Model 3 subwoofer install.

[airxmyth]

I use to install car audio for about 10 years and didnt like the idea of running power directly off the penthouse so I attempted to run it directly off the 12V battery and discovered that you cant if you have a decent amount of power. When it was running off the 12V, as soon as I started cranking it up the voltage would just start dropping, basically the penthouse or one of the computers between the 12V and the penthouse. If there is a large enough load on the battery i think the car thinks the battery is going bad and isolates or cuts charge going to the battery and it will run down. Your cap most likely has been helping this for awhile but is kind of a bandaid. I would run your cap and amps directly off the penthouse.

I only saw the voltage start dropping from a voltage meter I ran directly off the 12V, soon as I turned down the audio the voltage crept back up but I was driving and didnt want to push it to far to see what would happen. Running directly off the penthouse I havent seen the voltage fluctuate at all. I dont like it but it works and with your cap it would be even better.

Power from the penthouse runs thru VCRight to VCFront to the 12V battery and the current thru all that is either limited or is regulated so you dont get the same 200amp or whatever limit that you get off penthouse.

This is great info, thanks! Is there still a chance of getting errors if I do switch it to the penthouse?

 

[Idkorcare]

This is great info, thanks! Is there still a chance of getting errors if I do switch it to the penthouse?

Only if you surge the penthouse when it turns on, thats were the resistor/ relay stuff comes into play to let the amps capacitors charge slowly and then my amps signal sense turn on a few seconds later. Not sure how your cap will react tho but the ohhmu back there would be fine

looking at the batcap it would probably be fine also but I would test and see how fast it discharges with the amps connected but nothing on and not charging It back up

 

[23adrock]

My apologies as I've been busy and away from the forums. So I got the battery installed while on a business trip to Arizona. First of all, I do have experience with recording in home studios (rooms properly treated, expensive studio monitors, etc etc.) so I can appreciate a proper sound stage with nice separation between instruments. My wife doesn't notice such things, however we both did notice an immediate difference.

I also want to point out that my battery was perfectly fine, practically new even. My battery had just been replaced by Tesla due to faulty wiring from dash cam install that caused the 12v error code after only 3 months of ownership. I fixed the dash cam, got the battery replaced and no issues on the new battery since. Even Sean @ Ohmmu commented on how new it looked and asked why I was changing it but I digress.

On the drive from LA to Arizona, we were mostly listening to podcasts and we had the volume between 80-90% and occasionally turning it 100% of the way up because it was difficult at times to hear the dialogue. Our ears were definitely fatigued when we arrived. I stopped by Ohmmu and replaced the battery a few hours before heading back to LA. On the drive back, the first thing we noticed was that we were able to continue listening to our podcast at a lower volume - approximately 60-70% of the way up. Dialogue was much clearer and easier to hear. For my wife to notice says a lot, especially because she didn't even know why I was changing the battery so you can't say there was a placebo effect with her.

During one of our supercharging stops while she used the restroom, I finally played some tracks I've had on heavy rotation so I am very familiar with how they sounded in my car. I immediately noticed an improvement in the sound quality and the sound stage. I'm not sure my description will do it any justice, but the difference to me compared to my recording studio when I used to have entry-level M-Audio monitors and finally upgraded to Adams A7s. The sound stage opened up and seemed to have shifted forward. The music no longer sounded like it was in front by the windshield but rather right in front of me and virtually around me. It was as if I had added a new set of surround speakers behind me - at times there's this sort-of 3D effect with some music - totally cool. There is now a more clear separation between the various instruments and their location in the mix. The higher frequencies were improved, still not as crystal clear as the tweeters in my previous Bowers and Wilkins system, but pretty damn close! I was previously considering replacing the speakers in the dash but I honestly don't think that's necessary now.

And the BASS?

