Audiophiles w/ Model 3's

[dfwatt]

I've replaced the 2 of the 3 4" drivers in the dash, and yes it's very easy to do. The 4" in the center of the dash has almost no clearance underneath it, so I didn't replace that one.
I've also replaced the door tweeters (right near the side mirrors), also easy.

The door woofers are my current challenge, as there is VERY little clearance in the door.

Quick question there flash flood ER. I'm finding that getting the rear doors off is not so easy. Getting the Torx bolts out is a breeze but how many Clips are holding it and after you pop all the clips does the door panel simply lift up or is there some other removal technique? Sorry to bother you but after all you are breaking the ground here so your experience is valuable

 

[flashflooder]

Just a handful of clips hold it in... I used a pry tool and just started working my way around the edge. You have to apply some moderate force... don't worry you're not going to break anything. Once you've released the first clip, the rest are a lot easier since you can pull on the trip a little more. Once all the clips are loose, you lift the trim straight up (there's a lip that slots into the window at the top of the trim).

 

[dfwatt]

Just a handful of clips hold it in... I used a pry tool and just started working my way around the edge. You have to apply some moderate force... don't worry you're not going to break anything. Once you've released the first clip, the rest are a lot easier since you can pull on the trip a little more. Once all the clips are loose, you lift the trim straight up (there's a lip that slots into the window at the top of the trim).

Super. Thanks flash flooder. That was my working assumption but I wanted to make sure so I didn't break the damn thing. The other thing that's out on the Internet is that the clips are one use only? I'm skeptical of that because I've already popped several of them out and put them back on without any apparent ill effects but what do you think of that? Hoping you'll also post a quick how-to guide in terms of the front 4-inch drivers.

 

[Hecdog]

Would you mind posting a picture of this? Maybe this will make sense once I get back to my car and play with the balance settings.

Sorry, I know it was hard to explain. Here it is...

 

[gilscales]

For those of you who might not be ready to invest in a new sound system, I can share my settings.

A bit of background, I'm a full time audio engineer and music composer/producer with 2 grammy nominations, an Oscar nomination, 2 Sundance awards, and an Emmy. I've been mixing music daily for the past 25 years. I'm NOT saying this to brag, nor to suggest my opinion is any more valid than anyone else's, nor to imply that my opinion is valid to begin with. It's simply for those who place any value in these types of qualifications.

The sound system in the M3 does lack some clarity in the mid-lows and has diminished crispness above 8-10kHz. I have not used any analysis tools, just my ears using music I mixed on my reference monitors. So I tried to match what I hear in my studio.

A couple things to note:

1. The EQ section is noting more than a multi-band amplifier. This is important because you can simply increase your audio system's output by 8dB by increasing all the bands to the top of their range. Except for some expected mechanical changes due to the increased volume, the EQ remains steady with all sliders maxed out.

2. Different audio sources change the EQ of the music as they broadcast it. For instance, I have some music on streaming radio. If I compare it to the same music on a USB drive, the streaming version is compressed (an engineering term for music whose dynamic range has been reduced) and has been through some sort of high-pass filter, making it sound thinner. There are also artifacts in the upper bands due to some sort of storage compression and conversion.

3. People have reported different low-end response in their stock system on the different operating systems of the car.

4. These settings are not a perfect fix to the sound system, it's just where I landed when I decided to tweak it to my liking. In general, the stock system is adequate, I'm really happy with it, despite it lacking some "punch". (The bass response increases a bit when the rear passenger-side seat is lowered.) Different audio sources will change the EQ response but in general, I have been satisfied with this:

-------------------------
EQ:
Low: +8
Low-Mid: +4
Mid: +1.5
High-Mid: +3.5
High: +8

-------------------------
Balance/Fade:

Set L/R balance where horizontal line bisects passenger headrest right through the middle.

Set F/R fade where the vertical line bisects the passenger side [red] seat belt receptacle.

