Vendor Light Harmonic T4D Upgrade Speaker System

[Light Harmonic]

Hi everyone,

Light Harmonic here from Rocklin, CA! We are a high end audio company specializing in upgraded Tesla audio systems (Models S and X), including the Model 3. We have been around the forum before but have recently revamped our company and audio enthusiast offerings for those who wish to get more out of their car systems! We are now a sponsor of the site and will be around the forums talking with car owners and answering any questions we can and showcasing our latest products for Tesla.

For the Model 3, we have just released our new T4D Speaker Set for Model 3 for $899.00. We feel it takes your audio experience to a new level and our early feedback from users has been nothing short of ecstatic.

How it works and looks:

We usually ship from our Rocklin, CA office and most orders arrive within 1 week in CONUS depending on the carrier situation(s) in these times.

You can order here.

Feel free to ask any questions and we'll answer as best we can!

 

[aliengar0]

Do you have any comparison data on the OEM equipment?

 

[bpobill]

Stock system sounds great already but would like more bass. How about just a subwoofer upgrade? If its the same amplifier how much of a change will there really be?

 

[sduck]

I'm interested in this, but would like more information. Like: detailed install instructions? Or videos? Because you know steps 1 and 2 above are not all it takes - there's door panel removal and re-installation, dashboard removal and reinstallation, and likewise in the trunk - it's a pretty big job. How long does it take for an average person to do this?

 

[Light Harmonic]

Do you have any comparison data on the OEM equipment?

Hi!

There are three major improvements with our system. We tested the OEM amplifier and got these results:

(1) Bass efficiency increased around 55%, so you don't need to dial up too much EQ for bass.
(2) Clarity from the dashboard speakers is much better. The THD (harmonic distortion) is reduced below 45% of the original OEM.
(3) Door speaker's mid range and extension is much better too. Music (especially vocals) get much better.

 

[Light Harmonic]

Stock system sounds great already but would like more bass. How about just a subwoofer upgrade? If its the same amplifier how much of a change will there really be?

We have a sub for the Model S (again, positive reviews) but not the Model 3. I can pass your request to our team so they can review the possibility of adding one in the future to our lineup.

 

[Audio27]

Do you have to remove the entire dash to install the speakers or can it be dropped in?

 

[Light Harmonic]

I'm interested in this, but would like more information. Like: detailed install instructions? Or videos? Because you know steps 1 and 2 above are not all it takes - there's door panel removal and re-installation, dashboard removal and reinstallation, and likewise in the trunk - it's a pretty big job. How long does it take for an average person to do this?

Do you have to remove the entire dash to install the speakers or can it be dropped in?

Here is a video detailing speaker installation:

 

[Vines]

Any forum users with this installed? I'd love to hear them if you are local to the SF bay area.

 

[sduck]

Here is a video detailing speaker installation:

Thanks for that. It does look like quite an involved install, not for those with little mechanical skills. Do you really need to remove the whole dash to change out those speakers? You can get access to them without removing the whole thing like you did in the video.

 

[tlr1000]

Thanks for that. It does look like quite an involved install, not for those with little mechanical skills. Do you really need to remove the whole dash to change out those speakers? You can get access to them without removing the whole thing like you did in the video.

Ditto to that question. Removing the entire dash looks a bit daunting. There are other speaker upgrade threads where people use a very compact socket to remove the factory drivers and reinstall aftermarket ones w/o removing the dash. Can this same procedure be done on the Light Harmonic speakers?

 

[Audio27]

Ditto to that question. Removing the entire dash looks a bit daunting. There are other speaker upgrade threads where people use a very compact socket to remove the factory drivers and reinstall aftermarket ones w/o removing the dash. Can this same procedure be done on the Light Harmonic speakers?

Yup, this is the exact question I'm trying to ask.

 

[MarsOrBust]

How much of a sound improvement can one really expect?
I mean I think it sound pretty kick ass as it is, the only upgrade I think would be a bit more bass.
Removing the entire dash for minimal sound difference for me I just don't see it. The video does not
even show how it was removed so not the best "How To" either.