Let me just put it this way. Ever since installing the Ohmmu battery, I had new rattles introduced that were not there before while listening to the same songs at the same 50% volume. You can argue I am experiencing the placebo effect, but the panels in my car are only reacting to the vibrations caused by the air being pushed and for them to all of a sudden decide to rattle means something has definitely changed. The first track I played was The Box by Roddy Ricch. The bass on this track sounded pathetic previously, but it is actually acceptable now. I know it will sound even better with a subwoofer replacement, but I can actually feel the 808 fade-in on this track where before it felt like it was outside of the system's capability. Tracks like Better Now and Rockstar by Post Malone absolutely resonate in the cab and when turned up literally shake the sideview mirrors. I walked around the car while playing music and I now have a terrible rattle on the panel next to the subwoofer when the volume is above 50-60% Ever since installing the Ohmmu battery, I have spent my free time in my garage locating and addressing the various rattles but it's been worth it! All of this with modified EQ settings too! (see my notes at the end, but I had to lower the bass and treble)

I really wish I had the time to set up my condenser mic in the car and record the same song with the old battery and with the new battery because I have no doubt the difference will be noticeable. I know what I am hearing, but I also recognize the tangible differences like the new rattles that to me can't be explained otherwise. No, they're not the result of my road trip because with a December '19 build, I am fortunate to say that my interior doesn't rattle until I play music so it being caused by the speakers and not road vibrations.

I will end this by saying that I am now on the fence about buying a subwoofer because I really don't think I need it now. I am now more concerned with addressing the rattles. I just purchased Noico 80mil sound deadening on Amazon and my next project will be to address the rattle near the factory sub and to cover the entire trunk area and the doors if possible. In previous cars this alone improved the sound system and I think this is all I may need now. I will post an update whenever I finally get around to it.

PS. A quick note about my EQ settings. Ever since buying the car, my EQ was always set to this V pattern (from left to right): 6, 3, 0, 2, 4

After installing the Ohmmu battery, I now use the following EQ setting: 3 to 4, 1, 0, 1, 1-2

I don’t know if y’all are aware of the recent issues with Ohmmu and Tesla updates, but starting a month or two ago, the Tesla firmware update (I believe only for the Model 3) started giving a 12V error and not allowing further updates. Note that the battery works fine, it’s just reading it as faulty, but it gives a constant nag error message, drains the Main battery due to attempting but failing updates daily, and requires you to disconnect the penthouse to actually update. Because of this, I recently switched back to my lead acid. I took the opportunity to further try and settle the Ohmmu bass issue by recording a frequency analysis before and after the swap back.

Note that this comparison was done under identical circumstances. Same song (which has good highs and lows). Same volume. Same EQ. Windows closed. Climate control off. Phone in generally the same position, though I can’t say it’s exact (hopefully for bass analysis it won’t matter).

the first image is from the Ohmmu before the swap back.

The second is my original factory lead acid.

Don’t look at the teal bars. Those are instantaneous readings from after the song stopped. Look at the peak lines at the top, those are the maximum frequencies reached during the song. I know the bass lines are a little obscured but they’re still readable.

What I notice is that the bass response seems identical. Interestingly, there’s a second treble peak on the OEM that I don’t see on the Ohmmu. Now I guess treble could be very sensitive to phone position, though again it was generally the same. But my subjective listening did seem that the treble seemed louder with the OEM, even before I looked at the results.

So although the bass appears to actually be the same, is it possible that the trebles are harsher with the OEM, drowning out the bass, and that’s why the bass seems inferior to so many of us?

However, my analysis does not dispute the other theory that just the simple act of disconnecting the penthouse and resetting the car may reset the rear amplifier and fix the poor bass response that many of us noted right after we took ownership.

 

[airxmyth]

Anyone else get this error after a sub install:


VCFRONT_a192


Electrical system power reduced


Vehicle may shut down unexpectedly


I have an appointment in a week to take it in to the SC but I’m curious if this was caused by a drain in my 12v and a recent update. Here’s some info about my setup.


Installed for 2+ years without issue.


2x JL 10”, JL 1200 HD, Xstatic Batcap 400


3 month old 12v (replaced after hw3 upgrade)


Due to Covid my car has been sitting for months and this was the first time out. I happen to be running my subs really hard and this happened during a particular bassy song. I’ve gotten the 12v battery needs service error before when my amp draws too much power and I just reset it but this is a much different error. I got the message as soon as I turned it up to almost full volume and as soon as the message popped up I turned the volume down and I turned off my subs and the error immediately went away and hasn’t come back since. I’ve driven it around my neighborhood a few times without my subs on and it’s been completely fine. I know that Tesla changed some things regarding the 12v in a recent update and I’m wondering if it detected a drop in voltage but instead of giving me the 12v needs service message it now gives this one instead??


I have a ohmu 12v that I removed when I took my car in for a hw3 upgrade and just haven’t gotten around to putting it back in. The reason I mention this is, I got an email from them about an error after 2020.28.6 update and having their battery installed so Tesla clearly changed something.