-------------------------
Enhanced Audio:

Standard

Sorry, I don't want to ask you to brag but curiosity has got me and I am interested in the nominated and awarded music you have mixed and the type of music you mix most often? Thanks, Gil

 

[Hecdog]

Sorry, I don't want to ask you to brag but curiosity has got me and I am interested in the nominated and awarded music you have mixed and the type of music you mix most often? Thanks, Gil

I was nominated for best Latin Rock/Urban/Alternative album of the year for my album: Sistema Bomb

I got an Emmy for an NFL spot I composed for the Super Bowl with McFadden.

Got an Oscar nomination for Daughter From Danang, a documentary I co-scored and lost to Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine.

I mix/produce/compose music in all genres for my company in San Francisco. We score music for TV shows and National Ads. My company wrote the theme song to Spongebob Squarepants. I’ve mixed well over 1000 songs across 25 years. I’ve got some experience. ;0)

I’m in the UC Berkeley Wall of Fame and was interviewed on Michael Krasnys NPR show after my nomination.

Not bragging. There’s a lot more I can say if that was my intention. Only giving substance to my experience.

 

[gilscales]

I was nominated for best Latin Rock/Urban/Alternative album of the year for my album: Sistema Bomb

I got an Emmy for an NFL spot I composed for the Super Bowl with McFadden.

Got an Oscar nomination for Daughter From Danang, a documentary I co-scored and lost to Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine.

I mix/produce/compose music in all genres for my company in San Francisco. We score music for TV shows and National Ads. My company wrote the theme song to Spongebob Squarepants. I’ve mixed well over 1000 songs across 25 years. I’ve got some experience. ;0)

I’m in the UC Berkeley Wall of Fame and was interviewed on Michael Krasnys NPR show after my nomination.

Not bragging. There’s a lot more I can say if that was my intention. Only giving substance to my experience.

I was not challenging you if it came off that way, I was curious, your credentials are very impressive, just wondering what is the type of music involved in your career and if I knew any of the songs, thanks for answering

 

[Hecdog]

I was not challenging you if it came off that way, I was curious, your credentials are very impressive, just wondering what is the type of music involved in your career and if I knew any of the songs, thanks for answering

Got it. No problem. Thanks for asking.

 

[flashflooder]

Super. Thanks flash flooder. That was my working assumption but I wanted to make sure so I didn't break the damn thing. The other thing that's out on the Internet is that the clips are one use only? I'm skeptical of that because I've already popped several of them out and put them back on without any apparent ill effects but what do you think of that? Hoping you'll also post a quick how-to guide in terms of the front 4-inch drivers.

I haven’t had any clips break on me

 

[dfwatt]

I haven’t had any clips break on me

I was able to get it apart without breaking anything. It is a bit surprising how much force it requires to pop those clips my guesstimate is something on the order of 30 lb or perhaps 40 lb of pull to get the clip to come out. Was able to Dynamat with Nioco the left rear door. That stuff is great to work with. No smell, goes on really well and sticks tightly, and molds to just about any configuration or shape very easily. Very pliable in other words. 4 inch driver looks like it's simply impossible to remove, and what's a bit bizarre is that everything else about the door looks like it's easy to disassemble, fix or remove and replace. Plus the depth of the speaker would have to be no more than 1/4 inch more or you would get into issues with the door panel not going back on very well, as I believe the speaker sits in one of the network of cross-hatched plastic wells on the interior door surface (which itself is removable) - but I suspect that's a boatload more work and a lot more anxiety about getting everything back together again. Thanks again for your help. Probably wouldn't have done it without reassurance about those clips. For sure I will post some pictures later on today when I do the right rear and start on the front.

 

[dfwatt]

There wasn't a lot of bare metal to Dynamat. But I did as much as I was comfortable with without adding too much thickness to the mounting surface for the door. Came out nicely. Door shuts with a bit more satisfying thunk. Best part is that I didn't even really have to disconnect the electrical harness as it was easy to work on the door with the door overlay just lying on the ground. Not sure if the second picture reveals it but the 4-inch driver is plastic welded in and looks like it would be virtually impossible to remove and replace without a lot of grief and uncertainty. The mounting depth from the front of the speaker to the back of the magnet would have to be the same or you probably wouldn't be able to reattach the door panel .

