Jeff Coles (he goes by the name kickgas over at the Tesla motors forum (
Tesla Motors | Premium Electric Vehicles) under the Washington, DC section) is attempting to arrange a group buy for the Reus Audio system they have developed for the Tesla model S. I have spoken to the company and obtained the following information about their audio upgrade for the car.
Below are brief descriptions of the 4 systems that are currently available for the car, along with a 5th system (referred to by Reus as the audiophile version) that is under development and which they hope to have available in a couple of months.
Reus has indicated to me that each of their systems are blueprinted from the ground up with every aspect of the Model S taken into consideration from its acoustics as well as vehicle integration, with no permanent or visible changes being made to the car. A dedicated system has also been designed for vehicles that are fitted with the third row seats. Reus asserts that all of the active system parts are compatible with the vehicle’s software and electronics.
System 1 (Entry Level System) - Target price around $3,000
The entry level system is a fully engineered design specific to the Model S. The audio interface and all harnesses are fitted to the S architecture. The factory woofer is replaced with a new 8" woofer that is reportedly designed to match the acoustical properties of the Model S and the new amplifier that Reus has designed for this vehicle. The factory supplied tweeters (located in the pillars next to the windshield) are replaced with dual wide dispersion upper midrange tweeters. Reus asserts that these are the most important speakers in the system and carry over 50% of the system’s musical impact. The lower door speakers provided by Tesla are retained, but reportedly are noise shaped to work efficiently within their limits and integrate with the new speakers (installed in the pillars next to the windshield) in perfect phase. An additional small front speaker is added by Reus to reportedly enhance the front soundstage across the dash. Both electronic and passive crossovers are installed by Reus. Audio power is increased by an additional 400 watts RMS by an additional amplifier that Reus installs. An optional woofer control (cost unknown) is available, which Reus recommends if one has multiple music file formats where the level of compression varies to a great degree. Reus indicated that the optional woofer control is not required if the music file format is are consistent (i.e., all the music files are of one type, such as FLAC or MP3).
System 2 - Target price $3,700
A 10" woofer module is added to work with the factory woofer (a different design is used for vehicles not fitted with the Tesla Studio Sound system). The factory supplied tweeters are replaced with dual wide dispersion upper midrange tweeters, as noted in System 1. As in System 1, an additional small front speaker is to reportedly enhance the front soundstage across the dash. The same technology applied to System 1 relative to the door speakers applies to System 2 as well. Crossovers are added which are both electronic and passive. Power is increased by an additional 500 watts RMS above the Tesla system) by a Reus designed and installed amplifier. As with system 1, an optional woofer control is also available.
System 3 - Target price $4,100
A 10" woofer module is added. In addition, the Tesla factory woofer is replaced with a new long throw 8" design woofer (a different design is used for vehicles not fitted with the Tesla Studio Sound system).
The factory supplied tweeters are replaced with dual wide dispersion upper midrange tweeters. An additional small front speaker is added to reportedly enhance the front soundstage across the dash. The same technology applied to System 1 relative to the door speakers applies to System 3. Both electronic and passive crossovers are added. Power is increased over the Tesla system by an additional 500 watts RMS via a Reus designed and installed amplifier. Again, a separate woofer control is optional.
System 4 - Target price $4,600
System 4 is similar to System 3, except that dual 10" woofers are employed instead of the 10” and 8” woofers found in System 3. Reus indicated that System 4 is designed for people who listen predominantly to "House Music or Hip Hop". The woofer control in System 4 is standard.
System 5 (Audiophile System; Still in Development) - Target price $5,200
Reus contends that System 5 is intended for extreme audiophiles. The availability of System 5 is indicated to be several weeks awaym as they are still working to final a new door speaker design. The Tesla factory woofer is replaced with a new 8" woofer that is coupled with a 10" woofer module. As in the other systems, the factory tweeters are replaced, while the lower door speakers will also be replaced. An additional small front speaker is also added to enhance the front soundstage across the dash. Both electronic and passive crossovers are added, and power is increased (over the Tesla system) by the addition of a Reus designed and installed 500 watts RMS amplifier. The woofer control is standard.
Reus maintains that their system is fully compatible with Tesla’s design, and that any modifications made by Tesla with respect to equalization, etc., will be automatically detected and compensated for by their system. I am unsure how this is accomplished, and suggest that anyone that is concerned about this point discuss it with Reus Audio.
I have not heard any of these systems, and thus cannot comment on how they sound; I am simply providing information to others that has been provided to me. I do know that Reus Audio is well regarded and has been around for a long time. I strongly recommend that anyone considering their upgrades contact the company directly to discuss any questions/concerns you may have with them, so you can make an informed decision. It is my understanding that they intend to be in New York in July to do several installations, and will come to the DC area if there is enough interest.
