally satisfied doing that.

I'll be real, I actually still haven't picked up the car, but I have all my works planned and ready :floor:. The car comes around the 20th of this month, and I've now had the Sony unit sitting around since early December. When it's fitted I'll be sure to update with some detailed pics and info on how it's working out!
 
The adaptor to make the steering wheel controls work is about £250!
 
resigner said:
The adaptor to make the steering wheel controls work is about £250!

I believe my electrics chap quoted me about £65 for the adaptor :) I'll let you know how it works!
 
This is going to be interesting. It is a very complicated piece of kit. Took 3 tries to get one right on mine. Each and every slight model variation seems to have tiny differences in the wiring, so its a nightmare! Interested to see what he is using, if it works..... :)
 
Keep us posted on progress, just so your aware if you hadnt already sussed it the OE mic is on the top of the steering wheel housing, I actually fitted my alpine mic to an unused blank cap up on the reading light console by the rear view mirror. :thumb:

Oh yes and please dont fit that horrible black surround like he did in the vid get a matching silver one for the gen1 unless you plan to paint the ac unit black or swap to a gen2 set up.
 
Fitted my alpine one on the opposite side of the OEM mic on the steering cowl.

Looks fine to me & you hardly see it from the driving position.
 

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Mine is up behind the rear view mirror. Apparently best place in a cab
 
Phil 997 said:
Keep us posted on progress, just so your aware if you hadnt already sussed it the OE mic is on the top of the steering wheel housing, I actually fitted my alpine mic to an unused blank cap up on the reading light console by the rear view mirror. :thumb:

Oh yes and please dont fit that horrible black surround like he did in the vid get a matching silver one for the gen1 unless you plan to paint the ac unit black or swap to a gen2 set up.

Cheers for the advice Phil. I've got the fitting next week so if he reckons the inbuilt mic is too much to mess with, I'll consider all these positions for the retro :)

Re the surround - good point, though I hadn't actually considered this. I actually have a black ac unit factory fitted - is this nonstandard or is it a Gen 2 feature? :dont know:
 
Hi guys, quick attempted update (please excuse any gaps or lapses in my understanding, I have near on 0 electrical understanding!).

The electrician took one look in the car and commented on the fascia as mentioned above - he had come with a grey unit. Not his fault, I should've mentioned, particularly with the earlier advice! Not a big deal though, I've already ordered and received a new one in black.

Second immediate observation that I'd failed to notice is that the car was fitted with PCM 3 (touchscreen). I'm told this was totally unexpected as this was a late 2008 car and PCM 3 did not come about until later. This PCM 3 unit also had a replacement sticker, though the previous owner made no mention of this (if they ever knew it was definitely a case of forgetting rather than withholding info - they are close family friends).

This meant that the connection was by CAN-Bus rather than ISO. The steering wheel adaptor could not be made to work - I believe he's going to get the adaptor suitable for the 991 in order to fit the CAN-Bus. Why the wiring would not be conventional in a 2008 car I do not know, though it appeared to be factory fitted?

Final problem - the radio actually had an amplifier attached. I had no clue this was spec'd - it is under the driver's seat. As the power rating does not match the headunit a 40ohm resistor is needed (better safe) though he didn't have one to hand.

Not much success the first time around but absolutely not the electrician's fault, he's an absolute gentleman and has been very cautious not to cause any problems with the car. He'll return next week with the necessary 'bits' and hopefully we'll have a more successful go at putting it in.

By the way, after discussing it with him I decided to stick with the retro fitted microphone. It sounds like it can have very mixed success to use the OEM mic, plus I'd like to preserve as much of the electrics as possible so that should a new buyer choose to do so in the distant future, they can easily revert to PCM (not that this is a likely scenario in circa 15 years, but best to keep options open!).

All the best
Josh
 
PCM 3 was fitted at all Gen 2 997s. They started making them in about May/June 2008.
 

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