Ideal Aftermarket Audio System for Model S

[SeleeneEV]

5 midrange - Hertz ML700.3 3 inch Mille Legend Series
2 Morel MT220 Car Audio Silk 1.8 inch Soft Dome Tweeters
SoundQubed HDS2.1 Series Selection 8 inch Dual 2 Ohm (wired in parallel 1 ohm)
4 Light Harmonic Model S Gen 2 160mm
Light Harmonic Premium Amp Replacement

System still sounds amazing after 5 years.

Question for you about the Hertz ML700.3's - Were you able to plug and play those with the Tesla system? Did you have to do any kind of DSP tuning / rebalancing? Same question for the Tweeters. I'm looking to do this same upgrade in a 2017 S so very curious about our experience.

 

[EVortex]

Question for you about the Hertz ML700.3's - Were you able to plug and play those with the Tesla system? Did you have to do any kind of DSP tuning / rebalancing? Same question for the Tweeters. I'm looking to do this same upgrade in a 2017 S so very curious about our experience.

I had to make mounting plates for the 3 dash midrange speakers due to the screw patterns and tight working space. I didn’t need mounting plates for the 2 in the rear hatch door. I also used oem plugs for the drivers so I could easily plug or unplug them instead of just hard wiring.

No electronics changes for anything except I removed the high filters on the stock tweeters when I installed the Morels. I let the full signal go to the drivers and they have held up just fine. No DSP tuning, just using the stock EQ. Very close to plug and play.

 

[SeleeneEV]

FYI - I noticed on the SoundQubed website they have an SQ-HDX8-D2 sub for $200 with somewhat similar specs to the older HDS2.1. Although similar, the specs are different and I have not tested this sub so anyone interested would need to do their own research before purchasing.

Checking their website, they have the HDX that you mentioned and also this one:

8" HDS 2.2 Series Subwoofer​

8" HDS 2.2 Series Subwoofer

SoundQubed HDS 2.2 Series 8" Subwoofer. Great sound. Great punch. Affordable price. 600w RMS with 1200w Max. Amazing Subwoofer with the size and power for everyone needing space and output.

soundqubed.com

Is this closer to what you have?

Also, aren't the Morel's a 4ohm speaker? No issues just plugging those in?

I'm considering using the Hertz MP 28.3 for the tweeter replacements.

 

[Muzzman1]

Checking their website, they have the HDX that you mentioned and also this one:

8" HDS 2.2 Series Subwoofer​

8" HDS 2.2 Series Subwoofer

SoundQubed HDS 2.2 Series 8" Subwoofer. Great sound. Great punch. Affordable price. 600w RMS with 1200w Max. Amazing Subwoofer with the size and power for everyone needing space and output.

soundqubed.com

Is this closer to what you have?

Also, aren't the Morel's a 4ohm speaker? No issues just plugging those in?

I'm considering using the Hertz MP 28.3 for the tweeter replacements.

When connected to the LH Amp you want the Sub to be wired at 1Ohn.

 

[SeleeneEV]

When connected to the LH Amp you want the Sub to be wired at 1Ohn.

Yes, that's not the question tho. I was asking about the Hertz 3-inch replacements originally and my follow up was about the a-pillar tweeters.

 

[SeleeneEV]

Chan546, I am in Rocklin so if you are ever in Sacramento or are on the way to Tahoe, let me know. I don’t get down to your area very often.

Here is what I would recommend in priority order for best bang for the buck:

1. Soundqubed subwoofer retrofitted into stock enclosure - under $100, not louder bass with stock Tesla Premium amp, but less muddy and more defined. First driving it through the stock Tesla Premium amp will also allow you to break-in the sub in 48 hours of listening without having to limit to 50% power. It’s a nice way to prepare for the LH amp which sends a lot more power than stock.

2. Light Harmonic Amp - LH has options for just the amp or bundling with speakers. The amp alone is $1,200. This amp is a direct replacement of the stock Tesla premium amp and drives the front door woofers, rear lift gate midranges, and the sub. It bolts into the exact location of the stock Tesla Premuim amp and uses the same bundled wire connector as stock. The stock Tesla base amp daughterboard drives the tweeters, 3 front dash midranges, and rear doors. The LH premium amp is not cheap, but the improvement is so excellent it is worth it in my opinion. Make sure to let Light Harmonic know if you have MCU1 or MCU2 (there is now a difference between them in the LH amp).

