Hansshow Audio Upgrade? (SR+)

[tlr1000]

Be interesting to see the opinions while more people install this system and in particular those that have audiophile backgrounds. I like that this system is essentially plug and play and would love to hear one but have some reservations about claims that this system "blows away" the factory premium system. The factory premium system was designed by a team of B&O sound engineers and has been known to sound better than the "$12,000 Bang and Olufsen option on an Audi A8". Some people may describe the Hansshow system as having jam, punch, boom, etc. But generally these are not the things audio engineers are trying to achieve in a system. Rather it would be things like imaging, staging, balance, tonal accuracy, etc. All of these things are kept in mind while trying to reproduce what the recording engineer intended - no more, no less. Adjectives like thump usually describe the bass and if a system is producing more bass than what the recording intended, that may not be considered good sound but then again many people enjoy that. An analogy is some cell phone cameras by default bump up the saturation so the pictures have lots of pop and vividness but its not how it looks in real life.

If you are looking for more thump, jam, oomph, etc, I'm sure this system probably delivers. However, if you are looking for imaging, staging, balance, tonal accuracy, I am doubtful this system can better the factory premium system but will reserve judgement until I hear one.

I have heard a few modified SR+ stereos that cost way more than the Hansshow system and they do outperform the factory premium in thump, jam, oomph, etc but they are not comparable to the factory system for imaging, staging, balance, tonal accuracy.

I guess at the end of the day it depends what the individual listener wants and depending on one's tastes, this may be a great option.

Keep the reviews coming!

 

[Aphinity]

I guess at the end of the day it depends what the individual listener wants and depending on one's tastes, this may be a great option.

This is the most pertinent part of your post. Sound is an individual preference. Most people do not prefer flat response compared to bassy, punchy sound.

If I could have bought a car with a factory premium audio system and still gotten the $8000 rebate from my local government, I would have in a heartbeat. I didn't have that option. Therefore, arguing for or against the premium sound system being better is not really hitting the target of this thread.

Also, it's ok to admit that something might sound better when it has more power, better quality speakers than factory, and has been tuned and offered as a package. I mean, it's possible they did in fact do better, right?

 

[Aphinity]

I ordered my DIY wire-only kit for my June 2020 M3. No rear speakers makes me sad but I'd still rather have my front speakers doing something compared to sitting there, unused.

 

[cdswm3]

Be interesting to see the opinions while more people install this system and in particular those that have audiophile backgrounds. I like that this system is essentially plug and play and would love to hear one but have some reservations about claims that this system "blows away" the factory premium system. The factory premium system was designed by a team of B&O sound engineers and has been known to sound better than the "$12,000 Bang and Olufsen option on an Audi A8". Some people may describe the Hansshow system as having jam, punch, boom, etc. But generally these are not the things audio engineers are trying to achieve in a system. Rather it would be things like imaging, staging, balance, tonal accuracy, etc. All of these things are kept in mind while trying to reproduce what the recording engineer intended - no more, no less. Adjectives like thump usually describe the bass and if a system is producing more bass than what the recording intended, that may not be considered good sound but then again many people enjoy that. An analogy is some cell phone cameras by default bump up the saturation so the pictures have lots of pop and vividness but its not how it looks in real life.

If you are looking for more thump, jam, oomph, etc, I'm sure this system probably delivers. However, if you are looking for imaging, staging, balance, tonal accuracy, I am doubtful this system can better the factory premium system but will reserve judgement until I hear one.

I have heard a few modified SR+ stereos that cost way more than the Hansshow system and they do outperform the factory premium in thump, jam, oomph, etc but they are not comparable to the factory system for imaging, staging, balance, tonal accuracy.

I guess at the end of the day it depends what the individual listener wants and depending on one's tastes, this may be a great option.

Keep the reviews coming!

That is wishful thinking. The Premium system sounds good but not great. I have heard the high end A8 systems and it far better then the premium system as are many other premium systems (Jag, Cadillac, Lexus although all at much higher prices) . Duplicating the factory system using the same or better speakers as in the high end Hanssow kit with a DSP amp would not be that difficult to do. I doubt it would "blow away" the premium system but match it I can see. Most people mess up the audio designers work with the EQ anyways.

 

[tlr1000]

This is the most pertinent part of your post. Sound is an individual preference. Most people do not prefer flat response compared to bassy, punchy sound.

If I could have bought a car with a factory premium audio system and still gotten the $8000 rebate from my local government, I would have in a heartbeat. I didn't have that option. Therefore, arguing for or against the premium sound system being better is not really hitting the target of this thread.

