Hi Aussie Tesla Model S owners,
Like many of you, I was disappointed with the audio in the Tesla model S. Recently, I drove an P85D with UHF audio and it too is disappointing. The UHF subwoofer is located in the rear trunk and has minimal impact in the cabin. I’ve had my car for 12 months; it was fitted with standard audio. So I fitted a FOCAL IBUS 2.0 under the rear seat. For less than $500 the sound system was immediately transformed. You won’t be disappointed. It took me 8 hours however I am not an experienced installer and I had to work out how to do things.
The Focal IBUS 2.0 or 2.1 comes with all the necessary cables. This unit has auto shut off and an inbuilt in-line converter. My install takes the speaker signal from the front and left door speakers. Also, you will need to purchase a 2 foot length of 1” block aluminium, adhesive velcro tape and 10 m speaker wire. These were purchased at Bunnings. Read Teslatap audio modifications especially parts two and three found here;
Part 2: Running Wires Through the Firewall | TeslaTap prior to the installation.
The installation was as follows;
1. Access the 12 V battery on the left-hand side of the Aussie Model S by removing the air filter and releasing it. There is a small grommet in the firewall which is difficult to access. A small screwdriver must be passed through the grommet then a wire is fed through to which the 12 V power supply is attached and passed through. The 12 V power supply is attached to the positive terminal of the 12 V battery.
2. The rear seat is removed by pulling upwards forcibly. The seat clips are very firm but will not break. The empty space on the left-hand side of the card is accessed by removing the wireframe bolts. The frame is then lifted (not removed) to mount the subwoofer. The frame can then be reattached by replacing the bolts and the installation completed by accessing subwoofer through the frame.
3. The FOCAL IBUS 2.0 is mounted above the heavy power cables onto one foot lengths of tube aluminium with the Velcro. In this way, the subwoofer is clear of the power cables and does not rattle.
4. The front and rear door trims are easily removed (use a plastic door trim removal tool) and the 12 V line, the two in-line speaker wires and the boost control line are fed through. The in-line speaker cables are connected to the left and right front door speakers using instructions at
Part 3: Amplifier Installation | TeslaTap
5. I mounted the boost control knob under the dashboard in the driver foot well. This was the only offensive part of my installation. The Model S is a sleek design without offensive knobs but I could not see a way around this. I was able to hide the knob so only I know where it is. The boost control knob is an essential part of the installation and do not leave it out. Without the control knob, you cannot adjust the boost level after you install the unit.
6. Adjust the Bass boost levels on the main unit prior to replacing the back seat. You don’t want to remove the back seat too often as this will weaken the clips. Fine adjustments are made using the boost control knob.
7. Replace the back seat and the door trims and enjoy a significant improvement in sound quality.
8. The only negative feature of this installation is a pop from the subwoofer if you leave the car and the audio volume level is above 6. At low volume the pop is imperceptible. There must be a power surge when the car shuts down which causes the subwoofer to pop. I have not been able to work around this. My days of listening to loud rock music are over so this is not a problem for me.
Good luck. I’m sure an experienced installer could do this in less than four hours.