3. Light Harmonic door speakers - excellent stats and nice sound complemented by the LH amp. 1.2 ohms - this makes a difference. Front and rear door LH speakers can be purchased on Amazon at this time for $865.93 ($999 on the LH website). I recommend the Gen 2 version. Complete plug and play, excellent fitment. I suggested to LH owner Larry Ho that they make a 200mm version of this speaker for the front doors. Tesla stock front door speakers are 200mm and the back door speakers are 160mm. The current LH front and back door speakers are 160mm, but the smaller fronts still sound much better than the stock larger fronts, in my opinion. I can only imagine what the LH fronts would be like in 200mm.

4. All other drivers - the two midrange speakers in the rear lift gate are the only other speakers driven by the LH amp. All remaining speakers are powered by the stock daughterboard amp so we don’t get any more power for these, but upgrading to the best spec speakers available in sizes that fit in stock locations and with matching or close to stock impedance makes a big difference in sound quality. I used Hertz and Morel for the remaining speakers - excellent specs and close on size. I attached the Hertz midranges to the lift gate in the stock openings using supplied u-nuts and screws. The dashboard speakers were much more difficult and required fabricating mounting adapters. Moving the top dash out of the way to remove the mesh was a pain because the airbag is attached to it and unplugging the two electrical connectors to the airbag can be challenging. The Morel tweeters fit in the stock mounts in the a-pillar trim. Lots of effort overall, but the front stage lit up on the high end and I had to significantly back-off the EQ in the higher frequencies to find a nice balance across the sound spectrum.

I just wanted to bring your attention to the order page for the new Gen 3. speakers. They have a "PLAID" configuration which has two front 200mm speakers now.

https://www.lightharmonic.com/product-page/tesla-model-s-g3-four-door-speakers

 

[EVortex]

Checking their website, they have the HDX that you mentioned and also this one:

8" HDS 2.2 Series Subwoofer​

8" HDS 2.2 Series Subwoofer

SoundQubed HDS 2.2 Series 8" Subwoofer. Great sound. Great punch. Affordable price. 600w RMS with 1200w Max. Amazing Subwoofer with the size and power for everyone needing space and output.

soundqubed.com

Is this closer to what you have?

Also, aren't the Morel's a 4ohm speaker? No issues just plugging those in?

I'm considering using the Hertz MP 28.3 for the tweeter replacements

Nice. When I last checked the Soundqubed website the 2 and 4 ohm versions of the HDS 2.2 were both unavailable, but looks like the 2 ohm version is now available. It’s a newer version of what I currently have with mostly similar specs.

The Morels are older version tweeters and I went with them because they fit exactly in the stock tweeter enclosures in my 2018 model s. They came with their own enclosures and I removed those and snapped them into the model s enclosures. With all of that said, they still perform well and I get all of the ultra highs with the filter removed. I think the basic amp sends them 20 watts each if I remember correctly so they have plenty of power to deal with the 4 ohms.

Speaking of the basic amp, it powers the tweeters, dash mid ranges, and rear door speakers - it does a good job with the updated drivers. The LH premium amp drives the front door, sub, and rear mid ranges. The combination is well mixed and complementry.

I think Hertz drivers are excellent. I would check the physical dimensions to make sure they are similar to the Morels and if so then they might be worth a try.

 

[Janaman]

I have tried to replace the base front 16 cm speakers with Audison AP 6.5 2 Ohm/95 dB only to find out that it doesn’t work well. Low bass/volume (note - Audison and Hertz state sensitivity at 2,83V instead of regular dB/W/m which in the end turns in pretty much the same levels as other manufactures) to name the main issue.
Doors have been soundproofed, rings are made from the poor old speakers, no air leaks.
I doubt that without amp with DSP compensation and min. 50W Rms this trial/error of changing speakers only leads to any good.

 

[beatle]

Even with a DSP and 130wpc, I didn't notice much improvement when I replaced the front midbass with either Infinity Kappa or Audiofrog GS60 drivers.