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Ultra High Fidelity Sound System, Reus, or something else?

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@smilepak,

That's probably the key: side-by-side testing. Everyone's taste is a bit different, and I've also been told that people can't clearly remember audio quality for more than a few seconds; so the most important test is the side-by-side test by the person who is actually going to be using the equipment.

Maybe I should switch gears and start looking for two willing owners -- maybe 3! -- one with a Reus system, one with UHFS, and one with the Tesla base audio. The Light Harmonic stuff sounds very cool but I think is beyond my grasp.

Thanks,
Alan

Should be able to accomplish at least 2 out of 3 at any Tesla Owners Club meeting. Or gathering (e.g., Sound of Silence annual rally in Custer,SD).

Could ask Cliff at Reus when he might next be in your area for installs. Never know - depending upon where you are,
but usually he'll do more than 1 at a time so there would be multiple cars that way as well. And there's an annual gathering up your way as well, right?

Drove through Maryland this past week - oh, well :).
 
@Muzzman1 which speaker package did you get from Light Harmonics??? I'd like to come listen if possible.
I got the door speakers, sub, and amp. Their top of the line kit for the UHFS. (the LH sub has yet to arrive) but all other drivers are in. The stock sub in amazing with the LH amp Might add. The LH sub is a more robust driver, so I do not anticipate much change in the sound when it is replaced.
Any time your'e in the socal area, PM me. We can arrange a meet up!
 
Light harmonic is not ready based on posts from those who have purchased. I am in MD and should get my
I got the door speakers, sub, and amp. Their top of the line kit for the UHFS. (the LH sub has yet to arrive) but all other drivers are in. The stock sub in amazing with the LH amp Might add. The LH sub is a more robust driver, so I do not anticipate much change in the sound when it is replaced.
Any time your'e in the socal area, PM me. We can arrange a meet up!

Maybe they should just sell the amp
 
aside from the limited base response... I am pretty dam happy with the Tesla High Performance Sound System... hope it continues to work as well as it has into the future... I never really wanted to have a Tesla because it was a 'travelling boom box" .. but if you must.. I will simply roll up my windows and try to move away.....
 
Welcome to Maryland/DC suburbs Alan!

Green and tan P85+, gotta love it! (Though I'm a little bummed that I'm not as unique as I thought I'd be.
Get that new car deployed!)

Hi, @DiamondDave! Pleased to make your acquaintance! Hoping to fall in with a rum & scurvy lot of local Tesla owners for occasional hangouts / meet ups... There's a branch of Tesla Motors Club going on in the Boston area that occasionally refers to itself as the "New England Tesla Motors Club". Maybe something similar down here?

Alan

P.S. Wife picked the color scheme but I must say it has really grown on me!
 
Hi, @Joeski1,

Had never pictured myself as a "traveling boom box" but now that you put that idea out there... I'm gunning for you! I'll be rolling up alongside you in my pimped-out, Rolling Reus! Even with your windows rolled up, you'll recognize me because I'll have one of those rare, Tesla jumping suspensions, curb feelers and a gangsta paint scheme. :) :) :)
 
Hi, @DiamondDave! Pleased to make your acquaintance! Hoping to fall in with a rum & scurvy lot of local Tesla owners for occasional hangouts / meet ups... There's a branch of Tesla Motors Club going on in the Boston area that occasionally refers to itself as the "New England Tesla Motors Club". Maybe something similar down here?

Alan

P.S. Wife picked the color scheme but I must say it has really grown on me!

Well, I've only been an owner for a month, so I'm not part of a local club yet. Seems like it could be a lot of fun.

Let the wife know that she has impeccable taste!
 
Folks,

I just wanted to call out @Muzzman1 for his generosity to me last week. I happened to be out in LA for personal reasons and stuck in a hotel with my wife, youngest son, and two chihuahuas. After some conversation, @Muzzman1 insisted on driving out 40+ minutes to pick me up at my hotel, drive me around, show me the Light Harmonic system he has installed, and otherwise shower me with attention, hospitality, and information about the LH system in particular and audio in general. If you are ever offered an opportunity to hang out with @Muzzman1, I heartily recommend you take advantage of it! THANK YOU, sir!

