After Market Amplified Subwoofer and front speakers on a 23’ Tesla Model 3 RWD

[Panams16]

Hey guys,

New to this forum, I wanted to ask couple of questions for anyone that had tried something similar or has more knowledge on it.
Owning a 2023 Tesla Model 3 RWD.

I’m planning to get this Amplified subwoofer Rockville RVS12A 12" 1400w Slim Vented Powered Car Subwoofer Enclosure + Amp Kit
And I’ve heard rumors about the 16v battery giving issues to some, but most people saying that with a small wattage system will not have any issues.

Will the system I chose to go with will be too much? Planning to tap from the Hansshow front enabling speaker wire to the back and take power and ground from the penthouse on the back.

Also I was planning to swap the front door speaker/woofers with these: FSX8 | 8" 350 Watt Mid-Range Loudspeaker | Skar Audio

Just because of the woofer does its job with bass, I can have the Skar speakers taking care of some midrange audio better. Since they are cheap but good quality, and I was not planning to break the bank with the Focals that cost +$300.

Also not planning to supply them with extra amp, just whatever they can handle from the factory amp that Tesla has and runs the 80w stock woofer/speakers.

Please throw some advices and what you guys think about my pairing on speakers I’m about to swap/do.
New to this and absolutely love to add some louder bass/music to my Tesla.

Thank you all!

 

[FreqFlyer]

Tesla Product Roundup - ceoutlook.com

Over the past few months, aftermarket companies have introduced new products designed to make an audio install in a Tesla easier. This is partially due to the fact that many aftermarket retailers are reluctant to work on the vehicles, which are still a novelty in many a bay. Elettromedia...

www.ceoutlook.com

 

[PlanetExpress]

Hey guys,

New to this forum, I wanted to ask couple of questions for anyone that had tried something similar or has more knowledge on it.
Owning a 2023 Tesla Model 3 RWD.

I’m planning to get this Amplified subwoofer Rockville RVS12A 12" 1400w Slim Vented Powered Car Subwoofer Enclosure + Amp Kit
And I’ve heard rumors about the 16v battery giving issues to some, but most people saying that with a small wattage system will not have any issues.

Will the system I chose to go with will be too much? Planning to tap from the Hansshow front enabling speaker wire to the back and take power and ground from the penthouse on the back.

Also I was planning to swap the front door speaker/woofers with these: FSX8 | 8" 350 Watt Mid-Range Loudspeaker | Skar Audio

Just because of the woofer does its job with bass, I can have the Skar speakers taking care of some midrange audio better. Since they are cheap but good quality, and I was not planning to break the bank with the Focals that cost +$300.

Also not planning to supply them with extra amp, just whatever they can handle from the factory amp that Tesla has and runs the 80w stock woofer/speakers.

Please throw some advices and what you guys think about my pairing on speakers I’m about to swap/do.
New to this and absolutely love to add some louder bass/music to my Tesla.

Thank you all!

I was considering those Skar 8's as well, have you tried yet? I'm a bit concerned that the stock amp won't be able to do much with them. The stock speakers are rated at 80 watts, but it is unclear if that is RMS or max. The Skars are 175 RMS and 350 peak, so does that mean the stock amp will have trouble pushing them? I've already got my volume darn close to max at times. They do still have a high sensitivity of 94.5 dB which give me some hope. I'm also, of course, wondering if they fit.

As far as the sub amp, I don't know much, but I'm pretty sure 1400w are not what people mean when they say low wattage. The stock sub is only 160w, and the total wattage of the entire premium system is only 560w. Not that that has anything to do with what the car will or won't throw a fit about, but just for comparison. I've seen mentions of adding a 500w sub amp.

 

[Panams16]

I was considering those Skar 8's as well, have you tried yet? I'm a bit concerned that the stock amp won't be able to do much with them. The stock speakers are rated at 80 watts, but it is unclear if that is RMS or max. The Skars are 175 RMS and 350 peak, so does that mean the stock amp will have trouble pushing them? I've already got my volume darn close to max at times. They do still have a high sensitivity of 94.5 dB which give me some hope. I'm also, of course, wondering if they fit.

As far as the sub amp, I don't know much, but I'm pretty sure 1400w are not what people mean when they say low wattage. The stock sub is only 160w, and the total wattage of the entire premium system is only 560w. Not that that has anything to do with what the car will or won't throw a fit about, but just for comparison. I've seen mentions of adding a 500w sub amp.

