Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus now gets Streaming, Satellite Maps, and Web?

[willow_hiller]

I meant in regards to 'possible' speaker upgrade from a service tech, it's never going to happen.

It's incredibly easy. Took me about 3 hours and DAMN the audio is good in this car.

These two statements seem to contradict each other. If it was possible for you to upgrade the audio, it will be possible for a service tech to do it as well.

More power to you if you can do it yourself, but I'm waiting for an OEM upgrade.

 

[Wampa]

These two statements seem to contradict each other. If it was possible for you to upgrade the audio, it will be possible for a service tech to do it as well.

More power to you if you can do it yourself, but I'm waiting for an OEM upgrade.

The aftermarket speaker upgrade/activation requires splicing and tapping into existing wiring. For this to be an OEM-quality job, it would require a complete replacement of multiple interior wiring harnesses. If Tesla had any intention of allowing an OEM upgrade, they would have standardized the wiring harness for all Model 3's.

 

[willow_hiller]

The aftermarket speaker upgrade/activation requires splicing and tapping into existing wiring. For this to be an OEM-quality job, it would require a complete replacement of multiple interior wiring harnesses. If Tesla had any intention of allowing an OEM upgrade, they would have standardized the wiring harness for all Model 3's.

There are probably options beyond replacing the entire harness. I can imagine some sort of piggy-back harness that could connect where the existing harness connects and tap into the signal that way. I know it's not likely, but I don't think we should write it off as an impossibility.

 

[holmgang]

It's super easy, any class D amp will have a low pass and hi pass input. You T splice into one of the front full range speakers and one into the front door woofer (for the sub line input).

It's incredibly easy. Took me about 3 hours and DAMN the audio is good in this car.

Tapping into the woofers is fine, but do we know that the signal sent to the 3.5" drivers are actually full range, or have they got LPF/HPF/BPF applied?

And then there's possible phase and imaging problems if the front speakers are simply duplicated, given how many other drivers are in the system.

Life was so much simpler in the DIN days... but now with huge speaker counts and such high levels of integration from the factory, I'm loathe to mess with OEM audio setups...

 

[ElectricEel]

Tapping into the woofers is fine, but do we know that the signal sent to the 3.5" drivers are actually full range, or have they got LPF/HPF/BPF applied?

And then there's possible phase and imaging problems if the front speakers are simply duplicated, given how many other drivers are in the system.

Life was so much simpler in the DIN days... but now with huge speaker counts and such high levels of integration from the factory, I'm loathe to mess with OEM audio setups...

Yea din days were something special. To get around phase or nosie issues people are using LC6i to convert the signals.

I had a problem with my woofer line causing noise because my line in to my AMP had no filter. And since it's a 80w line can use a cheap converter.

The speaker in the middle front dash is a full+tweeter so yes it's considered a full range signal.

 

[ElectricEel]

There are probably options beyond replacing the entire harness. I can imagine some sort of piggy-back harness that could connect where the existing harness connects and tap into the signal that way. I know it's not likely, but I don't think we should write it off as an impossibility.

Lol..noooooooooooooo, there is no OEM option. I'm get the sense you aren't familiar with audio. The line coming from the headunit computer has been completely re programmed. In the premium there is a D2B line that goes all the way to the back and that amp powers the rear sub and rear speakers.

There will be NO oem adapter, because the entire right side Interior of the car would have to be taken apart. The cost would be upwards of $2000 to get Tesla to do it. Also they would need to design an entire new Wiring harness. And that *sugar* ain't cheap.

 

[willow_hiller]

Lol..noooooooooooooo, there is no OEM option. I'm get the sense you aren't familiar with audio. The line coming from the headunit computer has been completely re programmed. In the premium there is a D2B line that goes all the way to the back and that amp powers the rear sub and rear speakers.

There will be NO oem adapter, because the entire right side Interior of the car would have to be taken apart. The cost would be upwards of $2000 to get Tesla to do it. Also they would need to design an entire new Wiring harness. And that *sugar* ain't cheap.

I could honestly see people paying $2,000 for a premium interior upgrade; hardware wise it could involve the premium audio wiring harness and subwoofer, and software wise it could unlock the unused ambient interior lights, exterior fog lights, immersive audio, rear heated seats, premium connectivity. You don't need to be so dismissive.