And...

FYI, I'd like to also post here what I wrote to @Muzzman1 about the LH system a few minutes ago. He's running the LH amp and four speakers; the rest of the system is still the original UHFS.

I'm surprised to find myself saying that I'm seriously considering purchasing the Light Harmonic system based on your recommendation and the experience you shared with me. I don't view myself as an audiophile, and my college electronics is so far behind me that I no longer recall whether the unit of measurement to use when describing what is pushed to the speakers are "amps" or "watts". (You clarified that for me.)

What I did understand, though, was the clarity of the sound at relatively low volumes. This clarity was particularly brought home to me by listening to a current favorite of mine, "SOB" by Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats. I have always had trouble understanding the lyrics when I hear the song in my P85+ with UHFS. I have had to resort to finding the lyrics online and reading along while the song plays. But with the Light Harmonic system in your car, I noticed that the lyrics sounded so much crisper that I could understand each word. (Admittedly, I still had to make a bit of an effort on some of the words, but I used to have to play the song multiple times to understand particular words!) And I feel as if this is an apple-to-apples comparison that is valid for me across time, as I know the song well enough *and* the song was delivered by Slacker in both cases.

Thanks again for all your effort and help and patience with me!

Best regards,
Alan

Note to all: in my case, should I purchase the LH system, it will be because (1) the rest of you plowed the trail and (2) I find a local car audio installer I'm comfortable using, as there's no way I'll attempt this installation myself.

Alan
 
Folks,

I just wanted to call out @Muzzman1 for his generosity to me last week. I happened to be out in LA for personal reasons and stuck in a hotel with my wife, youngest son, and two chihuahuas. After some conversation, @Muzzman1 insisted on driving out 40+ minutes to pick me up at my hotel, drive me around, show me the Light Harmonic system he has installed, and otherwise shower me with attention, hospitality, and information about the LH system in particular and audio in general. If you are ever offered an opportunity to hang out with @Muzzman1, I heartily recommend you take advantage of it! THANK YOU, sir!

And...

FYI, I'd like to also post here what I wrote to @Muzzman1 about the LH system a few minutes ago. He's running the LH amp and four speakers; the rest of the system is still the original UHFS.



Note to all: in my case, should I purchase the LH system, it will be because (1) the rest of you plowed the trail and (2) I find a local car audio installer I'm comfortable using, as there's no way I'll attempt this installation myself.

Alan

I am also in the DC area (NOVA). Did you find an installer yet? My car should be arriving in mid august, and I plan on upgrading the sound from the basic system. Have not done much research yet, but I'm happy to ride your coattails :D
 
I am also in the DC area (NOVA). Did you find an installer yet? My car should be arriving in mid august, and I plan on upgrading the sound from the basic system. Have not done much research yet, but I'm happy to ride your coattails :D

Hi, @MGMDaware,

I'm afraid my coattails are going to prove awfully short. :-(

I have given almost no attention recently to my poor Model S. I should be nailing down Tesla's buyback price (guaranteed me back in 2013, but need to make sure of what will be available to me for sure at this point, especially since my car has higher mileage than the guarantee). I should be getting my Tesla into an Xpel shop to have a couple of pieces replaced. There has been a chip in the windshield for the last couple of months, and I haven't gotten around to getting THAT replaced. Oh my! All of this needs to get done before I can move forward with (1) ordering a new Tesla and (2) selling the current one either back to Tesla or in a private sale.

Which means.... I'm sure that I'm not going to be installing a Light Harmonic system or any other system before oh, I dunno, OCTOBER (ouch!!).

So... sadly... I may turn out to be riding on *your* coattails. :)

Alan
 
I had a custom system put in, ~$6k including a forward-facing Blackvue 650 dashcam, here's a picture (more below):

12973040_1099863490037133_207737974476156712_o.jpg


The box is a custom birch ply sealed enclosure (I think a birch ply enclosure sounds better than standard MDF or HDF). As you can see in the above picture, the sub enclosure is a single unit that also acts as a platform to mount all of the electronics which can be easily uninstalled by removing four bolts and two electrical quick-disconnects (one high and one low voltage). System sounds insane and low end frequency response is ~25hz.

