Light Harmonic Amp & Customer Service discussion

[Xenoilphobe]

Someone could just make an adapter and then you could use whatever AMP you want... I agree with your assessment, you only need their AMP the Tesla stock speakers are pretty good on the UHFS.

 

[Naonak]

Oh no, the subwoofer is ridiculously overpriced. You can get a much better sub from Sound Qube for $100 that is basically a drop in replacement... but to take advantage of it, you'll need an amp, otherwise it's weaker than the stock sub.

HDS208 Dual 2

They have sales pretty often, so you can get it for less than listed there if you wait around.

The door speakers, as I said, don't really add much, if anything, to the soundscape inside the car, I would definitely skip those. A sub and amp will be your best bang for the buck. The problem with doing amps in the Tesla is the door speakers are all 1 ohm, so you need a sub that's stable at 1 ohm and that's hard to come by, other than the LH amp.

Otherwise, yeah, you have to replace your speakers along with the sub and go aftermarket traditional amp. You can get much cheaper, better door speakers from the usual car audio suspects than the relatively generic LH ones.

In the end, if you don't want to go the LH way, get a traditional 5 channel amp, a wiring kit (or custom loom) to output to the doors and sub from the Tesla harness. The advantage of the LH amp is that it's plug and play and easy to DIY. The disadvantage is QA (high probability of multiple failed amps) and insanely long RMA time, coupled with spotty communication.

I meant you need an amp that's stable at 1 Ohm is hard to come by... not a sub. The sub I linked works fine at 1 ohm if you bridge it.

 

[timvracer]

Someone could just make an adapter and then you could use whatever AMP you want... I agree with your assessment, you only need their AMP the Tesla stock speakers are pretty good on the UHFS.

Reus seems to think so as well, which surprised me. He added a Sub, crossovers, amps, tweeters, and center channel enhancement -- but kept the UHFS speakers in the doors. He said they are more than fine.

 

[OregonBob]

Reus seems to think so as well, which surprised me. He added a Sub, crossovers, amps, tweeters, and center channel enhancement -- but kept the UHFS speakers in the doors. He said they are more than fine.

I was just typing a similar response.

I was surprised that Reus didn't mess with the door speakers or amps (other than dedicated sub amps).

I've spoken with one person who added Reus and LH. When I asked why, he talked about two different approaches: Reus added clarity and solid bass where LH added overall volume. But his LH amp failed, too. He said Reus was reliable.

Personally, I'm a believer in upgraded speakers but I cannot comment on LH speakers vs. LH amp. Never had one installed without the other.

 

[verdee]

Someone could just make an adapter and then you could use whatever AMP you want... I agree with your assessment, you only need their AMP the Tesla stock speakers are pretty good on the UHFS.

This. My Tesla is the first car I have not changed the audio. Partially because it's a lease, mostly because it's different and not as straight forward. A PNP amp adapter would be great

 

[Naonak]

I Have a thread for making just such an adapter, but it didn't get much traction, so I abandoned the idea. I can have some of my cable guys that I have used in the past for other projects make up a batch of them, but the connector wouldn't be cheap and it would be somewhat labor intensive, so each harness would likely be comparatively expensive to what you'd expect.

My idea was to just make a block harness that has a passthrough for all the channels except the 4 door mids and the sub, which would be output to bare wires that you just wire in to whatever you want.

 

[OregonBob]

My idea was to just make a block harness that has a passthrough for all the channels except the 4 door mids and the sub, which would be output to bare wires that you just wire in to whatever you want.

I am interested in this. I am looking to add an aftermarket amp to replace the LH amp and would prefer it to power the four doors + sub vs. the LH amp which, I believe, powers the front doors and the hatch + sub. If I go this route, my preference is for a reversible installation and the block harness you describe would enable that. Depends on cost, of course, but I am interested.

 

[Naonak]

The LH sub does the 4 doors and the sub.

If there's renewed interest in the harness, I can look at getting it created... but the nagging question right now is what happens when the MCU does not see the amp on the line, if it disables the output. If it doesn't, then the adapter will be easy, if it does, then it requires a whole different problem to be solved by tapping the outputs at the MCU, or making the MCU think there is still an amp attached.

 

[OregonBob]

The LH sub does the 4 doors and the sub.

I assume you meant "The LH amp does the 4 doors and the sub."

I'm not convinced that is true.

