for those who didn't purchase Studio Sound: what upgrades have you done?

[gnychis]

I am extremellllyyyy underwhelmed by the standard audio system in the Tesla. My mom's C300 blows it out of the water, and even my friend's new Hyundai sounds 5x better. Tesla's standard audio system sounds flat, does not fill the cabin, and completely lacks bass IMO. I've tried all sorts of audio formats (not just the compressed Internet audio), and I still think it's underwhelming. This is the only thing I've been disappointed about after shelling out close to $100k for a car, where cars 1/4th the cost outperform it.

That said... 1) What upgrades have people done to the stock sound system, and 2) What was the cost of your upgrade?

I really didn't want to shell out the $2500 for improved audio. I know I've seen a few threads about people upgrading to Reus audio systems, but that's just as expensive. I've also seen more small scale upgrades where the author's admit the improvement to be very small. I would love to hear what others have done to improve sound. I believe there is an "empty" spot for another speaker on the rear trunk for those without the sound studio to put something.

Thanks all.

 

[spentan]

I wanted XM Sat and my car came with the sound studio.

Its OK, not too fussed as it was part of my inventory car I bought.

 

[pete8314]

I am extremellllyyyy underwhelmed by the standard audio system in the Tesla. My mom's C300 blows it out of the water, and even my friend's new Hyundai sounds 5x better. Tesla's standard audio system sounds flat, does not fill the cabin, and completely lacks bass IMO. I've tried all sorts of audio formats (not just the compressed Internet audio), and I still think it's underwhelming. This is the only thing I've been disappointed about after shelling out close to $100k for a car, where cars 1/4th the cost outperform it.

That said... 1) What upgrades have people done to the stock sound system, and 2) What was the cost of your upgrade?

I really didn't want to shell out the $2500 for improved audio. I know I've seen a few threads about people upgrading to Reus audio systems, but that's just as expensive. I've also seen more small scale upgrades where the author's admit the improvement to be very small. I would love to hear what others have done to improve sound. I believe there is an "empty" spot for another speaker on the rear trunk for those without the sound studio to put something.

Thanks all.

I'm in the same boat as you, I loved the sound of the Reus, but couldn't justify the price. Unfortunately the Model S is still relatively niche compared to most mainstream cars out there that use shared part-bins, so I've yet to find any off-the-shelf upgrades....i.e. to me it seems like switching out the speakers on the A pillars for something that has far more range would be a good thing, but they're not a standard size.

 

[imherkimer]

Well, for whatever reason I have to disagree. I have the standard sound system in my S and it exceeds my expectations. I have thought of getting a Reus upgrade but what I have has been more than adequate, so I hesitate to spend so much on the upgrade. A good friend has the Reus system and it does sound much better at high volume. I rarely use high volume

 

[Ugliest1]

After the hearing starts to go it doesn't really matter anyway (I blame that Ted Nugent concert in the late '70's).

 

[JohnnyMac]

Have you made tone adjustments with the EQ? I agree that the factory settings lack depth and promote WAY too much midrange. Increase the bass and treble and decreased the midrange. This made a HUGE difference for me. Also, fading to the rear helped improve the soundstage.

Also, search tessellate and subwoofer addition on the Tesla forum. He added an amp and sub for $1,500 which offered very good results which he was happy with.

 

[yobigd20]

Have you made tone adjustments with the EQ? I agree that the factory settings lack depth and promote WAY too much midrange. Increase the bass and treble and decreased the midrange. This made a HUGE difference for me. Also, fading to the rear helped improve the soundstage.

Also, search tessellate and subwoofer addition on the Tesla forum. He added an amp and sub for $1,500 which offered very good results which he was happy with.

yea theres been a few owners that did aftermarket audio upgrades that was *not* reus audio. This is the next project that I am going to upgrade to my MS too. I have the sound studio and even after customizing the EQ I still find it lacking. Needs more bass range definitately and the other speakers need a bit more punch too.

here is one owner's upgrade: My Audio Upgrade- East Coast Style

Al & Eds have done a few upgrades too. The most extensive I've seen was to Dr Taras's car (search forums). Dr Taras' Model S gets customized! you'll have to dig through taht large thread for details. I believe he used some alpine equipment and some Focal speakers.

you'll want to read this thread Audio: Sound System Quality?

i've also seen one custom center console with a downward facing 10" jl audio sub. that owner is on these forums too. here is a thread i started that has a bit more info including pics of that center console sub: How to add a new aftermarket amplifier and sub?

For me personally, I might just do this one step at a time. Probably just an amp and additional sub to start. I'm was going to construct a custom box to fix in the cubby in the trunk on the left and see if I can fit a 12" JL Audio sub in there and pair it with a class D amp. I really haven't done my homework on it yet, as in where to get the audio signal from, and whether or not I need to run it through a crossover or other EQ to clean up the signal. AFAIK there is no "audio out" on the back of the center console so the only way I know of to get a signal is tieing into the existing speaker outputs.

 

[gnychis]

yea theres been a few owners that did aftermarket audio upgrades that was *not* reus audio. This is the next project that I am going to upgrade to my MS too. I have the sound studio and even after customizing the EQ I still find it lacking. Needs more bass range definitately and the other speakers need a bit more punch too.

here is one owner's upgrade: My Audio Upgrade- East Coast Style

Al & Eds have done a few upgrades too. The most extensive I've seen was to Dr Taras's car (search forums). Dr Taras' Model S gets customized! you'll have to dig through taht large thread for details. I believe he used some alpine equipment and some Focal speakers.

you'll want to read this thread Audio: Sound System Quality?

i've also seen one custom center console with a downward facing 10" jl audio sub. that owner is on these forums too. here is a thread i started that has a bit more info including pics of that center console sub: How to add a new aftermarket amplifier and sub?

For me personally, I might just do this one step at a time. Probably just an amp and additional sub to start. I'm was going to construct a custom box to fix in the cubby in the trunk on the left and see if I can fit a 12" JL Audio sub in there and pair it with a class D amp. I really haven't done my homework on it yet, as in where to get the audio signal from, and whether or not I need to run it through a crossover or other EQ to clean up the signal. AFAIK there is no "audio out" on the back of the center console so the only way I know of to get a signal is tieing into the existing speaker outputs.

Thanks for the pointers, yobigd. I'm slowly making my way through them now. I agree that it is underwhelming even after customizing the EQ and trying to move the "center" more towards the back. It's like day and night to me between the sound system in the Tesla and others that I've heard.