Model 3's Sound System--How good is it?

[TEG]

I am borrowing a friend's Model 3 for a few days. So far I am very pleased with the way music sounds in it.
I typically have added 3rd party subwoofers in my other vehicles, but I am thinking the factory one may be good enough with the upgraded 3 audio.

I hope Tesla will make it so that the same song from USB flash will resume (hopefully even from the same place) when you get back in the car.
So far I am finding it shuts off USB playback when the car is off, and doesn't resume where it left off.

At least the LEAF audio system is good about resuming song playback.

 

[sduck]

Does the Model 3 have an AUX input anywhere?

No. Not currently. You'd think they could provide a discretely hidden one for the few of us who like such things, but no.

Maybe Reus can come up with an aux jack alternative of some kind?

I'm really addicted to my various DAPs that run rockbox - it's a terribly addicting OS for ipods and variants. While I've been able to just plug them into my last 4 or 5 vehicles, the tesla model 3 that I'm waiting eagerly for will be the first one that I'll have to find another way. I've got a nice little bluetooth audio transmitter all set to go, hopefully that will work seamlessly. I'm not sure that the car supports multiple bluetooth connections though, and having the phone connected might be a priority sometimes. I'll also be giving the flash drive option a test, see if it's workable, but in most cases the user interface on these things are abysmal compared to rockbox.

I've reached out to the tesla engineers, offering them the idea of perhaps selling a tesla branded aux jack>usb adaptor for the 3/S/X. The hardware would be pretty simple, and the software part of it would be fairly easy to implement also, and invisible to people who didn't have the device. I've even hooked them up with some local folks who could handle the design, both hardware and software. Don't know if anything will come of this though - it may be too little potential return for the investment involved.

I've also started a petition asking for an aux jack - yes I know it will probably accomplish nothing, but it's free, non-toxic, and makes you feel much better about yourself if you sign it, even if you don't care one way or the other.

Tesla Corporation: Add an Aux Jack to the Model 3!

Oh and thanks Blurry_Eyed for the extensive review! Very nicely done!

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

I wasn’t going to get a Tesla because they don’t have a CD player or AUX, but then I thought I’ll see if I can adapt. I made some adaptations to my music listening regiment and am more than happy with how it all turned out.

 

[djplong]

That's bad news for Sirius/XM fans. Right now, given that, so far, the indications are that there's not even a satellite tuner in the car, a portable radio with a vehicle kit is the ONLY option - and that requires an AUX input!

I have a lifetime subscription that I wanted to transfer.. This is NOT good news.

 

[dsss]

Wow, that's awful. I also have a SiriusXM lifetime sub and was expecting to be able to shift it to my Model 3. Not really interested in an aftermarket bluetooth solutions. Really disappointed to read this.

 

[mcghee33]

Wow, that's awful. I also have a SiriusXM lifetime sub and was expecting to be able to shift it to my Model 3. Not really interested in an aftermarket bluetooth solutions. Really disappointed to read this.

Can the lifetime subscription be transferred to the Sirius/XM android/iOS app?

 

[CuriousG]

I hope Tesla will make it so that the same song from USB flash will resume (hopefully even from the same place) when you get back in the car.
So far I am finding it shuts off USB playback when the car is off, and doesn't resume where it left off.

I have yet to have it resume playback on USB. It always ends up in the Phone setting. Now and then, it may playback from Phone but never on USB.

 

[dsss]

Can the lifetime subscription be transferred to the Sirius/XM android/iOS app?

Unfortunately the lifetime sub transfers are complicated and don't really apply to streaming. You have to pay an extra monthly fee (discounted) for streaming. Even transferring from car to car is a bit of a pain since they haven't offered lifetime for many years and most agents aren't familiar with the rules/process and then you have legacy XM, legacy Sirius, and legacy combination platform customers, all of which tends to confuse the call centers.

I also don't believe you can transfer an OEM Radio Lifetime sub to a portable one (but they may have relaxed those rules?) so now i'm wondering what i'm left with if there is no OEM factory radio solution for the Model 3. Honestly, I was super excited about getting the car, but now seeing all the restrictions/hoops that are required to live in the Tesla ecosystem, i'm starting to have second thoughts.

 

[david_42]

One more thing we don't have to worry about, my wife is tone-deaf (for real) and I rarely have music on when I am driving. If we are playing an audio book through the system, it probably won't matter, we currently just listen to her phone's speaker.

 

[oldpueblo]

The 3 imho is lacking a bit of bass, it just drops off around 50-60Hz. The default tuning is a bit bass heavy but I've got a playlist specifically for testing subwoofers and I put the 3 through its paces with that.

It does sound very good however.

So I agree with Reus putting in a 10" sub, it is high on my list of enhancements too.

And regarding a tweeter on back of the mirror... that would even out the soundstage a bit, so it isn't so left/right but would include some center as well. I imagine that it sounds more 'surround'.

I'd love to have the names on your playlist if that's cool. I keep looking for good songs to test audio with.

 

[Jason S]

I'd love to have the names on your playlist if that's cool. I keep looking for good songs to test audio with.

I started out my playlist when I was shopping for a sub for my home system, so it tended to have very musically bass oriented tracks. One I particularly adore is the Gui Boratto Remix of Paradise Circus by Massive Attack. Lovely bits of sound throughout.
Some other bass oriented ones:
Woo Boost - Rusko
Slap - Umek

Then there are some fun songs:
Bad Girls - M.I.A.
Transatlantic - Quantic
Trick Pony - Charlotte Gainsbourg

Eventually I started judging DACs by the same playlist. I use a Chord Mojo for my JH Audio IEMs, soo... yeh....

Some other songs, more for enjoying a good DAC:
Yulunga - Dead Can Dance
Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing - Chris Issak
Morph the Cat - Donald Fagen
Soft Pedal Blues - Stanley Turrentine
We Don't Want Nobody Nobody Sent - Charlie Hunter

And I became convinced some speakers I had couldn't handle certain kinds of mid-range, so a little something for the midrange:
Mambo Sinuendo - Ry Cooder
What Is Hip? - Tower of Power

There are other songs but I can no longer tell if it is truly good test music or just stuff I like listening to.

 

[vinnie97]

Gui Boratto is a Brazilian badass. 10 points for you. You (and anybody else who wants to break in their model 3 speakers) might like to try on these sets for longer drives:

hybridized.org :: Sets :: James Warren :: James Warren - Gui Boratto Remix and Original Production Part I
hybridized.org :: Sets :: James Warren :: James Warren - Gui Boratto Remix and Original Production Part II
hybridized.org :: Sets :: James Warren :: James Warren - Gui Boratto Remix and Original Production Part III

 

[TEG]

Does anyone know if Model 3 sound system supports multichanel 5.1 style FLACs? Will it play "true surround sound" audio?

 

[LBusDoor90]

You can also buy the bluetooth converter below and use a portable siriusxm receiver. It will sound better than using the horrible FM units.

Stereo Bluetooth Transmitter for SiriusXM Radios

This is great. Can any Sirius/XM users also recommend a portable receiver to accompany this? Like others, no interest in using huge data to listen to Stern (Verizon here, not T-Mobile).

 

[CuriousG]

Does anyone know if Model 3 sound system supports multichanel 5.1 style FLACs? Will it play "true surround sound" audio?

I do know that I have quite a few songs that give me loading error consistently on the 3 that doesn't happen on the S.