Hey brother,

I did not try them yet but I have the amped adapters purchased.

there’s one thing I’m unsure of and that’s why I did not try them yet, do the stock door woofers if get replaced with midbass speakers will function as voice midbass speakers?

Meaning will they play higher voice tones? Or the signal it’s just for bass?

I’ve already did my research on the Subwoofer part.

I have a Skar 12” sub with a Skar 500w amp installed with no added battery or anything like else, I’m shaking the whole car.

Tapped on the hansshow harness and added an lc2i pro since I had issues with stock amp protecting stock speakers by lowering the bass.

My next move was to look into the door speakers, for some reason though all the stock speakers in my Tesla sound so loud after I tapped the wire into the Skar amp, don’t know if that changed anything or if I’m delusional lmao, but as of now it sounds loud and clear and the bass is just breath taking with 1 12”.

Let me know if you got any updates.

 

[PlanetExpress]

Hey brother,

I did not try them yet but I have the amped adapters purchased.

there’s one thing I’m unsure of and that’s why I did not try them yet, do the stock door woofers if get replaced with midbass speakers will function as voice midbass speakers?

Meaning will they play higher voice tones? Or the signal it’s just for bass?

I’ve already did my research on the Subwoofer part.

I have a Skar 12” sub with a Skar 500w amp installed with no added battery or anything like else, I’m shaking the whole car.

Tapped on the hansshow harness and added an lc2i pro since I had issues with stock amp protecting stock speakers by lowering the bass.

My next move was to look into the door speakers, for some reason though all the stock speakers in my Tesla sound so loud after I tapped the wire into the Skar amp, don’t know if that changed anything or if I’m delusional lmao, but as of now it sounds loud and clear and the bass is just breath taking with 1 12”.

Let me know if you got any updates.

Do you know what speaker signal you tapped for the sub? Like you said, the amp is blocking the bass to all those little 4" speakers, but I wonder if you picked up the signal going to the front doors maybe you wouldn't need the accubass? I hadn't considered that issue.

I assumed the front doors were full-range, but I did feel there were some mids missing between the door woofers and the dash. I just had the dash speakers out today, swapping for Infinity 4032s. Now I'm kicking myself for not listening to the door speakers solo without the 4" dash speakers hooked up. I'm going to live with this setup for a bit before deciding what to do next. I've got the harness ordered, so I'll do that and hopefully it adds something. I don't think I'll swap any more speakers or add a sub without getting a summing DSP to get rid of the stock equalization/crossover funny business.

 

[Panams16]

Do you know what speaker signal you tapped for the sub? Like you said, the amp is blocking the bass to all those little 4" speakers, but I wonder if you picked up the signal going to the front doors maybe you wouldn't need the accubass? I hadn't considered that issue.

I assumed the front doors were full-range, but I did feel there were some mids missing between the door woofers and the dash. I just had the dash speakers out today, swapping for Infinity 4032s. Now I'm kicking myself for not listening to the door speakers solo without the 4" dash speakers hooked up. I'm going to live with this setup for a bit before deciding what to do next. I've got the harness ordered, so I'll do that and hopefully it adds something. I don't think I'll swap any more speakers or add a sub without getting a summing DSP to get rid of the stock equalization/crossover funny business.

Supposedly the wires I tapped where the left or right side door woofer (not sure what side but I can find out.)

The LOC was needed just because the system and stock amp have a cutoff to protect the stock speakers from high volume.

if you tune it well it’ll sound much better with the speakers you added, but don’t expect the base to change too much, unless you don’t care about base but more for sound quality then you did the right upgrade.

I would love to swap the speakers you did but I’m leasing it, so for me to spend the money on that and then not being able to use them somewhere else like the subwoofer and amp that’ll be a waste on my personal build, and like I said with the tuneup I have it rips!

 

[PlanetExpress]

Supposedly the wires I tapped where the left or right side door woofer (not sure what side but I can find out.)

The LOC was needed just because the system and stock amp have a cutoff to protect the stock speakers from high volume.

if you tune it well it’ll sound much better with the speakers you added, but don’t expect the base to change too much, unless you don’t care about base but more for sound quality then you did the right upgrade.