 

[Kevy Baby]

I could honestly see people paying $2,000 for a premium interior upgrade; hardware wise it could involve the premium audio wiring harness and subwoofer, and software wise it could unlock the unused ambient interior lights, exterior fog lights, immersive audio, rear heated seats, premium connectivity. You don't need to be so dismissive.

I for one would be one of those people. Had it been an option to have my recent SR+ purchase include an upgrade to a full Premium interior package, I would have done it in a heartbeat for $2,000. But it would have been $6,000 (now $9,000) to go to LR to get that Premium package and THAT I wouldn't do.

I do have the skills to tackle the wiring in of the existing speakers and adding the subwoofer myself (back in my college days I competed in car-audio competitions), but the one thing I do not have extra of is time to do it.

I spent a few minutes searching but was unable to locate someone's post in these forums about a company in Orange County, CA that does super high-end audio installations that started at $3,000. To me, it might be worth it, but others I am sure disagree.

 

[Wampa]

For anyone curious about the process to convert your audio to full-premium, I wrote a bit of a how-to here:
Upgraded SR Partial Audio to Full Premium

It can be done with basic tools and was less than $500 all said and done.

 

[richtrav]

The aftermarket speaker upgrade/activation requires splicing and tapping into existing wiring. For this to be an OEM-quality job, it would require a complete replacement of multiple interior wiring harnesses. If Tesla had any intention of allowing an OEM upgrade, they would have standardized the wiring harness for all Model 3's.

Wampa, are there any unused speakers in the SR/SR+ that could work with a software update? Or do all of them require some rewiring work?

 

[ElectricEel]

I could honestly see people paying $2,000 for a premium interior upgrade; hardware wise it could involve the premium audio wiring harness and subwoofer, and software wise it could unlock the unused ambient interior lights, exterior fog lights, immersive audio, rear heated seats, premium connectivity. You don't need to be so dismissive.

That was a ball park number. I don't want people to get their hopes up about something that will never happen. I went and upgraded mine, I spend countless hours reading to understand how the system works, and I want to save you that time and also warn you of spreading false hope.

Wampa, are there any unused speakers in the SR/SR+ that could work with a software update? Or do all of them require some rewiring work?

Just the A pillars speakers, but they are 5w you'd barely be able to hear them.

All the other speakers are physically disconnected. And there no plug to plug them back into.

 

[Kevy Baby]

For anyone curious about the process to convert your audio to full-premium, I wrote a bit of a how-to here:
Upgraded SR Partial Audio to Full Premium

It can be done with basic tools and was less than $500 all said and done.

Have you seen anyone who has found a new Sub that works well?

 

[acarney]

It seems so weird to me that Tesla included all these speakers but then didn't wire them up. I kind of thought everything was software disabled except for a physical amp/sub that might hide away in the trunk and thus be a somewhat easy addition. I can't see how it's easier or cheaper for Tesla to add all this hardware in when there is 100% no way for any benefit out of it. They can't do an after sales upgrade via software to drive revenue. They can't pull the car toward the end of the line and add a sub/amp if they want to suddenly offer a premium audio package to drive revenue. It literally just is a waste of money... they still have to pay attention to the build fairly early since they pull a different wire harness.... what's the benefit?

 

[Kevy Baby]

It seems so weird to me that Tesla included all these speakers but then didn't wire them up.

I suspect that it is cheaper to include the unused speakers on all cars rather than a start/stop on adding them on the assembly line. While I am not in the factory, I imagine the component cost of those elements is probably pretty low and the cost to include them is probably lower than the physical logic of selectively including them.

But even if the cost is higher, they are challenged enough right now with getting car production cost down efficiently. I'm sure somebody has done the cost/benefit analysis and determined that any cost saving is not worth spending the time to make it happen right now.

To give a parallel example, I work in the printing industry and just completed a Medicare project. We produced several books of varying page counts and quantities. A couple of the titles would have been cheaper to produce on our digital press, but we printed them litho none-the-less so that we had manufacturing consistency, thereby minimizing the risk of a missed shipment (Medicare materials are very time sensitive). Yes, the cost would have been cheaper, but the smarter decision for the overall project was to do it the "more expensive way."