On another thread people have needed a new drive train after this message but it seemed very connected to my subs so while I wait I figured I’d put it on this threads radar.


Oh and I called the SC and they said this error could mean a lot of things not just the drive train and that they need to run the full diagnostics.


I’ll keep you posted what I learn from Tesla but in the meantime maybe don’t listen to killer mike so loud your rear view mirror falls down

Update: Tesla messaged me about the issue the day before my appointment and said my error was due to a voltage fluctuation and probably caused by my after market amp. They couldn’t find anything in the logs suggesting a failure from other parts. That said I’ve been cranking my subs since and the error has not come back. I assume this is because I got the error after my car was sitting for 2 months and I cranked my subs before the 12v was fully charged. Idk why I got the error but I know it was a much scarier message than the original “12v battery needs service, replace 12v battery soon” that would occur with a 12v fluctuation. Now the fact that is says “vehicle may shut down unexpectedly” while you’re driving is unsettling. If the error comes back I may look into switching to the powerhouse but for now I’m gonna wait for the error.

 

[Eddie1218]

Looking for some guidance on installing an AudioContol LC-6.1200 amplifier that I will be pulling out of my trade-in. This is a 6 channel amp that I am going to run as 3 channels and only connect to a sub for the mean time. It has a single sensing turn-on so I am not concerned with find a remote turn-on. I plan getting power from under the rear seats.

Any lessons learned from this install?

What addition items will I need for this install?

I read something about a relay... do I need this?

 

[Candleflame]

If you've worked in audio a lot, then you know how bias and hearing work. I don't trust my own ears when doing mixdown work for more than the first 30 minutes or so, and even then I've been fooled from one day to the next as humidity changes, my allergies kick in a little, or something else in the environment changes. Nobody is trying to accuse you of pulling the wool over our eyes, we are just interested in seeing something measured so we can verify what your ears are telling you.

I haven't heard whether the lead-acid battery you replaced was in good shape before you replaced it? If it was already on its way out, then that might explain part of the difference. Or maybe it had poor connections?

As for Ohmmu's claims, well...of course they're going to claim that. I'm more interested in the anecdotes I keep hearing from real customers. But yes, I'm skeptical, too.

As I mentioned above, I did try it with a jumper pack, and heard zero change in sound going from with to without. But that was augmenting the existing battery, which should be in good shape at only 1000 miles or so.

Yeah, remember when you turn the dials up to 12, put your headphones on and the mix sounds amazing, full and rich and after 5h of intensive work its exactly how you want it. And the next day it sounds like *****.

Just reading the last few pages here makes you realize how much subjective stuff gets posted here. How is the battery going to make any difference to the sound? The Model 3 stock system doesnt use much power and is certainly not choked for power.

@23adrock
The FFT analysis is imho meaningless because you arent dealing with static sound but with a song which can change a bit + will change further depending on where exactly the mic is and how it has been oaked. There are ways to test it but its imho beyond amateurs doing analysis in their own Tesla. Also the 40-50hz region is very sensitive to position in the car due to the interaction of the door speakers with the subwoofer.

The other thing is that Model 3 has from my experience probably a compressor on the bass which sometimes seems to have a bit of a mind of its own. I think when the bass is turned up to +8 and you turn the system up to max the bass starts to get choked to avoid distortion.

 

[lks12500]

I think that black wire is a communication wire. In other words, don't touch it.

the red terminal is indeed always-on 12V.

If you're looking for a place to ground, the bolt right next to the red terminal will do just fine (the one with the green dot in your picture.

Dear All,

You guys all seem like god experts. In my neck of the woods, I haven't been able to locate anyone like you guy. I have a Aug 2020 M3, the cheaper sound system. No subs, no pillar speakers... just 8 speakers. I don't want anything drastic. I just want to install a small under the seat sub (i will put it somewhere else as it won't fit underneath). But i was wondering if i can hook this small sub directly to the 12V in the front, without getting error message and kill my 12V battery? Please help below is the spec. Just this item, no additional amps.. i just want something to increase the bass.. the current set up is decent, but really no bass. thanks so much

awave V4 25cm 180W RMS Active Sub Seat Subwoofer CarHifi Bass Box Flat

• 
  
  
  • Fuse: 25A

• 
  
  
  • Color: black
  • Dimensions: 34,5 x 24,5 x 6,8 cm
  • Power Rating (RMS): 180W
  • Size: 25cm / 10"
  • Impedance: 2Ω
  • Voice Coil: Single
  • Mounting depth: 72mm
  • THD @ Rated Power: <0,4%
  • S/N Ratio: >90dB
  • Frequency Response: 20Hz - 150Hz
  • Low Pass Filter (LPF): 50Hz - 150Hz
  • Subsonic: 20Hz
  • Sub Phase: 0-180°
  • Bass Boost: 0-12 dB
  • Input Sensitivity: 0,9V High Level | 0,3V Low Level