 

[Magnets!]

I added front and rear Tesla Sun Screens to help reduce road noise. I think they helped a ton. Car feels so much more luxurious. I also think it helped the Audio system. Glass surfaces are always problematic in room acoustics. Having all that glass 3 inches above your head isn’t a good thing. Keeps car cooler in summer (less energy) and warmer in winter too.

Those screens look to be fairly acoustically transparent, similar to a speaker grille for example. But it sounds like you notice a reduction in road noise?

Wondering if it would be possible to insert say a layer of thin felt or insulation of some sort above the screen? Is the screen/clips sturdy enough to support any additional weight?

Also would there be any way to trim the rear screen so that you remove the lower portion so as to not impede visibility but to retain the benefit of covering the rear sunroof? Thanks.

 

[groovyd]

Those screens look to be fairly acoustically transparent, similar to a speaker grille for example. But it sounds like you notice a reduction in road noise?

Wondering if it would be possible to insert say a layer of thin felt or insulation of some sort above the screen? Is the screen/clips sturdy enough to support any additional weight?

Also would there be any way to trim the rear screen so that you remove the lower portion so as to not impede visibility but to retain the benefit of covering the rear sunroof? Thanks.

The rear screen is great... doesn't really impact the already useless visibility in any significant way and clearly cuts down on both sun heat and acoustic reflections.

 

[mswlogo]

Those screens look to be fairly acoustically transparent, similar to a speaker grille for example. But it sounds like you notice a reduction in road noise?

Wondering if it would be possible to insert say a layer of thin felt or insulation of some sort above the screen? Is the screen/clips sturdy enough to support any additional weight?

Also would there be any way to trim the rear screen so that you remove the lower portion so as to not impede visibility but to retain the benefit of covering the rear sunroof? Thanks.

And a lot of audio purists remove their speaker grills

I think the front screen had a huge positive acoustical effect. The rear not as much. Not easy to measure.

 

[Magnets!]

And a lot of audio purists remove their speaker grills

. Perhaps, but you don't see them using those grills for sound deadening on the walls either ;-)

But glad to hear you guys are feeling the screens make a positive impact. Are they sturdy enough to support a layer of felt applied to the inside?

 

[mswlogo]

. Perhaps, but you don't see them using those grills for sound deadening on the walls either ;-)

I’ve seen lots of similar comments by owners of model S/X that liked the “hushed” sound you get when adding sunscreens.

If you don’t like it, it’s easy to return.

It’s not a pillow. It just takes a little of the edge off of being in a glass jar.

 

[dfwatt]

I added front and rear Tesla Sun Screens to help reduce road noise. I think they helped a ton. Car feels so much more luxurious. I also think it helped the Audio system. Glass surfaces are always problematic in room acoustics. Having all that glass 3 inches above your head isn’t a good thing. Keeps car cooler in summer (less energy) and warmer in winter too.

So where do you get these I've looked online and I can't find any?

 

[Magnets!]

So where do you get these I've looked online and I can't find any?

They are Tesla accessories. Online or at delivery center. By the way does anyone know if I purchase online can I return it to the store if I don’t like it?

 

[Lifeinabox]

@Hecdog thanks for posting your settings. I tried them out and like the balance. My youngest demanded we listen to Dr Seuss via Slacker. Suprisingly good test material with the various voices, noises, etc for imaging and soundstage.

 

[Hecdog]

@Hecdog thanks for posting your settings. I tried them out and like the balance. My youngest demanded we listen to Dr Seuss via Slacker. Suprisingly good test material with the various voices, noises, etc for imaging and soundstage.

No problem! Glad you like my EQ settings. I’ll check out Dr Seuss to see what your kid is excited about! Cheers!