The biggest hurdle when installing and calibrating this system (and any car audio system really) is getting the "tuning" part of the process right. If you have generally good quality components, you can make great sound and don't need a lot of hardware, in fact, less is more in audio I think. Getting crossovers, gain, equalization, and delay right for each set of drivers is key to getting coherence, snap, and musicality in a car environment and making it sound like you're in a concert hall and not a confined space.

Lastly, the tuning process can be supplemented with technology like a DSP, laptop, mic, and RTA application (real-time analysis of the frequency profile of a given acoustic environment) but it won't make the system sound great, you have to use your ears. Most car audio shops will send you home with a system that has too much treble, crappy midrange / midbass impact, and a thumpy localized bottom end. Again, the test should be your ears - know what an acoustic guitar sounds like in person? When you press play in your Tesla and listen to a guitar string being plucked, does it sound just like the real thing? Cymbals should sound like cymbals, not the sound of an in-your-face tweeter in the A-pillar. A kick drum should sound like a kick drum, not thumpy bass coming from the trunk of your car.

Pictures of the whole install:
Electric Fidelity - Tesla Model S | Facebook

Gear list:
Amp: Arc Audio XDIv2 Class D 5-channel amp: XDi 1100.5
Sub: 12" Arc Audio: Subwoofers, ARC Series, ARC 12 | Arc Audio
DSP: Mosconi 4to6: GLADEN DSP 4to6 / DSP 4to6 SP-DIF
Front doors: Morel 6.5in midrange and tweeter: HYBRID 2-WAY - Morel
Rear doors: Standard Tesla drivers, audio mostly faded forward but a little rear for backfill.

PS: Beware of getting the basics wrong too, e.g. are all drivers functioning and are they all in phase?
 
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Wow! How much power does your new audio system draw?

Thanks,
Alan

I had a custom system put in, ~$6k including a forward-facing Blackvue 650 dashcam, here's a picture (more below):

12973040_1099863490037133_207737974476156712_o.jpg


The box is a custom birch ply sealed enclosure (I think a birch ply enclosure sounds better than standard MDF or HDF). As you can see in the above picture, the sub enclosure is a single unit that also acts as a platform to mount all of the electronics which can be easily uninstalled by removing four bolts and two electrical quick-disconnects (one high and one low voltage). System sounds insane and low end frequency response is ~25hz.

The biggest hurdle when installing and calibrating this system (and any car audio system really) is getting the "tuning" part of the process right. If you have generally good quality components, you can make great sound and don't need a lot of hardware, in fact, less is more in audio I think. Getting crossovers, gain, equalization, and delay right for each set of drivers is key to getting coherence, snap, and musicality in a car environment and making it sound like you're in a concert hall and not a confined space.

Lastly, the tuning process can be supplemented with technology like a DSP, laptop, mic, and RTA application (real-time analysis of the frequency profile of a given acoustic environment) but it won't make the system sound great, you have to use your ears. Most car audio shops will send you home with a system that has too much treble, crappy midrange / midbass impact, and a thumpy localized bottom end. Again, the test should be your ears - know what an acoustic guitar sounds like in person? When you press play in your Tesla and listen to a guitar string being plucked, does it sound just like the real thing? Cymbals should sound like cymbals, not the sound of an in-your-face tweeter in the A-pillar. A kick drum should sound like a kick drum, not thumpy bass coming from the trunk of your car.

Pictures of the whole install:
Electric Fidelity - Tesla Model S | Facebook

Gear list:
Amp: Arc Audio XDIv2 Class D 5-channel amp: XDi 1100.5
Sub: 12" Arc Audio: Subwoofers, ARC Series, ARC 12 | Arc Audio
DSP: Mosconi 4to6: GLADEN DSP 4to6 / DSP 4to6 SP-DIF
Front doors: Morel 6.5in midrange and tweeter: HYBRID 2-WAY - Morel
Rear doors: Standard Tesla drivers, audio mostly faded forward but a little rear for backfill.

PS: Beware of getting the basics wrong too, e.g. are all drivers functioning and are they all in phase?