Does upgrading to MCU2 have any affect on audio quality?

[tbone586]

Question: Has anyone found that upgrading from MCU1 to MCU2 has any affect on audio quality, positively or negatively?
I have a MS 2014 with Premium Audio. Perhaps there is a broader range of graphic equalizer settings or different algorithms with MCU2? Or more power to the speakers and subwoofer that would be a plus? Just wondering....

Forgive me if answered elsewhere... if so, I've not found it.

 

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Yes it does in my opinion. I had the premium sound system in my 2018 S. After the upgrade I felt the system really lost its punch on the low end base, probably mostly lost from the sub woofer. It was minor but I could tell it wasn't the same. It was the only thing I felt was lost in the upgrade. People will say to play with the immersion but it is not the same as the Dolby. I had mentioned this in the long running thread but good luck finding it. I also had some glare issues with the new IC.

I sold the car and my new S still doesn't match the quality of the MCU1 Premium sound system. They claim to have upgraded the sound system again in the new refreshed S. I wouldn't believe it until I test drove the car.

 

[airborne spoon]

I have a 2014 P85D with premium audio and i just had the MCU2 upgrade a couple weeks ago. there is no noticeable change to the audio after the upgrade. the same settings are still there it has a slider for premium sound or some crap but it doesn't seem to do anything audible.

 

[tbone586]

Thanks for the input.

 

[brkaus]

Quite a few posts on the topic - I believe here is one of them - MCU2 Upgrade Audio EQ Balancing - Coming From MCU1

 

[tbone586]

Quite a few posts on the topic - I believe here is one of them - MCU2 Upgrade Audio EQ Balancing - Coming From MCU1

Excellent! Thanks for finding that thread. Lots of good - though somewhat confusing - information there.

 

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Quite a few posts on the topic - I believe here is one of them - MCU2 Upgrade Audio EQ Balancing - Coming From MCU1

I went through parts of the link and decided to push my settings around to see if anything would restore the sound quality back to what I felt I had with the MCU1 Premium sound quality.

I got real close by pulling the balance a lot further back in the car than I would ever normally consider. (almost centered on the back center seat) By doing so seems to bring up the sub woofer's performance, along with a higher volume. The dynamic range appears better.

Almost want to say the graphic centering pin is off on the display.

 

[trossa]

My 2 cents : sound quality is noticeably less good, I agree with the comments above. I also have Premium sound and it sounded so much better with MCU1. I had my car serviced recently and asked the guys to check, but they only confirmed that the MCU2 is indeed different in managing sound and also advised to use the Immersive setting. For me that's not a good response, it doesn't bring back the quality that I had with MCU1. I sometimes wonder if upgrading to MCU2 was a good thing. Yes for the speed of the maps, having a usable internet browser and some multimedia stuff (e.g. Netflix) that we don't use that much. But a clear no if you really care for the hifi system (by the way : 2016 Model S with AP1, so no advantage in respect to advanced AP).

 

[Ostrichsak]

My 2 cents : sound quality is noticeably less good, I agree with the comments above. I also have Premium sound and it sounded so much better with MCU1. I had my car serviced recently and asked the guys to check, but they only confirmed that the MCU2 is indeed different in managing sound and also advised to use the Immersive setting. For me that's not a good response, it doesn't bring back the quality that I had with MCU1. I sometimes wonder if upgrading to MCU2 was a good thing. Yes for the speed of the maps, having a usable internet browser and some multimedia stuff (e.g. Netflix) that we don't use that much. But a clear no if you really care for the hifi system (by the way : 2016 Model S with AP1, so no advantage in respect to advanced AP).

First hand reports similar to this are the exact reason why I'm content to remain on MCU1 for the near future. If I had AP2 I might be more willing to sacrifice some audio quality for the advantages that would unlock with an MCU2 but for AP1 especially I stick to my original stance that it's just not worth it.

 

[beatle]

I don't know if it's better or worse, but it is definitely different. It is still fixable with a DSP, just MCU1 was.

 

[Made in CA]

Three weeks ago I had the MCU2 upgrade done on my 2015 P90D with the standard audio system. I think there is a significant improvement in the sound quality. I am not an audiophile but it sure sounds better to me. The EQ settings are the same as before the upgrade.