Also, it's ok to admit that something might sound better when it has more power, better quality speakers than factory, and has been tuned and offered as a package. I mean, it's possible they did in fact do better, right?

I actually like bassy punchy if the recording is supposed to be bassy punchy. But if the bass goes beyond the intended recording, I'm not a fan personally but do recognize many people like that which is totally ok.

You are absolutely right about the $8k rebate...it's hard to pass up. I'm not arguing for or against the premium vs Hansshow as that is really apples and oranges but some have commented that the Hansshow upgrade blows the premium system away which is possibly true depending how that is measured but I believe doubtful. I'm sure this upgrade will fill a void of the SR+ system but it will be a different sound and possibly better or worse depending what a person is looking for.

In terms of more power and better speakers, it's not even a question of 'might' sound better as it 'will' sound better as long as the tuning is adjusted properly for these changed components.

This kit is definitely a step in the right direction and hopefully people will find it fills the missing pieces in the SR+ sound system.

 

[tlr1000]

That is wishful thinking. The Premium system sounds good but not great. I have heard the high end A8 systems and it far better then the premium system as are many other premium systems (Jag, Cadillac, Lexus although all at much higher prices) . Duplicating the factory system using the same or better speakers as in the high end Hanssow kit with a DSP amp would not be that difficult to do. I doubt it would "blow away" the premium system but match it I can see. Most people mess up the audio designers work with the EQ anyways.

I have no idea whether the comment about the A8 system is accurate or not but it is from a reviewer with an audio engineering background for whatever that's worth. I think what you said about messing up EQ is key and this is an extremely time consuming thing to get bang on.

 

[robmich]

Quick question, did you order Professional package (Sub + DSP) or premium package (Sub + DSP + 4 Upgrade speaker)?? Any thought on if 4 upgrade speaker ?

The professional package. Didn't want to take my doors off. It sounds great with the current speakers.

 

[InfinitySky]

I ordered my DIY wire-only kit for my June 2020 M3. No rear speakers makes me sad but I'd still rather have my front speakers doing something compared to sitting there, unused.

I’ll be curious to hear what you think after installation! I also don’t have the back speakers and at this point I’m leaning towards not doing it because of that

 

[Wy2sl0]

Any information on whether this kit is actually good for sound quality? I unfortunately must say that people seem to equate more speakers being better. As if hearing the soundstage behind you or off center doesn't matter if its louder etc.

The entire purpose of good sound quality is excellent reproduction of the original source material - that means separation of elements and positioning. That being said, does this kit add time alignment and EQ to all the speakers it is enabling or is it simply a more is better? because if so, there is absolutely ZERO chance that this upgrade is anywhere near the premium stereo.

edit: saw tlr1000 basically said the same thing above so x2

 

[AdamMacDon]

I'd personally recommend doing something similar to what I did here: Model 3 SR+ Premium Sound System Upgrade Video

Except using the harness instead of running your own wires and cutting the OEM harness. In my opinion, you need an extra amp to really get the full experience out of the sound system. The premium sound system has two amps (one in the trunk by the sub). The OEM front amp only puts out around ~250 watts if I recall right, which is not much among 12 speakers.

At the end of the day it really depends on your goals. For me I wanted more rear sound stage and a sub, so just splicing in more speakers wouldn't have cut it.

 

[base_two]

Any information on whether this kit is actually good for sound quality? I unfortunately must say that people seem to equate more speakers being better. As if hearing the soundstage behind you or off center doesn't matter if its louder etc.

The entire purpose of good sound quality is excellent reproduction of the original source material - that means separation of elements and positioning. That being said, does this kit add time alignment and EQ to all the speakers it is enabling or is it simply a more is better? because if so, there is absolutely ZERO chance that this upgrade is anywhere near the premium stereo.

edit: saw tlr1000 basically said the same thing above so x2

I don't think people who are interested in the Hansshow upgrade kit are audiophiles.

The purpose of this kit is activate the existing inactive speakers, and with the Professional package, add back in a subwoofer and amp to support it. There aren't really any additional speakers being added with the Professional package (the option that's been reviewed the most) that weren't already present in the stock Premium interior other than the subwoofer that sits in the same area as the stock and is intended to mimic that setup. I wouldn't imagine there's a drastic variance in the sound stage compared to the stock Premium offering because of the slightly larger subwoofer and increase power via the DSP. The 'Immersive Sound' feature still works just like stock.

So in order for this to sound worse, the subwoofer would have to be crap, or the increase power from the amp would somehow change the sound stage. Unlikely.