 

[C-Bus Y]

Have never been a fan of under seat subwoofers. They will shake a bit but if you really want LFE go for the true setup in a box. If you are ok with “feeling” a bit more bass then under seat is a starter setup but you may end up upgrading later.

Would be great to have a solution that takes the stock sub location and replaces with a 10 in a properly designed and molded box. Imagine it is the same box in the 3 and Y, but have not seen them both to confirm.

 

[lks12500]

Have never been a fan of under seat subwoofers. They will shake a bit but if you really want LFE go for the true setup in a box. If you are ok with “feeling” a bit more bass then under seat is a starter setup but you may end up upgrading later.

Would be great to have a solution that takes the stock sub location and replaces with a 10 in a properly designed and molded box. Imagine it is the same box in the 3 and Y, but have not seen them both to confirm.

This may work out for you. Its not available in my neck of the woods and not cheap. I went with the Karmenn Acoustics. My whole objective was not to drill or make a box anywhere. I want the whole trunk space. Surprisingly, the under the seat, when placed in the trunk, becomes alot better. The trunk spaces just makes it much better.

Tesla Model 3 Complete Aftermarket Subwoofer Package | BE-TM3-VSW10S2

 

[AutoPassion]

I've done it. Don't have any pics yet, but here's what I did:

tapped into the speaker leads going to stock subwoofer (tapped where they exit the stock amp on their way to stock sub)
Fed these through an AudioControl L2Ci, which converts to steady 9V line-in
RCA from L2Ci to aftermarket amp (Rockford 500W monoblock)
subwoofer in sealed 0.75 cu ft. enclosure, located in sub-trunk compartment (fits nicely and even allows me to put the lid back on). RF amp is mounted directly on box.

The 12v turn-on for Rockford amp was supplied by tapping VCleft (switched center console power)
12v power from DC-DC converter under rear seat
Grounded at same bolt as stock amplifier (though anywhere you can find bare metal will work)

Sounds quite nice, thanks in part to the pass-through window in the trunk shelf.

if you have any questions, fire away. Overall, it was WAY easier than I anticipated.

Does this still work for you? I’m getting a slight power drain when I’m not in the car.

 

[flashflooder]

Does this still work for you? I’m getting a slight power drain when I’m not in the car.

Yes, and the amp does stay powered on until the car goes to sleep (usually ~20-30 minutes after getting out). But the draw is so minuscule that it doesn't bother me.

 

[Eddie1218]

Yes, and the amp does stay powered on until the car goes to sleep (usually ~20-30 minutes after getting out). But the draw is so minuscule that it doesn't bother me.

Are any error messages occurring connecting the amp directly to DC-DC converter under rear seat?

 

[flashflooder]

Are any error messages occurring connecting the amp directly to DC-DC converter under rear seat?

I almost forgot, I had to wire in a relay circuit (detailed in another post in this forum) to prevent audio cut-outs. I never got any error messages per se, but Tesla changed the behavior of the car at some point and the 12V switch circuit that I had tapped into was causing the amp to turn on periodically when the car was idle, the power surge from these sporadic turn-ons was causing the audio "fuse" to "blow" (the fuses are really just software switches). The relay circuit dampens these, and I haven't had a problem since (it's been almost 2 years, IIRC).

I'm not sure if you'd encounter this problem if using a line-sensing turn-on for your amp, but if you get in your car and have no audio at all, you'll know what to do.

