[jeff968]

Does anyone have a 93 or later car with the hi-fi sound system option? In 1992 if you ordered the 490 speaker upgrade you got the amplifier option along with it. That was code 494 and there were two amplifiers, one located under each front seat. 93+ cars that I have info on don't list the 494 amplifiers as part of the 490 hi-fi package. Do any of you 93+ owners have the 490 option? Do you have the amplifiers under your seats or was this a 92 only feature? I'm told 94/95s with the 490 option have only one amplifier under the passenger seat. Thanks

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[flash]

pretty sure the white cab (late 94) has 490 - i'll check the sticker - i know it had the boxed rears, 3 per door, and a single amp under the passenger seat



there are a few variances over the years on the high-fi option, including amp changes, additional equalizers, rear speaker driver size changes, and radio models

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[biotechee]

My '95 coupe has M490, no M494 IIRC. I'll check tonight.



There is no amp under my coupe's driver's seat as far as I can remember. Don't know if there is one under the passenger's seat or not.

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[968Syncro]

Mine is a '93 coupe and has the "490 - Hi-Fi sound system" option. Also listed is "331 - AM/FM Cassette w/2 door speakers" but 494 is not listed. And it has an aftermarket head end unit, Pioneer Premier DEH-P940MP.



I just looked and can't see an amplifier under either seat <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/huh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />, I thought there would be one but I have no idea where the amp (or amps) are. The sound is very powerful so there has to be a power amp somewhere. Can't recall if I've ever seen it. I have the full power seats, and without knowing the size of the factor power amp, there is very little room remaining under the drivers seat with the motors and cables.



Roland

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[flash]

the amps live under the carpet (don't ask me who thought that was such a bright idea), they are very small, and hard to actually feel

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[968Syncro]

[quote name='flash' post='60423' date='Sep 24 2008, 11:42 AM']the amps live under the carpet (don't ask me who thought that was such a bright idea), they are very small, and hard to actually feel[/quote]

Oh <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/blink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Thanks flash, didn't think of that, wonder how they dissipate heat correctly, now all I need to do is loose some weight to that my thinner arm can actually reach under there!



Roland

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[jeff968]

[quote name='968Syncro' post='60419' date='Sep 24 2008, 02:04 PM']Mine is a '93 coupe and has the "490 - Hi-Fi sound system" option. Also listed is "331 - AM/FM Cassette w/2 door speakers" but 494 is not listed.[/quote]



Roland,

There is no question that Porsche stopped pairing options 490 with 494 after 1992. I've also heard from 94/95 owners with 490 and they have only one amp under the passenger seat. I would be curious to learn if the 490 93s have one or two amps. If only one we've spotted another production run change.

Thanks

Jeff

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[968Syncro]

Jeff,



I did some more examining under the seats, but don't think anything I found is conclusive.



1. Passenger side: nothing visible, the only hint of anything is a little hump when looking / feeling from the rear which is completely covered with carpet. If there was an AMP under there it would be quite large and flat. But I also felt under the car and the panel makes an upward bend at about the same point. Can't see any evidence under the seat from the front.



2. Drivers side: I could see what looks like 3 cooling fins on something. If this is an AMP, it would be very long, about 3/4s of the seat width, and very narrow, about 3 cooling fins. I also spotted a connector that looks like an audio cable connector of some type, but only from the side, so I can't tell what type, and it was loose, not connected to anything. The seat works fully, so it isn't likely any seat power.



So, like I said, very inconclusive; if there was a guess it would be 1 AMP under the drivers seat, but this could be based on incomplete info. Only way to figure out more is to pull the seats, which sorry, isn't the plan soon.



