Tesla with Reus Audio upgrade at TESLA SUPERCHARGER PARTY in Seattle - Nov. 3

[Six]

Tesla is having a Road Trip Finish Line Celebration at their Seattle store as part of the West Coast Supercharger completion drive.


There have been discussions on the teslamotorsclub.com forums about the Reus Audio upgrade package for the Tesla Model S. I am having my car upgraded this week (Friday or Saturday) along with another owner in the Seattle area.


For anyone interested I will bring the car to the Seattle store on Sunday and people are welcome to give a listen.


Only caveat is that I am attending a play at 1PM so will not be to the store until around 3:30 PM or so. (Celebration is from 2-5)


[disclaimer: I have no connection to Reus audio apart from being a customer. I heard the system at Teslive, liked it and decided to get it for my car]

 

[captain_zap]

Does the Reus system support 5.1 discrete surround audio?

I ask because I was a little disappointed to find out that the premium sound option (or whatever it was for signature cars) would only play the front two channels of a multichannel audio track. I did quite a bit of testing with multichannel FLAC and WMA files which put test tones into each channel separately. I am not sure if this is because the system is just wired as a two channel system, or there are actually six discrete amplifier channels which are driven by some pseudo surround-sound algorithm. In the latter case, there is hope that a future firmware upgrade could give us true discrete multichannel sound. I am a fan of DVD-audio and Blu-ray audio formats, many of which come natively in multichannel.

 

[MikeC]

Does the Reus system support 5.1 discrete surround audio?

I ask because I was a little disappointed to find out that the premium sound option (or whatever it was for signature cars) would only play the front two channels of a multichannel audio track. I did quite a bit of testing with multichannel FLAC and WMA files which put test tones into each channel separately. I am not sure if this is because the system is just wired as a two channel system, or there are actually six discrete amplifier channels which are driven by some pseudo surround-sound algorithm. In the latter case, there is hope that a future firmware upgrade could give us true discrete multichannel sound. I am a fan of DVD-audio and Blu-ray audio formats, many of which come natively in multichannel.

I thought it was supposed to be a 7.1 system - did you turn Dolby back on? Playing movies on my iPad through the car seemed like they came through in surround sound.

 

[captain_zap]

Sorry, yes, they say it's a 7.1 system but my tests showed it cannot play discrete multichannel material. I personally do not like the surround sound setting when used on high quality, high sample rate FLAC files. In any case, with my test files it didn't make any difference....it's a two-channel system. If I tell it to play a tone in the left rear or right rear speaker, nothing happens. Same with all the other channels, except front left and front right, and I think the subwoofer channel works. So it's a 2.1 system.

 

[Larry Chanin]

Does the Reus system support 5.1 discrete surround audio?

I ask because I was a little disappointed to find out that the premium sound option (or whatever it was for signature cars) would only play the front two channels of a multichannel audio track. I did quite a bit of testing with multichannel FLAC and WMA files which put test tones into each channel separately. I am not sure if this is because the system is just wired as a two channel system, or there are actually six discrete amplifier channels which are driven by some pseudo surround-sound algorithm. In the latter case, there is hope that a future firmware upgrade could give us true discrete multichannel sound. I am a fan of DVD-audio and Blu-ray audio formats, many of which come natively in multichannel.

Sorry, yes, they say it's a 7.1 system but my tests showed it cannot play discrete multichannel material. I personally do not like the surround sound setting when used on high quality, high sample rate FLAC files. In any case, with my test files it didn't make any difference....it's a two-channel system. If I tell it to play a tone in the left rear or left right speaker, nothing happens. Same with all the other channels, except front left and front right, and I think the subwoofer channel works. So it's a 2.1 system.

I agree. Although I enjoy the two-channel sound I would prefer a multi-channel system. The current Dolby implementation simply doesn't work very well to produce even a simulated 5.1 or 7.1 presentation.

If we can gain access to six or more individual amplifier channels I would seriously consider having a JBL MS-8 MS Series Digital Processor installed.

Larry

 

[Six]

The Reus audio upgrade does not change the built in electronics. Overall I think this is a good thing. It means all changes and updates that Tesla makes will still work.

The upgrade does the following:

- Adds a center front speaker (tweeter) in front of the rear view mirror (bounces off the front window, adds depth to the sound stage in the front and helps high frequency reproduction)
- Replaces both front tweeters with better speakers that are higher dispersion and also cover mid-range (I think this makes the biggest difference for me)
- Adds a crossover and new amp for a separate/new sub-woofer. There are lots of variations that can be done here, keep OEM 8" sub and add a 10" - add two 10" or the one I picked which was to replace the OEM 8" subwoofer with a new 10" subwoofer in a new enclosure, but hidden in the same location)

With the version I have I do not think anyone could tell the car was not standard from the factory unless they knew what to look for. The only visible differences are:

- the center speaker which is invisible in the car, and sort of looks like a small camera/sensor if you look at the rear view mirror from outside
- a small subwoofer control mounted at the base of the driver's seat (optional if you really wanted nothing visible, but I prefer control with the wide variety in audio formats and sources that are available in a Tesla)
- in the rear trunk the far left side rear "hole" that drops into the storage area is half filled with the new amp, but it is covered by matching black carpet and is basically invisible

I think the sound is significantly better, but the upgrade is not cheap, so I think it will appeal to a subset of owners who want the best possible sound. I drive my Tesla a lot (11K miles since May) and for me the better sound is worth it.

Cliff did an incredible install, it is looks factory installed. He said that he has done about 50 so far, and he does have it down to something of a science.

 

[Larry Chanin]

The Reus audio upgrade does not change the built in electronics.

Thanks for the response. So the system remains essentially a 2.1 system?

The upgrade does the following:

- Adds a center front speaker (tweeter) in front of the rear view mirror (bounces off the front window, adds depth to the sound stage in the front and helps high frequency reproduction)

Do you have an idea how the center channel's signal is derived?

Thanks.

Larry

 

[Six]

Thanks for the response. So the system remains essentially a 2.1 system?



Do you have an idea how the center channel's signal is derived?

Thanks.

Larry

I think your research is probably more accurate on it being a 2.1 system. I know for sure the Reus upgrade does not change it. On the other hand if Tesla ever gets around to updating it to be a real 5.1 system then the upgrade is ready to take advantage of it.

The center speaker taps into both the L and R audi signal cables and combines them to form its signal. I do not know the details of how it combines those signals and the exact crossover frequency, just saw the mechanics of the install.

 

[100thMonkey]

...I think the sound is significantly better, but the upgrade is not cheap, so I think it will appeal to a subset of owners who want the best possible sound. I drive my Tesla a lot (11K miles since May) and for me the better sound is worth it...

I am very interested! if you wouldn't mind revealing the price, it would be appreciated. you can PM me if you prefer.

 

[Six]

This thread contains a pictures and more information about the upgrade. It quotes the price as $4000 which is in the ball park. There are lots of options that can vary it.


My Reus sound system install: Photos and comments

 

[Lyon]

Hmmm... This, and other threads about the system, has me strongly considering it. I have the original upgraded sound package from Tesla and, while it's okay, it isn't anything to write home about. I'm always leery about aftermarket upgrades because of how they generally butcher the fit and finish of the car but this looks like a pretty perfect solution. Also, while more bass would be better, I'm more interested in an all-around better sound.

Anyone in the Portland area interested? I imagine we could get a group rate and I'm more than happy to drive up for the day.