 

[Wennfred]

Wampa, are there any unused speakers in the SR/SR+ that could work with a software update? Or do all of them require some rewiring work?

4 speakers upfront, 2 in the pillars and 2 by the side mirrors, 2 located in the rear on the top by the rear window are turned off, software locked, that’s 14 speakers total and the 15th is the Sub which is missing from the right side inside the truck.

These speakers that are not used or turned off are wired.

Great info on specifics right here:
Everything I've been able to gather about the Model 3's audio system : teslamotors

Fred

 

[Wampa]

4 speakers upfront, 2 in the pillars and 2 by the side mirrors, 2 located in the rear on the top by the rear window are turned off, software locked, that’s 14 speakers total and the 15th is the Sub which is missing from the right side inside the truck.

These speakers that are not used or turned off are wired.

Great info on specifics right here:
Everything I've been able to gather about the Model 3's audio system : teslamotors

Fred

Actually the speakers by the mirrors and at the rear deck are NOT wired into the system, and cannot be activated through software. There are no wires leading to the rear deck speakers (missing from the connector) and only the left-side mirror speaker is wired in. The passenger side is unplugged from the harness. Now as for the speakers at the top of the A-Pillar, I cannot say at this time.

 

[Wampa]

Here is a photo of said plug at the rear. It is missing the inputs for the left and right rear deck speakers.

 

[kel8kel]

I for one would be one of those people. Had it been an option to have my recent SR+ purchase include an upgrade to a full Premium interior package, I would have done it in a heartbeat for $2,000. But it would have been $6,000 (now $9,000) to go to LR to get that Premium package and THAT I wouldn't do.

I do have the skills to tackle the wiring in of the existing speakers and adding the subwoofer myself (back in my college days I competed in car-audio competitions), but the one thing I do not have extra of is time to do it.

I spent a few minutes searching but was unable to locate someone's post in these forums about a company in Orange County, CA that does super high-end audio installations that started at $3,000. To me, it might be worth it, but others I am sure disagree.

That company would be Reus Audio. I had my SR+ done by them and it sounds fantastic. Activated door tweeters, replaced dash mids, activated the rear trunk speakers, and added an 8" subwoofer. They also tuned all the speakers. It was a bit pricey but definitely worth the money if you're into car audio.

 

[holmgang]

It seems so weird to me that Tesla included all these speakers but then didn't wire them up. I kind of thought everything was software disabled except for a physical amp/sub that might hide away in the trunk and thus be a somewhat easy addition. I can't see how it's easier or cheaper for Tesla to add all this hardware in when there is 100% no way for any benefit out of it. They can't do an after sales upgrade via software to drive revenue. They can't pull the car toward the end of the line and add a sub/amp if they want to suddenly offer a premium audio package to drive revenue. It literally just is a waste of money... they still have to pay attention to the build fairly early since they pull a different wire harness.... what's the benefit?

Cost of even "premium" OEM speakers at scale is something like a few dollars per piece, tops. It's just magnets, paper, and rubber. It's not visible so no fancy finishing required. No retail packaging, manual/instructions, consumer support and warranty, marketing, distribution, etc. That is a *ton* of money saved. Consider a pair of Alpine Type S 4" are $40 at retail......these things pumped by the hundreds of thousands out a factory in China and shipped to Tesla costs next to nothing.

So Tesla packs them all in all the cars because there's no value dumping them to someone else. And it probably costs more in inventory management just to keep them on the shelf. They possibly didn't anticipate proper premium vs partial premium demand. And oh by the way we need to ensure theres enough trim differentiation to get some added revenue for the AWD variant. Oh and we're behind in production so just snip out installation for wiring/harnesses, and save some production costs as well. Fantastic.

 

[willow_hiller]

I can't see how it's easier or cheaper for Tesla to add all this hardware in when there is 100% no way for any benefit out of it. They can't do an after sales upgrade via software to drive revenue.

Right now, it's cheaper to use the same interior trim panels as the premium, and those may have the speakers prefitted. It essentially just saves them an assembly line, although it's a bit odd they bothered to design a gimped wiring harness.

In the future (maybe once the federal tax credit fully expires?) they could easily offer an SR+ Premium by installing the premium audio harness, subwoofer, and amp in the factory.