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

[Pollux]

The time approaches to replace my 2013 P85+ with the latest available in Aug-Nov this year.

I was happy with the high fidelity sound system Tesla offered in 2013 and am wondering whether to repeat that buying decision. I don't regard my self as an audiophile. I enjoy AC/DC and other hard rock, soft rock, alternative rock, some classical. In three years, we've never made use of the UHFS' XM capability, although we are heavy users of Slacker and TuneIn as well as FM radio. We occasionally listen to music exported from iTunes, converted from Apple Lossless to something the car can accept, via USB stick. I welcome any input you care to provide.

My choices seem to be:

A. Basic sound system

B. UHFS @ $2500

C. Reus @ $3500(?). (But do I need to buy the UHFS so that I will have the necessary speaker holes and/or cabling to support a Reus purchase?)

D. Something else I don't know about.

Thanks for your advice!

Alan

 

[STbreaker]

I spent a lot of time agonizing over what to do with this. I'm waiting on actually getting my car, so hopefully I chose correctly, but here was my thought process regarding those 4 points if it helps.

A. Standard - Probably OK. I'm coming from a budget car which did not have an upgraded sound system and no subwoofer. I love music and even used to DJ in college, but I rarely found myself complaining about sound system quality much. All things considered, I probably could live with this.

B. UHFS - I decided to get this. I listen primarily to hip-hop and drum & bass, so I wanted a subwoofer. It is a bit of a splurge, but I figure on a car this expensive I should get some things that I just want. If for some reason I was trying to shave off some cost, this would be the first option I would take off. Real particular people seem to think that it isn't worth the price. It's hard for me to say. I've listened to both in the showroom, but that was with the windows open and with people talking all around so didn't really sway me one way or the other.

C. Reus - Probably a great option, but wasn't for me for a few reasons which may or may not apply to you
1) Coming from the standard system, you're probably going to need to spend $5K. This comes down some potentially with having the UHFS, but ultimately you are spending more money. Ultimately more than I want to spend, even if the end result is "better."
2) I'm not keen on putting aftermarket stuff on my new super expensive and technical car. I'm paranoid enough that I don't even want aftermarket rims, much less people digging around behind the door panels and such
3) You have to pay for the travel costs and likely have the installer come to your house. I also am not fond of having strangers in my personal space. My wife is even less fond of that than I am, so yeah... wasn't going to work

D. Another option seems to be the Light Harmonic upgrade. It's less expensive then the Reus options and it seems possible, though maybe not exactly "easy" to install yourself or with a handy friend. At this point you still need to have bought the UHFS to apply their upgrade, though they have said they are working on a solution for the standard system


So to sum it up. I went with the UHFS and if for some reason I don't think that's enough (which I don't anticipate happening at all) then I will consider Light Harmonic.

 

[Kandiru]

Is it just me but the basic sound system breaks in after about a year and starts finally sounding decent, I say decent not very good as while dynamic range improved a bit, lows are still absent. Oh if I could just transplant my basement Paradigm Signature separates system into the car

 

[Tdriver]

I have the Reus system on top of the upgraded Tesla system........next time I go with the stock system and the Reus. It is outstanding either way. You can also have it removed and installed in the next car for just the labor.

 

[supratachophobia]

Base audio package plus aftermarket subwoofer. It's a solid win every single time.

 

[Max*]

I spend a lot of time thinking about this too, when I got the car.

The base system breaks in and starts sounding better after a few months (not great, but better). I'm probably going to get an NVX subwoofer to complement the lows.

I don't listen to FLAC or any kind of high quality audio, I only stream lossy-compressed slacker and FM radio, so... spending $2,500-$3,500 to get a very small audio upgrade seemed pointless to me.

 

[smsprague]

I am happy with the NVX sub addition to the base sound.

 

[artisjr]

I too have the NVX sub.... Made a difference!

 

[zambono]

Is it just me but the basic sound system breaks in after about a year and starts finally sounding decent, I say decent not very good as while dynamic range improved a bit, lows are still absent. Oh if I could just transplant my basement Paradigm Signature separates system into the car

maybe it was an update to the equalization, if its a break in issue you can alway have the car connected in the garage and have music playing at a decent volume a couple days.

 

[Tellotes]

I went with UHFS. listened to both in the show room and was night and day. Especially with the music I listen to.

 

[Wuggado?]

I too have the NVX sub.... Made a difference!

Is that something you can install yourself in a pre-wired location, or is an installer recommended?

 

[Pollux]

Hi, @STbreaker

Thanks for your detailed thoughts!

Your process reminds me of what I went through on my first S. Now that I read what you wrote, I think I also considered A, B and C and wound up choosing B.

Today, I am reluctant to go with Light Harmonic because it looks too new and raw. I've read others' experiences, and I'm not interested in waiting / adjusting / rolling my own.

I'm thinking that Reus is mature enough that I should consider it. Otherwise UHFS.

Alan

I spent a lot of time agonizing over what to do with this. I'm waiting on actually getting my car, so hopefully I chose correctly, but here was my thought process regarding those 4 points if it helps.

