Audio: Sound System Quality?

[Robert.Boston]

Having paid for the Sound Studio upgrade in my order originally, if today I were order a replacement I would not get the sound upgrade but simply call Reus. There are only two costs to this approach, IMO: 1) no XM-Sirius and 2) costs about $1500 more than the factory upgrade. But the sound quality is vastly better than the factory upgrade, particularly with FLAC or other high-quality inputs. I've got a couple thousand CDs ripped in FLAC on a very large USB drive, so I'm perfectly content to skip the crap on XM.

 

[arg]

I think the sound system hardware is capable of being very good--some songs sound excellent (even from Slacker sources), even when they have strong bass.

But I am 98% convinced there's a problem in the firmware/software somewhere that is introducing distortion.

If Andvib's results above are right, the problem appears to be clipping/overflow in the digital processing. It may be worth trying the following experiment:

1) Take whichever piece of recorded material you have that most strongly shows the problem, and convert to WAV [should be no effect since you are just performing the same processing on the PC as the car would be doing - and, unlike encoding, it's a tightly defined process with little permitted variation between implementations].

a) Sounds same? As expected, go to step 2.
b) Sounds different? Bad news. Problem in codec processing, likely difficult to track down.

2) Process the WAV file to reduce the amplitude of all samples by (say) a factor of 75%. Play in the car with the volume turned up a little to compensate (volume control is logarithmic, so only a small adjustment needed for the extra 30% in linear amplitude). Should still sound the same, this processing has just marginally reduced the SNR so if anything should now sound worse - but unlikely to be
detectable.

a) Distortion gone? Andvib's theory is right, play the two recordings to Tesla and tell them to fix it.
b) Sounds same - as expected for a system working properly, so the problem is elsewhere.

 

[Whom]

The samples I published included both mp3 and FLAC versions. I also have WAV file versions (they were a bot too big to publish). The files are a repeating clip of a song with low frequency elements, and a simple 30Hz tone. There is no difference in the distortion based on the format of the file.

I will try the gain reduction experiment. Either way, though, there is a glaring flaw in the system. This distortion is clearly heard on very specific frequency of sounds -- that is, music that lacks the low frequency information do not show the distortion. And it doesn't have to be boosted very far to be quite clear, and it is clearly absent when played back on any other non-Tesla system.

 

[Todd Burch]

The samples I published included both mp3 and FLAC versions. I also have WAV file versions (they were a bot too big to publish). The files are a repeating clip of a song with low frequency elements, and a simple 30Hz tone. There is no difference in the distortion based on the format of the file.

I will try the gain reduction experiment. Either way, though, there is a glaring flaw in the system. This distortion is clearly heard on very specific frequency of sounds -- that is, music that lacks the low frequency information do not show the distortion. And it doesn't have to be boosted very far to be quite clear, and it is clearly absent when played back on any other non-Tesla system.

Agree. I've even heard the problem on high definition FLACs from HDTracks. Athough I wrote to ownership over two weeks ago, I haven't heard back.

 

[arg]

I will try the gain reduction experiment. Either way, though, there is a glaring flaw in the system. This distortion is clearly heard on very specific frequency of sounds -- that is, music that lacks the low frequency information do not show the distortion. And it doesn't have to be boosted very far to be quite clear, and it is clearly absent when played back on any other non-Tesla system.

Absolutely - the objective with the gain reduction experiment - aside from doing Tesla's debugging for them - is to demonstrate clearly that the problem is a bug rather than a limitation of the system.

 

[Todd Burch]

Absolutely - the objective with the gain reduction experiment - aside from doing Tesla's debugging for them - is to demonstrate clearly that the problem is a bug rather than a limitation of the system.

And the important thing is obviously if it's not a limitation of the system, it can be fixed in a future software update. And I really hope it does, because this is *really* starting to annoy me now.

 

[Whom]

My car is back from the service center on this item, and the results were unsatisfactory (although the rest of the service experience was fantastic as usual including the lovely P85 loaner).

Here is the service response:

Correction: Interior NVH General Diagnosisnoticed customer has HD radio setting turned on. played radio found radio to play clearly
in all stations in the shop area and while test driving

So they basically tried to blame it on HD Radio. When I showed the customer rep the file playback on the USB stick that demonstrated the error, she seemed to hear it clearly, but would have to escalate to management. I sent her the files (again) by email, we'll see if there is any response. Disappointing.

 

[tomas]

I do not expect that this issue of distortion will be solved by visits to service center. If it is a software problem, which it appears to be, all they could possibly do is apply a new release. So, until it is fixed in a software release, there's absolutely nothing they can do except log the problem. So, the question is: what's the best way to bring this to attention of the Tesla inner sanctum who prioritize software fixes? And, the challenge is: will Tesla prioritize fixing a problem like this that many untrained ears will simply not detect?

Probably makes more sense for us advocates to bark up a bigger tree - like an overall review and upgrade of the audio software. Anyone doing that is likely to browse this forum for relevant info, and will see the copious complaints about the distortion, EQ issues, poor Dolby implementation, etc.