I would love to swap the speakers you did but I’m leasing it, so for me to spend the money on that and then not being able to use them somewhere else like the subwoofer and amp that’ll be a waste on my personal build, and like I said with the tuneup I have it rips!

The 4032s are $50 for the pair. Personally, after hearing the difference, I'd still swap the left and right dash if I were leasing. But then I don't have the harness installed yet. You've already added the mirror tweeters and A-pillar 2.5", so changing the dash speakers in your car probably wouldn't be as dramatic as in mine. Glad you are happy with the sub. In my last car I was running a 10" from a 1,000w amp, so I was concerned going to a 500w wasn't going to cut it for me. Good to know you are happy running a 12". I suppose I could still use the 1,000w amp but just keep the gain halved.

 

[Panams16]

The 4032s are $50 for the pair. Personally, after hearing the difference, I'd still swap the left and right dash if I were leasing. But then I don't have the harness installed yet. You've already added the mirror tweeters and A-pillar 2.5", so changing the dash speakers in your car probably wouldn't be as dramatic as in mine. Glad you are happy with the sub. In my last car I was running a 10" from a 1,000w amp, so I was concerned going to a 500w wasn't going to cut it for me. Good to know you are happy running a 12". I suppose I could still use the 1,000w amp but just keep the gain halved.

Well yea, the harness did make an improvement especially on higher volumes.

You can hear everything a lot clearer and the quality is much better with the twitters and the pillars added.

For some reason I was only able to add 2 500w amps without getting an error code about unstable power.

When I attempted to install a Skar 800w amp I had an issue with errors.

Also the 16v battery is a big plus, never drops below 15.65v that means the amp keeps up pretty good.

 

[PlanetExpress]

Yeah, I bet having 16 volts helps, don't need as many amps to get the wats. In my last install I suspected I was losing some power when the bass hit. I used what should have been adequate power wire, but it was run nearly the length of the car, and I didn't upgrade the alternator.

Did you use an auto-sensing amp, or find switched power somewhere for the amp turn-ons?

 

[Panams16]

Yeah, I bet having 16 volts helps, don't need as many amps to get the wats. In my last install I suspected I was losing some power when the bass hit. I used what should have been adequate power wire, but it was run nearly the length of the car, and I didn't upgrade the alternator.

Did you use an auto-sensing amp, or find switched power somewhere for the amp turn-ons?

my first amp was an Alpine m500 that had auto when high input was connected.

Then decided to purchase the Lc2i pro and swap amps since my subwoofer was 1ohm and the alpine amp was producing 500w at 2ohms, I did run it for 2 days but you know that it will sooner or later, so I refund that amp and went to the Skar SK-M500D. That amp is running 500w+ on 1ohm but auto sense was not an issue since my L2ci pro has remote in and out option so that’s where I wired the amp remote and having no issues at all!

I might swap the 3 front speakers in future but as of now I’m satisfied, only thing I’m swapping tomorrow will be the 12” sub to another Skar 12” for better quality and a bit more room on RMS.

 

[PlanetExpress]

my first amp was an Alpine m500 that had auto when high input was connected.

Then decided to purchase the Lc2i pro and swap amps since my subwoofer was 1ohm and the alpine amp was producing 500w at 2ohms, I did run it for 2 days but you know that it will sooner or later, so I refund that amp and went to the Skar SK-M500D. That amp is running 500w+ on 1ohm but auto sense was not an issue since my L2ci pro has remote in and out option so that’s where I wired the amp remote and having no issues at all!

I might swap the 3 front speakers in future but as of now I’m satisfied, only thing I’m swapping tomorrow will be the 12” sub to another Skar 12” for better quality and a bit more room on RMS.

So the L2ci turns on when it senses speaker level signal, then it sends the turn on signal along to the amps, correct? So I wouldn't need a signal sensing amp?

 

[Panams16]

So the L2ci turns on when it senses speaker level signal, then it sends the turn on signal along to the amps, correct? So I wouldn't need a signal sensing amp?

Correct. No auto sense amp needed if you take that route.

They shut off as well after they don’t receive signal.

