Ive spent some time in my 2014 Model S with the ultra high fidelity sound upgrade, and have been impressed and disappointed at the same time...
I think the majority of people on this forum will really like the UHFS system for its hard hitting bass, no rattles, clearly heard mid range, treble, soundstage, etc...
If your the type that likes to fiddle with the EQ for different songs to add flair, or prefer a more typical consumer oriented sound signature that excites the senses and helps mask the artifacts in your low bitrate streaming music, this thread is not for you.
When it comes to the finer things like accuracy, tonality, timbre and transparency, the system is a nightmare. Sure, a non trained ear will not notice because the system is tuned with a W shaped, in-your-face type of tuning to simulate clarity while still offering gut punching bass. But really, there are huge peaks and valleys everywhere. Voices and instruments sound way off from the original recording. Even with the EQ set to flat and Dolby off, there is alot of DSP wizardry going on that makes things sound way too over-processed. Even simply adjusting the volume level downwards causes the system to automagically apply a loudness curve to boost the bass and treble frequencies for lower volume listening. I also hear strange, faint ringing tones in certain passages that arent normally there.
I really wish I could turn all of this processing off and just listen to a straight signal....
I use the following audio settings to try and compensate for the lack of tonal accuracy and bass response with mild success.
Bass: -12.0
Midbass: -10.0
Mids: -6.5
Mid-Treble: -11.5
Treble: -9.5
Dolby: OFF
Source: USB audio, lossless files
Thats right, I cut every frequency range into the negatives. The problem with boosting is it can cause distortion and other funky things. Ive tried applying the same relative curve but boosting instead of cutting, and it results in the bass becoming totally out of control. Sure, you will lose some overall volume, but cranking the system to 10 and beyond still seems plenty loud to me, well above a typical 90db reference.
Using my settings, I find the bass to be a bit tighter, midrange accuracy is dramatically improved, and the harshness in the upper mids-lower treble is finally gone. Detail is improved, and the sound is generally more relaxed and tamed (in a good way).
Despite turning the bass all the way down, I still hear a huge peak somewhere that becomes overpowering on certain tracks, and there is still the automagic loudness curve. With these settings, the system sounds best at volume 9 or 10. There are also some problems with the upper treble losing detail after applying such a large cut. But unfortunately it was necessary to get rid of the harshness. I really wish the Tesla had a parametric EQ....
I've tried other settings from this forum that people recommend, and with all due respect, I really cant understand how people can listen to this system with everything boosted with a smiley face EQ, dolby on, etc... It makes it sound like the music is coming from a tube, with the goal of altering the the song as much as possible to stimulate the senses and fool yourself into thinking its a live performance. This is an exercise it futility and ruins the atmosphere of the original recording and the intention of the artist.
I personally prefer to hear bad recordings sound bad, and good recordings sound good. Almost holographic and transparent in nature, like listening to music by plugging a USB cable straight into your brain. A sound system should be like a chameleon and change its character based on the track thats being played, as opposed to trying to make every track sound "good".
I would really like you guys to try these settings for a few days (let your ears adjust, give it a chance), and will appreciate some feedback or suggestions. Feel free to post your settings as well. Thanks.
I think the majority of people on this forum will really like the UHFS system for its hard hitting bass, no rattles, clearly heard mid range, treble, soundstage, etc...
If your the type that likes to fiddle with the EQ for different songs to add flair, or prefer a more typical consumer oriented sound signature that excites the senses and helps mask the artifacts in your low bitrate streaming music, this thread is not for you.
When it comes to the finer things like accuracy, tonality, timbre and transparency, the system is a nightmare. Sure, a non trained ear will not notice because the system is tuned with a W shaped, in-your-face type of tuning to simulate clarity while still offering gut punching bass. But really, there are huge peaks and valleys everywhere. Voices and instruments sound way off from the original recording. Even with the EQ set to flat and Dolby off, there is alot of DSP wizardry going on that makes things sound way too over-processed. Even simply adjusting the volume level downwards causes the system to automagically apply a loudness curve to boost the bass and treble frequencies for lower volume listening. I also hear strange, faint ringing tones in certain passages that arent normally there.
I really wish I could turn all of this processing off and just listen to a straight signal....
I use the following audio settings to try and compensate for the lack of tonal accuracy and bass response with mild success.
Bass: -12.0
Midbass: -10.0
Mids: -6.5
Mid-Treble: -11.5
Treble: -9.5
Dolby: OFF
Source: USB audio, lossless files
Thats right, I cut every frequency range into the negatives. The problem with boosting is it can cause distortion and other funky things. Ive tried applying the same relative curve but boosting instead of cutting, and it results in the bass becoming totally out of control. Sure, you will lose some overall volume, but cranking the system to 10 and beyond still seems plenty loud to me, well above a typical 90db reference.
Using my settings, I find the bass to be a bit tighter, midrange accuracy is dramatically improved, and the harshness in the upper mids-lower treble is finally gone. Detail is improved, and the sound is generally more relaxed and tamed (in a good way).
Despite turning the bass all the way down, I still hear a huge peak somewhere that becomes overpowering on certain tracks, and there is still the automagic loudness curve. With these settings, the system sounds best at volume 9 or 10. There are also some problems with the upper treble losing detail after applying such a large cut. But unfortunately it was necessary to get rid of the harshness. I really wish the Tesla had a parametric EQ....
I've tried other settings from this forum that people recommend, and with all due respect, I really cant understand how people can listen to this system with everything boosted with a smiley face EQ, dolby on, etc... It makes it sound like the music is coming from a tube, with the goal of altering the the song as much as possible to stimulate the senses and fool yourself into thinking its a live performance. This is an exercise it futility and ruins the atmosphere of the original recording and the intention of the artist.
I personally prefer to hear bad recordings sound bad, and good recordings sound good. Almost holographic and transparent in nature, like listening to music by plugging a USB cable straight into your brain. A sound system should be like a chameleon and change its character based on the track thats being played, as opposed to trying to make every track sound "good".
I would really like you guys to try these settings for a few days (let your ears adjust, give it a chance), and will appreciate some feedback or suggestions. Feel free to post your settings as well. Thanks.