I found this online: https://teslatap.com/articles/audio-systems-for-the-tesla-model-s-and-model-x/

Here's what TeslaTap says:

In the standard system, each of the four 6” door mid-woofers and the 3” center mid-range get a separate 40-watt A/B amplifier (5 total). The tweeters are passive on the standard system and are likely powered from the two front door speaker amplifiers.

Ultra gets an additional 7 channel 360-watt class A/B amplifier that resides below and behind the instrument display. The Ultra configuration moves two of the 40W channels from the primary amplifier’s front doors to the two additional 3” dashboard mid-range speakers. The added amplifier provides 20 watts to each of the tweeters, 80 watts to each of the larger 8” front door speakers, 40 watts to each of the 3” rear hatch speakers, and 80 watts to the rear 8” sub-woofer.

The sub-woofer is mounted in the right rear corner, and is not directly visible. Tesla uses a custom designed 6.6 gallon (25-liter) enclosure for improved low-end response. This enclosure is considerably larger than most other sub-woofer equipped luxury vehicles.​

It indicates the the Tesla premium amp - and presumably the LH amp - DO NOT power the rear door speakers. The rear doors are power by the main amp. The Tesla premium amp - and presumably the LH amp - power the front doors and rear hatch.

There is also the attached diagram, which I think came from LH, that supports the Tesla premium amp powers the front doors and rear hatch:

 

[OregonBob]

If there's renewed interest in the harness, I can look at getting it created... but the nagging question right now is what happens when the MCU does not see the amp on the line, if it disables the output. If it doesn't, then the adapter will be easy, if it does, then it requires a whole different problem to be solved by tapping the outputs at the MCU, or making the MCU think there is still an amp attached.

I understand this nagging question. I don't have an answer for you and I don't know of a way to help find the answer. But I am as interested in the answer as anyone since I'm planning to add an aftermarket amp but cannot do so without a resolution to this potential problem.

 

[Sm4llz]

quick question. does anybody have a link for the clips that are used to connect the door panels? I have a loose fit on my front passenger door, after replacing the speaker, and it causes the door to vibrate when it's closed and is really loud. I was wanting to replace the clips for a tighter fit.

 

[Sm4llz]

think i found them.

D10612 - Tesla Clip [D10612] - $1.02 : Bel-Metric, Metric Hardware, Metric Fasteners, Metric Bolts, Metric Nuts & Time-Sert Thread Repair

 

[Naonak]

I assume you meant "The LH amp does the 4 doors and the sub."

I'm not convinced that is true.

I found this online: https://teslatap.com/articles/audio-systems-for-the-tesla-model-s-and-model-x/

Here's what TeslaTap says:

In the standard system, each of the four 6” door mid-woofers and the 3” center mid-range get a separate 40-watt A/B amplifier (5 total). The tweeters are passive on the standard system and are likely powered from the two front door speaker amplifiers.

Ultra gets an additional 7 channel 360-watt class A/B amplifier that resides below and behind the instrument display. The Ultra configuration moves two of the 40W channels from the primary amplifier’s front doors to the two additional 3” dashboard mid-range speakers. The added amplifier provides 20 watts to each of the tweeters, 80 watts to each of the larger 8” front door speakers, 40 watts to each of the 3” rear hatch speakers, and 80 watts to the rear 8” sub-woofer.

The sub-woofer is mounted in the right rear corner, and is not directly visible. Tesla uses a custom designed 6.6 gallon (25-liter) enclosure for improved low-end response. This enclosure is considerably larger than most other sub-woofer equipped luxury vehicles.​

It indicates the the Tesla premium amp - and presumably the LH amp - DO NOT power the rear door speakers. The rear doors are power by the main amp. The Tesla premium amp - and presumably the LH amp - power the front doors and rear hatch.

There is also the attached diagram, which I think came from LH, that supports the Tesla premium amp powers the front doors and rear hatch:

Wow... that's interesting and it makes a lot more sense to me now. It explains why only the front channels (and sub) appear to go kaput when the LH amp dies. I was under the impression it was supplying the amp power to the 4 doors ...

That makes the wiring harness a bit more difficult, though, as well, since now there's two places you'd have to pull wires from. Hrmm... thanks for the heads up and the link, it really makes the system make more sense (even if it's kind of a strange design.)