 

[grmdl3]

As far as what can be improved over a stock premium system, this might be germane as I posted in another thread:

“Quick report on my install of the Amped Garage brackets, Focal woofers/tweeters, and Faital midranges. I replaced all 3 dash speakers with the Faitals, as well as the rear doors. The center tweeter was replaced with a Dayton ND25FN-4. The Focal tweeters went into the front door brackets. The brackets made it pretty easy, although a little trimming of some of the glue was needed to make sure the speakers seated properly on the Focal brackets.

I was going from a stock premium sound system to this. Honestly, I was pretty good with the overall tone of the stock system, although it seemed lacking to me in the midrange clarity (around 1.2 - 1.8kHz) and the very high end above 12kHz or so. But more problematic to me was the lack of impact. It felt to me like the amplifiers ran out of power early, or that there was a good deal of speaker compression happening. I measured pink noise from my listening position with the volume maxed at about 86.7dB peak, A-weighted and with a slow response. Honestly, I’m not sure that the SPL meter was working quite right in a closed car, since that seemed louder to me than my studio monitors at 90dB. Measurements were made with everything centered, EQ flat.

But I do feel I lack the ability to “crank it” on a good song when on the road. The system just seems to run out of steam. I should say that I’m not a person interested in being able to rattle windows in my car or those near me with absurd bass. I want to hear a balanced set of frequencies with good separation of instruments, just like I get with studio monitors. Or close, anyway.

With the Faitals and the Focals installed, I am running a pretty similar EQ curve to before, surprisingly. (NOTE: Elon, please give us a 4-5 band parametric instead of this poor graphic EQ?) Before setting the EQ away from flat, though, I re-did the SPL test. It seems I have gained almost 5dB in potential volume, which is pretty substantial. It also feels even louder than that number would imply, since those mids that I was missing are there now and the impact/dynamic response is better than it was previously. I’ll need to spend some more time with it on the road, but I’m pleased with the improvement relative to the cost.

I will be curious to see how the bracket plastic holds up over time. It is not very stiff, and particularly the cylinder for the 8” speakers seems flimsy to me. I added some ribs to it to support it a bit more. And in some brackets, the system relies on the stiffness of the plastic to clamp down the speaker, so the screw or bolt flexes the bracket down as it tries to clamp. I worry a bit that hot/cold cycles and time will make those fracture eventually.

I should also mention that support from Amped Garage was quick and helpful, in spite of the Holidays! Thanks to them for their eager help.”
​

I have no idea what the efficiency or tone is of the vendor’s speakers here, but by improving the efficiency of the system, I am able to get more of what I wanted across all frequencies.

 

[tlr1000]

How much of a sound improvement can one really expect?
I mean I think it sound pretty kick ass as it is, the only upgrade I think would be a bit more bass.
Removing the entire dash for minimal sound difference for me I just don't see it. The video does not
even show how it was removed so not the best "How To" either.

Agree on all counts. I also think the factory premium is quite good. If the improvement is marginal with these replacement speakers, not to mention potential requirement to remove the entire dash to install the speakers, then definitely a no go. If however there is a significant sound improvement and better bass, then maybe this is a good upgrade. Visually, these speakers do look a lot better quality than the OEM speakers but in the end the million dollar question is what they sound like. I'll wait to see what the reviews are before plunking down the cash.

 

[Light Harmonic]

Here is a review over the speakers for the Model S. He seems to like them:

 

[Light Harmonic]

Here's another (not T4D):

 

[Audio27]

Your reviews looks solid, however you still haven't answered the question if the dash needs to be removed to install the dash speakers.

The video install cuts to the dash already being removed. If doesn't show how the dash is removed and reinstalled again.

Can the dash speakers be installed without the dash being removed?

 

[grmdl3]

If the installation is similar to the one of the Faital speakers I listed 5 posts above, removing the whole dash is not needed. All that was required was removing some trim pieces.

The issue might be the clearance between the windshield and the dash. The Faitals cleared pretty easily, but they have a small neodymium magnet assembly. If these speakers have a large ceramic magnet, that could present some clearance problems for installing with the dash in place.

 

[MarsOrBust]

If your going to show a video on how to install it you don't cut to the top dash totally removed without showing how you did it.