Roland

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[flash]

believe it or not, you can't feel it through the carpet - i had to actually remove the seat and peel back the carpet to get to it - it's tucked in there and resides up against a rail - the amp on the passenger side is actually very small - it is about 6" x 2" x 1" - there is a pic of it in the classifieds in the "parts for sale" section

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[flash]

except for late 94 through 95 upgrade packages which is M490, i have no idea what option number porsche assigned to the setups, but:



the 92 through early 94 definitely had a dual amp option in the hatchback model

there was also an optional equalizer in that year, as well as the cd changer - the rear speakers were a separate woofer and mid range (not tweeter)



not sure about what the cab had available - there is no separate diagram for that system



the late 94 had only the passenger side amp

the rear speakers went to a self powered rear woofer and wide range combination, replacing one of the amps - in the case of the cab, it was a self powered enclosed woofer and tweeter



the 95 was the same as the 94



i think i have seen all of the above permutations now in person, in all the years (only seen one EQ though)

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[jeff968]

Here's a shot of the AMP (and the massive amounts of cash I found under my seat when I removed it last winter). You can get a general idea on the size and location from the seat tracks (this was the driver's side). I have two AMPs on my cab under each seat and a separate option code (494) listed on the tag.

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[flash]

lol - with all that change in there i'm surprised you didn't jam a track and blow a motor - but then, you could have bought a new one with the change, so.............

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[968Syncro]

[quote name='jeff968' post='60466' date='Sep 24 2008, 06:45 PM']Here's a shot of the AMP (and the massive amounts of cash I found under my seat when I removed it last winter). You can get a general idea on the size and location from the seat tracks (this was the driver's side). I have two AMPs on my cab under each seat and a separate option code (494) listed on the tag.[/quote]

Jeff, that looks exactly like the fins I saw under my driver's seat.



And oh...luckily you didn't find any french fries among the coins <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Roland

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[jeff968]

[quote name='968Syncro' post='60482' date='Sep 25 2008, 12:17 AM']Jeff, that looks exactly like the fins I saw under my driver's seat.



And oh...luckily you didn't find any french fries among the coins <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Roland[/quote]



Roland,

So you have those AMPs under both seats? Also, have you found your vehicle information sticker with your option codes? (You can find it under the rear hatch carpet or on page 2 of your maintenance manual). You should have a code 490. The question is, do you have a code 494 (which is the AMPs)?

Thanks

Jeff

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[968Syncro]

[quote name='jeff968' post='60520' date='Sep 25 2008, 07:08 AM']Roland,

So you have those AMPs under both seats? Also, have you found your vehicle information sticker with your option codes? (You can find it under the rear hatch carpet or on page 2 of your maintenance manual). You should have a code 490. The question is, do you have a code 494 (which is the AMPs)?

Thanks

Jeff[/quote]

Jeff, sorry if I added some confusion, as above I have the 490 option but the sticker doesn't show the 494. There is an AMP like your picture under the driver's seat, but I can't tell if I have an AMP under the passenger seat or not without pulling the seat.



Roland

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[flash]

494 is a bit of a "catch all" add on stereo option - it is actually two different things, depending on the model of car - it is either an amplifier system, or 2 speakers on the back shelf



490 includes one amp

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[jeff968]

[quote name='flash' post='60527' date='Sep 25 2008, 11:19 AM']494 is a bit of a "catch all" add on stereo option - it is actually two different things, depending on the model of car - it is either an amplifier system, or 2 speakers on the back shelf



490 includes one amp[/quote]



For the 968 I have the factory book which indicates 494 as the Amp option.



So Roland, when you get a chance, take a look under the passenger seat and see if you find that other AMP. If you have it then I'm in agreement with Bob that it looks like the elimination of the second AMP was another cost cutting reduction on the late 94/95 cars. If you don't have the second AMP then it was a change from MY 92 to MY 93.



Any other 490 93/early 94 (718) owners want to weigh in on this discussion it would be appreciated.



Jeff

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[flash]

93 (and by definition early 94) definitely had a 2 amp option - just not sure what the code was, but all indications are that it was the same as whatever it was in 92

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[jeff968]

Here's a vehicle information tag from a 93 coupe with the 490 hi-fi option. No sign of a 494 amp code which would be listed on a 490 car from 1992. therefore, if you are correct about two AMPs being present on 93/early 94 490 cars, we can just assume that the 494 amps were rolled into the 490 package by 1993 so that a separate code was no longer needed.

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[flash]

that's probably exactly what they did - wouldn't surprise me a bit - as i said, the 494 code looks like it was sort of a "catch all" for additional stereo stuff they added along the way, and varies on what it is depending on the model of car

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