fabricator
Musaic Audiophile Design
After listening to the system for a few weeks now, I'm still trying to determine whether such a high investment was worth it. There is no question that the sound is way better than the stock UHFS system. However, when playing heavily compressed music, there is not a significant difference and in fact, the sound coming out of those very expensive speakers may cause your head to spin in agony. However, when playing CD quality or high resolution music, the difference is significant. To really feel the true power of this system, you need to invest in a quality DAP and a collection of hi-res music. Everyone who's listened to the sound has been in awe of it. They all say it feels like they're at a live concert and it really does!
Is this the limit for optimal sound in a car? As great as this system sounds, was I expecting a little bit more? Does the improvement in sound justify the high cost of the system?
I'm enjoying the system, but I still have those questions and hopefully, I'll be able to answer them in the next few weeks.
With respect to the sound dampening/deadening, I can't really say that the reduction of road noise has been significant. When the car is at rest, you're basically in a music studio. However, when it's moving, I still hear a lot of road noise. Perhaps, most of the noise is coming from the roof? I am not sure, but I still hear a lot of noise.
Great write up. I often like to make analogies with home video because we can all understand what we can see. Listening to Hi-Res music is the only way to go once you experience it. It is like watching a bunch of 4k movies on your new high end 4k TV, then all of the sudden trying to watch a standard DVD or VHS tape. It would make you want to vomit. Once you know the potential of something, that is your new expectation. Many people install audio systems in their vehicles and stay with a phone that has a crappy DAC while playing compressed music. Sure you make progression with sound quality, but if the signal does not improve, you will not heavily notice it on your equipment. They often say "crap in, crap out". Unfortunately, the Model S has a ton of glass on the vehicle and that is one thing you can not sound dampen. Most of the road noise comes from such. However, Tesla does not do a good job addressing the metal on the vehicle. So with the doors and floors done as such, we at least addressed all that we could. It always surprised me when Tesla owners would complain of a ton of road noise. I soon came to realize that since there is no engine noise, they focus heavily on the ambient road noise, which they are not used to.