 

[cdswm3]

I'd personally recommend doing something similar to what I did here: Model 3 SR+ Premium Sound System Upgrade Video

Except using the harness instead of running your own wires and cutting the OEM harness. In my opinion, you need an extra amp to really get the full experience out of the sound system. The premium sound system has two amps (one in the trunk by the sub). The OEM front amp only puts out around ~250 watts if I recall right, which is not much among 12 speakers.

At the end of the day it really depends on your goals. For me I wanted more rear sound stage and a sub, so just splicing in more speakers wouldn't have cut it.

The Hansson High end kits include a DSP amp for the extra speakers and the sub.

 

[Emcp422]

The rear shelf speakers are easy to find, i bought a 2019 whole rear shelf on ebay for 130, took off the speakers and sold the shelf by itself for 75 bucks on FB marketplace, to someone who wanted the whole grill look instead of the 2 separate speaker grills, then bought the professional hansshow, I was going to buy the one someone here has for sale but could find the time to make a trip to install it, so decided to try my luck and doing it myself, and it does a huge difference, i haven't tried turning the volume past the half way mark because it get more than loud enough at that point and overall I am very pleased with it. hardest part to me was taking the rear shelf off to install the speakers, if i had had those it would have been a breeze to install.

 

[Fadiawesome]

wait, so if you install just the harness only and activate the existing speakers, can you not turn up the volume to like more than half or 3/4?

 

[base_two]

wait, so if you install just the harness only and activate the existing speakers, can you not turn up the volume to like more than half or 3/4?

There was some confusion about this when the harness solution first came out because of TeslaOffer's harness solution having this issue, but Hansshow's harness has a "frequency divider" built in as a solution. They updated the order page with that info as well:

"For the DIY kit, with the addition of our frequency divider, the impedance of the audio system is the same as the original car, which is 4 ohms, no damage to the original AMP."

That with the few reports in this thread of successful tests above 50% without distortion, I'd say it's not a concern.

 

[robmich]

There was some confusion about this when the harness solution first came out because of TeslaOffer's harness solution having this issue, but Hansshow's harness has a "frequency divider" built in as a solution. They updated the order page with that info as well:

"For the DIY kit, with the addition of our frequency divider, the impedance of the audio system is the same as the original car, which is 4 ohms, no damage to the original AMP."

That with the few reports in this thread of successful tests above 50% without distortion, I'd say it's not a concern.

Having installed the pro edition and using if to a week now, it is, at least to me well worth it. I am not an audiophile and I like my music LOUD. I can however tell if the sound is distorted. So far with me running it at 11, it is crisp and clear. The DSP does add power all around and the A pillar speakers are noticeable and does add to the surround sound when I use immersion. The sub provides crisp thumps that I can feel through the back of my seat.

When I play FLAC recording off of USB, the new system really shines. I like it, YMMV, but the speakers, especially the rear shelf ones do make a difference and makes me very happy with my SR+.

 

[tlr1000]

There was some confusion about this when the harness solution first came out because of TeslaOffer's harness solution having this issue, but Hansshow's harness has a "frequency divider" built in as a solution. They updated the order page with that info as well:

"For the DIY kit, with the addition of our frequency divider, the impedance of the audio system is the same as the original car, which is 4 ohms, no damage to the original AMP."

That with the few reports in this thread of successful tests above 50% without distortion, I'd say it's not a concern.

I wonder what the difference is between this "frequency divider" and a crossover?

 

[scramjet]

I spoke with hanshow and they said they will be releasing a new version of the audio upgrade that includes the rear shelf speakers. They said it will work for old and new model 3s. If you have a newer model you can install the new speakers if you have the older 3 then you can replace the rear shelf speakers with the new ones. They claim they're better but I have no idea if they actually are.

 

[jaredg19]

I spoke with hanshow and they said they will be releasing a new version of the audio upgrade that includes the rear shelf speakers. They said it will work for old and new model 3s. If you have a newer model you can install the new speakers if you have the older 3 then you can replace the rear shelf speakers with the new ones. They claim they're better but I have no idea if they actually are.

Did they say when they'd be releasing it?

 

[sa012]

There was some confusion about this when the harness solution first came out because of TeslaOffer's harness solution having this issue, but Hansshow's harness has a "frequency divider" built in as a solution. They updated the order page with that info as well:

"For the DIY kit, with the addition of our frequency divider, the impedance of the audio system is the same as the original car, which is 4 ohms, no damage to the original AMP."

that's great new. This was my one worry.
That with the few reports in this thread of successful tests above 50% without distortion, I'd say it's not a concern.

Great news. This was my one concern.