 

[Panams16]

The 4032s are $50 for the pair. Personally, after hearing the difference, I'd still swap the left and right dash if I were leasing. But then I don't have the harness installed yet. You've already added the mirror tweeters and A-pillar 2.5", so changing the dash speakers in your car probably wouldn't be as dramatic as in mine. Glad you are happy with the sub. In my last car I was running a 10" from a 1,000w amp, so I was concerned going to a 500w wasn't going to cut it for me. Good to know you are happy running a 12". I suppose I could still use the 1,000w amp but just keep the gain halved.

Hey Brother, hope everything is well. Can you please give me links to the tool/speaker combo/ and the rest of the stuff needed to swap the 2 dash speakers? I’m very curious to see if there’s a dramatic difference if I change them. Thanks.

 

[PlanetExpress]

Hey Brother, hope everything is well. Can you please give me links to the tool/speaker combo/ and the rest of the stuff needed to swap the 2 dash speakers? I’m very curious to see if there’s a dramatic difference if I change them. Thanks.

If you are happy with the mirror tweeters, it might not be a plus to have coaxials in the dash. I've read that the reflections off of the windshield can mess up your staging. There are other options mentioned around the threads, I think RWAudio had a recommendation with no tweeter. You could also try the 4032s and if you don't like the added tweet just snip the wire to it. Definitely get the low profile star bit recommended on other threads. I used a low profile bit driver with normal bits, and it was less than ideal. You need the shorter bits, too.

I replaced the door speakers with a set of 8" Skars, and I've posted a lengthy description of my journey so far, easy to find on my profile. It describes how I installed the dash, my thoughts on the difference, and the same for the door woofers. I'm hoping to get my DSP amp installed this weekend, and will include the mirror tweeters run active. I'll be using a non-Hansshow harness, but will also need to cut some factory speaker leads to get signals from all front speakers. I'll be able to tune out the tweet from the dash speakers to see what the difference is with dash tweets vs mirror tweets vs both together. I'll do a write-up on that when I'm done. Then I'll wire up my 10" subwoofer, which is sitting in my sub-trunk waiting for some wats to be pumped into it. It will be run active by the DSP as well, though a separate amp. I've got a day and a half to work on it, but stuff always takes me longer than I think it should. If I'm lucky I'll get it all wired and running with a rough tune, but likely won't be able to do a proper tune until next week. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Panams16]

If you are happy with the mirror tweeters, it might not be a plus to have coaxials in the dash. I've read that the reflections off of the windshield can mess up your staging. There are other options mentioned around the threads, I think RWAudio had a recommendation with no tweeter. You could also try the 4032s and if you don't like the added tweet just snip the wire to it. Definitely get the low profile star bit recommended on other threads. I used a low profile bit driver with normal bits, and it was less than ideal. You need the shorter bits, too.

I replaced the door speakers with a set of 8" Skars, and I've posted a lengthy description of my journey so far, easy to find on my profile. It describes how I installed the dash, my thoughts on the difference, and the same for the door woofers. I'm hoping to get my DSP amp installed this weekend, and will include the mirror tweeters run active. I'll be using a non-Hansshow harness, but will also need to cut some factory speaker leads to get signals from all front speakers. I'll be able to tune out the tweet from the dash speakers to see what the difference is with dash tweets vs mirror tweets vs both together. I'll do a write-up on that when I'm done. Then I'll wire up my 10" subwoofer, which is sitting in my sub-trunk waiting for some wats to be pumped into it. It will be run active by the DSP as well, though a separate amp. I've got a day and a half to work on it, but stuff always takes me longer than I think it should. If I'm lucky I'll get it all wired and running with a rough tune, but likely won't be able to do a proper tune until next week. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for your response, well I’ve added a bigger watt sub from Skar as well as an NVX 750w amp with no issues. Car is flexing at this point lol. I need sound deadening ASAP. What brand did you use?

Also I’ve seen you swapped to the 8” Skars on doors, but my question is the ones you swapped are meant to be loudspeakers and not woofers. How do they sound? Do they just produce bass?

I have the amped garage 3d adapters ready to go but because I have a *sugar* load of bass from the 12” Skar I got in a ported box I was thinking to get signal for the loudspeakers and actually use them for voice and not bass on the doors. This way I’m louder on higher notes/voice and my subwoofer covers the bass.

Now that you said about the twitters I’m pretty happy with how my car plays. Very loud with super crazy bass from Skar.