 

[pdaddy]

I found this online: https://teslatap.com/articles/audio-systems-for-the-tesla-model-s-and-model-x/

Here's what TeslaTap says:

In the standard system, each of the four 6” door mid-woofers and the 3” center mid-range get a separate 40-watt A/B amplifier (5 total). The tweeters are passive on the standard system and are likely powered from the two front door speaker amplifiers.

Ultra gets an additional 7 channel 360-watt class A/B amplifier that resides below and behind the instrument display. The Ultra configuration moves two of the 40W channels from the primary amplifier’s front doors to the two additional 3” dashboard mid-range speakers. The added amplifier provides 20 watts to each of the tweeters, 80 watts to each of the larger 8” front door speakers, 40 watts to each of the 3” rear hatch speakers, and 80 watts to the rear 8” sub-woofer.
​

It indicates the the Tesla premium amp - and presumably the LH amp - DO NOT power the rear door speakers. The rear doors are power by the main amp. The Tesla premium amp - and presumably the LH amp - power the front doors and rear hatch.

There is also the attached diagram, which I think came from LH, that supports the Tesla premium amp powers the front doors and rear hatch:[/QUOTE]


TeslaTap says the UHFS amp is 7 channel while the diagram shows 5 channels. Both do show that the UHFS amp is not powering the rear door speakers. There would be one way to confirm this would be to unplug the UHFS/LH amp and check which speakers still play. I'll do that in a few days. LH sent me notice that they've shipped a fourth replacement amp.

 

[pdaddy]

Has the general feeling toward LH that they are no longer a fly-by-night shady company and that they seem to be getting their act together with regards to the warranty repairs? And is the feedback still generally good for the door speaker replacement while preserving the factory amp on the non-Ultra audio system?

I have the LH system. I've been asking for a refund for several months. They have completely ignored each request for a refund and respond that they're working on a fix and will ship a replacement. My next amp will be the fourth LH in my car. They are not a reliable supplier. I wish that I would have never ordered from them.

An alternative to LH would be the NVX sub + amp. The NVX would power the sub. I'd think that would sound much better than stock and be reliable.

 

[OregonBob]

TeslaTap says the UHFS amp is 7 channel while the diagram shows 5 channels. Both do show that the UHFS amp is not powering the rear door speakers. There would be one way to confirm this would be to unplug the UHFS/LH amp and check which speakers still play. I'll do that in a few days. LH sent me notice that they've shipped a fourth replacement amp.

That's a good catch. Looks like the "extra" two channels power the front tweeters.

According to TeslaTap: "The added amplifier provides 20 watts to each of the tweeters, 80 watts to each of the larger 8” front door speakers, 40 watts to each of the 3” rear hatch speakers, and 80 watts to the rear 8” sub-woofer."

If the LH amp replaces the Tesla premium amp, and the LH amp is five channels, how do the tweeters get power??? Very strange...

 

[timvracer]

I am so glad I did not go with LH... I seriously was going to do that, but after seeing the delays in production, I decided to go with Reus. Lots more $$ for sure, but I love the results.

 

[SSS555]

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY
these guys do not care.
I was one of the original people to order the full package.
firstly it was several months late
next the SUB was horrible and all users complained
they said they would fix the issue and ship a new SUB and swap for the bad one
NEVER HAPPENED
its been over a year now.
DO NOT ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY

Guys like this should be put out of business.

Larry and Manny do not care and will take your money- period.

Larry i have emailed you many many times- you keep lying about how manny or yourself will take care of the issues.

You never have.

So now - your business MUST come to an end.

Stop ripping off good people.

 

[SSS555]

DO NOT BUY LH LABS
DO NOT BUY LIGHT HARMONIC
LH LABS BAD PRODUCT
LIGHT HARMONIC BAD PRODUCT
MANNY TORRES IS NOT A REPUTABLE BUSINESS PERSON

 

[supratachophobia]

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY
these guys do not care.
I was one of the original people to order the full package.
firstly it was several months late
next the SUB was horrible and all users complained
they said they would fix the issue and ship a new SUB and swap for the bad one
NEVER HAPPENED
its been over a year now.
DO NOT ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY

Guys like this should be put out of business.

Larry and Manny do not care and will take your money- period.

Larry i have emailed you many many times- you keep lying about how manny or yourself will take care of the issues.

You never have.

So now - your business MUST come to an end.

Stop ripping off good people.

What I guess that answers that question.....