 

[INeedMoreBass]

Have this in another thread I started, but thought i'd share. Did a similar setup using the sub trunk, but had a custom box made fitted with 1" acrylic and the cover is still usable in case I need to use the trunk space for any reason. I'm still amazed on the fitment and the overall sound improvements it's made even with the stock speakers. May replace the back passenger one's at some point, but for now i'm a happy camper.View attachment 418877

Let's hope water doesn't drip into your trunk like it does on most Model 3's

 

[Skione65]

View attachment 585043 View attachment 585044


I don’t know if y’all are aware of the recent issues with Ohmmu and Tesla updates, but starting a month or two ago, the Tesla firmware update (I believe only for the Model 3) started giving a 12V error and not allowing further updates. Note that the battery works fine, it’s just reading it as faulty, but it gives a constant nag error message, drains the Main battery due to attempting but failing updates daily, and requires you to disconnect the penthouse to actually update. Because of this, I recently switched back to my lead acid. I took the opportunity to further try and settle the Ohmmu bass issue by recording a frequency analysis before and after the swap back.

Note that this comparison was done under identical circumstances. Same song (which has good highs and lows). Same volume. Same EQ. Windows closed. Climate control off. Phone in generally the same position, though I can’t say it’s exact (hopefully for bass analysis it won’t matter).

the first image is from the Ohmmu before the swap back.

The second is my original factory lead acid.

Don’t look at the teal bars. Those are instantaneous readings from after the song stopped. Look at the peak lines at the top, those are the maximum frequencies reached during the song. I know the bass lines are a little obscured but they’re still readable.

What I notice is that the bass response seems identical. Interestingly, there’s a second treble peak on the OEM that I don’t see on the Ohmmu. Now I guess treble could be very sensitive to phone position, though again it was generally the same. But my subjective listening did seem that the treble seemed louder with the OEM, even before I looked at the results.

So although the bass appears to actually be the same, is it possible that the trebles are harsher with the OEM, drowning out the bass, and that’s why the bass seems inferior to so many of us?

However, my analysis does not dispute the other theory that just the simple act of disconnecting the penthouse and resetting the car may reset the rear amplifier and fix the poor bass response that many of us noted right after we took ownership.

@23adrock,

Did you replace the original Ohmmu with Rev2? And did you notice any difference in Bass/Audio quality from the original?

Ski

 

[INeedMoreBass]

An update rolled out to my Model 3 two days ago, and after updating I found that my bass hit a lot harder. Still does not slap hard enough for my tastes, but I think the average Model 3 owner would have been happy with what my car sounds like currently.

I decided to pull the trigger on the Ohmmu battery and I'm getting it tomorrow so I'll update you all on what the results of that is. If it doesn't positively change the bass, I'm just going to return it.

 

[Skione65]

An update rolled out to my Model 3 two days ago, and after updating I found that my bass hit a lot harder. Still does not slap hard enough for my tastes, but I think the average Model 3 owner would have been happy with what my car sounds like currently.

I decided to pull the trigger on the Ohmmu battery and I'm getting it tomorrow so I'll update you all on what the results of that is. If it doesn't positively change the bass, I'm just going to return it.

Let us know! Getting ready to do the same.

Ski

 

[23adrock]

@23adrock,

Did you replace the original Ohmmu with Rev2? And did you notice any difference in Bass/Audio quality from the original?

Ski

I did. And no unfortunately I did not notice any improvement.

To be honest, in hindsight, and with the benefit of my pre-swap notes, I’m not sure that the Ohmmu battery really did much for the bass.

It still doesn’t seem rich and there’s no response below 40 Hz.

I just purchased the NVX kit with the custom molded sub box for the M3. It’s a larger, more powerful sub and they made the box fit the cavity on the left side of the trunk. I feel confident that will bring the bass that I’m looking for.

 

[Skione65]

I did. And no unfortunately I did not notice any improvement.

To be honest, in hindsight, and with the benefit of my pre-swap notes, I’m not sure that the Ohmmu battery really did much for the bass.

It still doesn’t seem rich and there’s no response below 40 Hz.

I just purchased the NVX kit with the custom molded sub box for the M3. It’s a larger, more powerful sub and they made the box fit the cavity on the left side of the trunk. I feel confident that will bring the bass that I’m looking for.

@23adrock,

Nice! Was just looking at that kit. Let me know your impressions of it after install.

Ski

 

[Teedub21]

Has anyone tried cutting a couple holes in the metal rear deck to allow bass into the cabin? I’ve installed an OEM sub with and it sounds great with one of he rear seats down. With them both up I lose a lot of bass. I know earlier cars had a large cut out on the rear deck. Mine has no opening.