 

[PlanetExpress]

Thanks for your response, well I’ve added a bigger watt sub from Skar as well as an NVX 750w amp with no issues. Car is flexing at this point lol. I need sound deadening ASAP. What brand did you use?

Also I’ve seen you swapped to the 8” Skars on doors, but my question is the ones you swapped are meant to be loudspeakers and not woofers. How do they sound? Do they just produce bass?

I have the amped garage 3d adapters ready to go but because I have a *sugar* load of bass from the 12” Skar I got in a ported box I was thinking to get signal for the loudspeakers and actually use them for voice and not bass on the doors. This way I’m louder on higher notes/voice and my subwoofer covers the bass.

Now that you said about the twitters I’m pretty happy with how my car plays. Very loud with super crazy bass from Skar.

Best I can tell, the front door woofer signal is full range. Might be crossed over to take out some highs, since the dash handles those, but they are not just bass. The Skars produce way less bass below 90-100hz or so than the stock woofers on the stock signal. Sounds like you've got that handled by the sub though. They are defiantly CAPEABLE of producing bass, but they have a very different frequency response curve. They seem to want some power behind them. I'll probably cut them off at 80hz, but I love the midbass punch so I'm hoping they will suit that need once they are eq'd properly with a bit more power. If I need more I've considered repurposing the stock front woofers as midbass. My DSP is 8 channel, so I can free up one to run the stock woofers in parallel, either in an enclosure or could even put them in the rear deck.

 

[Panams16]

Best I can tell, the front door woofer signal is full range. Might be crossed over to take out some highs, since the dash handles those, but they are not just bass. The Skars produce way less bass below 90-100hz or so than the stock woofers on the stock signal. Sounds like you've got that handled by the sub though. They are defiantly CAPEABLE of producing bass, but they have a very different frequency response curve. They seem to want some power behind them. I'll probably cut them off at 80hz, but I love the midbass punch so I'm hoping they will suit that need once they are eq'd properly with a bit more power. If I need more I've considered repurposing the stock front woofers as midbass. My DSP is 8 channel, so I can free up one to run the stock woofers in parallel, either in an enclosure or could even put them in the rear deck.

Yup, if swap them I really don’t care about door woofer producing bass at this point, I just want them to produce more vocals.

I might try the 3 dash speakers next, snip the twitters from the 2 corner speakers and leave just the mid speaker with the twitter.

And again I feel like I will not notice a big difference if they are not powered by a different amp. Stock amp has its limits.

 

[CKwik240]

FYI, Alpine is coming out with a 12 speaker + 10" sub semi-plug and play speaker and amp kit. Cost is about $3k. Crutchfield is offering a pre-order so it's not quite available yet. Not sure about release date.

Tesla Model 3 Sound System

13-Speaker Sound System Upgrade for the 2018-21 Tesla Model 3

www.alpine-usa.com

 

[Panams16]

FYI, Alpine is coming out with a 12 speaker + 10" sub semi-plug and play speaker and amp kit. Cost is about $3k. Crutchfield is offering a pre-order so it's not quite available yet. Not sure about release date.

Tesla Model 3 Sound System

13-Speaker Sound System Upgrade for the 2018-21 Tesla Model 3

www.alpine-usa.com

$3k? Who in the world would pay that money for a speaker and amp?

I paid $300 for 12” subwoofer with enclosure, 750w amp and wiring kit from Skar.

I don’t think the alpine will hit as hard as my current system.

 

[Panams16]

Best I can tell, the front door woofer signal is full range. Might be crossed over to take out some highs, since the dash handles those, but they are not just bass. The Skars produce way less bass below 90-100hz or so than the stock woofers on the stock signal. Sounds like you've got that handled by the sub though. They are defiantly CAPEABLE of producing bass, but they have a very different frequency response curve. They seem to want some power behind them. I'll probably cut them off at 80hz, but I love the midbass punch so I'm hoping they will suit that need once they are eq'd properly with a bit more power. If I need more I've considered repurposing the stock front woofers as midbass. My DSP is 8 channel, so I can free up one to run the stock woofers in parallel, either in an enclosure or could even put them in the rear deck.

Brother I’m in the process of ordering the parts for the dash speaker install.

Did you use any kind of 3d adapters? Or these speakers don’t require adapters? Also what wires did you use? For $18 I found wired harness ready to go.