A. Standard - Probably OK. I'm coming from a budget car which did not have an upgraded sound system and no subwoofer. I love music and even used to DJ in college, but I rarely found myself complaining about sound system quality much. All things considered, I probably could live with this.

B. UHFS - I decided to get this. I listen primarily to hip-hop and drum & bass, so I wanted a subwoofer. It is a bit of a splurge, but I figure on a car this expensive I should get some things that I just want. If for some reason I was trying to shave off some cost, this would be the first option I would take off. Real particular people seem to think that it isn't worth the price. It's hard for me to say. I've listened to both in the showroom, but that was with the windows open and with people talking all around so didn't really sway me one way or the other.

C. Reus - Probably a great option, but wasn't for me for a few reasons which may or may not apply to you
1) Coming from the standard system, you're probably going to need to spend $5K. This comes down some potentially with having the UHFS, but ultimately you are spending more money. Ultimately more than I want to spend, even if the end result is "better."
2) I'm not keen on putting aftermarket stuff on my new super expensive and technical car. I'm paranoid enough that I don't even want aftermarket rims, much less people digging around behind the door panels and such
3) You have to pay for the travel costs and likely have the installer come to your house. I also am not fond of having strangers in my personal space. My wife is even less fond of that than I am, so yeah... wasn't going to work

D. Another option seems to be the Light Harmonic upgrade. It's less expensive then the Reus options and it seems possible, though maybe not exactly "easy" to install yourself or with a handy friend. At this point you still need to have bought the UHFS to apply their upgrade, though they have said they are working on a solution for the standard system


So to sum it up. I went with the UHFS and if for some reason I don't think that's enough (which I don't anticipate happening at all) then I will consider Light Harmonic.

 

[Pollux]

Is it just me but the basic sound system breaks in after about a year and starts finally sounding decent, I say decent not very good as while dynamic range improved a bit, lows are still absent. Oh if I could just transplant my basement Paradigm Signature separates system into the car

Hi, @Kandiru

Interesting point! I'm afraid that my ear is nowhere near good enough to be able to distinguish between UHFS today in my '13 P+ and UHFS back in August, 2013. :-( I like the thought, though. It would be an argument in favor of UHFS.

Thanks,
Alan

 

[Pollux]

I have the Reus system on top of the upgraded Tesla system........next time I go with the stock system and the Reus. It is outstanding either way. You can also have it removed and installed in the next car for just the labor.

Hi, @Tdriver,

No advantage to installing Reus on top of UHFS versus Reus on top of basic sound system?

(But I can easily see a cost differential, favoring Reus on top of basic sound system!)

Thanks,
Alan

 

[Pollux]

Base audio package plus aftermarket subwoofer. It's a solid win every single time.

Hi, @superatachophobia,

Does base + aftermarket subwoofer require putting additional holes somewhere in the car? Is the base package capable of incorporating a subwoofer with no additional effort?

And does aftermarket subwoofer mean, "just go get a good-rated one from an audio or car shop" or does it specifically mean "go get the entire Reus system"?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[Pollux]

Everyone else, thanks for the thoughts... I particularly notice the voices in favor of UHFS and those in favor of the NVX subwoofer. So maybe I should be thinking base audio + NVX.

Or is UHFS + NVX silly?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[supratachophobia]

Hi, @superatachophobia,

Does base + aftermarket subwoofer require putting additional holes somewhere in the car? Is the base package capable of incorporating a subwoofer with no additional effort?

And does aftermarket subwoofer mean, "just go get a good-rated one from an audio or car shop" or does it specifically mean "go get the entire Reus system"?

Thanks,
Alan

It can be done non-destructively by using existing holes. The speaker wires will still need to be tapped though, in whatever way you feel comfortable with.

The NVX package is nice, but I prefer their smaller amp so it can fit up where the factory amp would have gone. This means possibly using a smaller sub. And I had to build the fiberglass box myself, but I liked the challenge.

 

[TaoJones]

Not a day goes by that I don't appreciate the Reus upgrades on top of the base factory package. 17 months and 45,000 miles later. Reusifying the upgraded factory package gets you more midrange, as there's more to begin with.

The fact that I've bought my last audio upgrade (Reus will transfer from car to car for the cost of labor), combined with the dead-on accuracy and little drop-off from my home system makes me a happy camper.

That, and the service experience from Reus (Thanks Cliff, Thanks Kyle) has been world class. The most consistent and solid service of the entire Tesla experience, actually.

Distortion-free, accurate sound. Can't beat it for the $4K or so that the Level 3 parts and pieces cost. In fact, given the customization to the space that Reus has refined, I doubt a $20K system would be appreciably better. Louder, maybe, but it ain't about loud. It's about good/great/phenomenal.

 

[SATedeschi]

I went with the standard option - I really couldn't tell the difference between the upgraded version and standard. At least not to the level of the pricing difference.

 

[STbreaker]

I have the Reus system on top of the upgraded Tesla system........next time I go with the stock system and the Reus. It is outstanding either way. You can also have it removed and installed in the next car for just the labor.

Purely curiosity, but since that isn't a straight swap, do you have to pay extra labor/parts for the wiring and speaker size difference adjustments?