I'm with the "wait and see" crowd... generally happy with the performance of the system with FLAC content and my personalized EQ/balance tweaking, hopeful that it will evolve and improve with software releases, and reluctant to spend a ton more on aftermarket or cut up the car.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

I have been listening to a TON of music on HD Radio as well as from TuneIn and streamed from my iPhone. Absolutely superb sound (I have the studio sound system) with no distortion that I have ever heard. Just beautiful and clear music with an immense sound field and great bass with Dolby On. When listening to Slacker, however, the audio quality is extremely subpar with almost no bass response. This is probably due to the extreme data compression on a 3G connection. I've heard a few pops and clicks on Slacker material, but if it doesn't happen anywhere else (as has been my experience) then it's a Slacker issue.

 

[Whom]

I have been listening to a TON of music on HD Radio as well as from TuneIn and streamed from my iPhone. Absolutely superb sound (I have the studio sound system) with no distortion that I have ever heard. Just beautiful and clear music with an immense sound field and great bass with Dolby On. When listening to Slacker, however, the audio quality is extremely subpar with almost no bass response. This is probably due to the extreme data compression on a 3G connection. I've heard a few pops and clicks on Slacker material, but if it doesn't happen anywhere else (as has been my experience) then it's a Slacker issue.

Amped, can you please download the files to a USB stick and see if you can hear the distortion on the test files?

Reposting them here:
https://soundcloud.com/richard-doherty-4/30hztest
https://soundcloud.com/richard-doherty-4/tesla-test-mp3

It would be helpful to learn if there are cars out there with no distortion. As an additional test, when you play these files, also try changing the volume and see if you get greater than normal popping.

 

[gtimbers]

Whom, do I have to log in/set up an account to get the download? I can't seem to get a useable file.

 

[Whom]

Whom, do I have to log in/set up an account to get the download? I can't seem to get a useable file.

No login should be required. Clicking the link should get you to Soundcloud, the clip will start playing immediately, and there is a button below the soundwave to download the file.

 

[Doug_G]

On this topic, I currently have a P85+ loaner. I hadn't been playing any music because they didn't activate the internet connection for some reason. But today I decided to try the FM radio.

Wow. The sound is a LOT better than my Sig. A LOT better. Evidently rumors of an improved studio sound system are true.

 

[kevin99]

Where is the texex guy? I thought he will report how the Friday test drive went??

 

[texex91]

Where is the texex guy? I thought he will report how the Friday test drive went??

...right here.

Regarding the sound system? It's terrible--period.

Did that stop me from ordering a P85+, no. But I have to say, for $100K car, my Jeeps stock sound system is better. Shame, but looks like I will get Reus to install a top quality one. No way I'd drop $2500 on that 'premium system'.

Now if the sound system were a name brand and actually sounded great, $2500 easy--heck I'd pay $4K for a true stereophonic system (like that are options on Porsche, Audi, etc).

 

[Robert.Boston]

...right here.

Regarding the sound system? It's terrible--period.

Did that stop me from ordering a P85+, no. But I have to say, for $100K car, my Jeeps stock sound system is better. Shame, but looks like I will get Reus to install a top quality one. No way I'd drop $2500 on that 'premium system'.

Now if the sound system were a name brand and actually sounded great, $2500 easy--heck I'd pay $4K for a true stereophonic system (like that are options on Porsche, Audi, etc).

Agreed, which is why I dropped $4k on the Reus update. The crime is that, if they same gear were factory-installed it'd probably only cost $3k. It's amazing what good stereo can do in this car given how quiet the cabin is.

 

[Whom]

Agreed, which is why I dropped $4k on the Reus update. The crime is that, if they same gear were factory-installed it'd probably only cost $3k. It's amazing what good stereo can do in this car given how quiet the cabin is.

Robert, do you mind downloading the files I posted on the previous page and trying them on the Rues upgraded system? I'd be interested to know if the upgrade fixed the distortion problem.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Amped, can you please download the files to a USB stick and see if you can hear the distortion on the test files?

Reposting them here:
https://soundcloud.com/richard-doherty-4/30hztest
https://soundcloud.com/richard-doherty-4/tesla-test-mp3

It would be helpful to learn if there are cars out there with no distortion. As an additional test, when you play these files, also try changing the volume and see if you get greater than normal popping.

I can here what sounds like very faint static, but in two weeks of listening to Slacker, HD Radio and TuneIn, I've never heard this sound in actual use. I'm also 44, so maybe my hearing is going. I find the upgrades studio sound system to be excellent.

 

[Super Gizmo]

The AM/FM reception is the worst of any car I have ever owned! Can't believe this is a $1000 sound system.

 

[Merrill]

So I purposely did not get the studio sound because I read from everyone how bad both systems were. I figured how bad could it be, considering I am not an audiophile I will listen to the music for a few months rip with FLAC and it should be fine. Not, my wife's Bose system in her MBZ was far superior and it was the standard system. So enter Cliff from Reus, finished my install last week and now I have a studio sound system. From my perspective what I like about Reus is what I call benign upgrade, what I mean is not having to rip the whole car apart and it is very seamless. Cannot tell from appearance anything has been done, but what beautiful clarity and depth. Is it worth the money, you can decide. Should this vehicle come with something much better, yes but it did not and was not something that would keep me from purchasing this awesome fricking machine!!!