I purchased a 2017 Model S 75D in June. At the time the premium sound system was a stand alone upgrade for $2500. The gallery had vehicles on hand with both the base and premium options so I was able to do a full comparison before making a decision and it didn’t take long to realize the premium option only had marginally better sound and was severely overpriced. Below I will go through a few of the objective marks (IASCA SQC) of a Hi-Fi system and illustrate that for the same $2,500 or less a far superior stereo and experience can be had… one worthy of a Tesla or any luxury vehicle.
-- Photos are at the end --
Before I go into the details there is one thing I need to make absolutely clear. If you start with poor input it won’t matter how good the rest of your system is. What I mean by that is unless you’re playing high quality digital sound [AIFF/FLAC (lossless) or AAC/MP3 at 320+ kbps] then your high end system has had all the details and richness of the audio file stripped out of it and it can’t play what doesn’t exist in the first place. When I first bought my Tesla I did an experiment and I urge everyone to do the same. Take a few songs of different genres you know inside and out as your test tracks and play that track through Slacker (the Streaming option), then through your phone over Bluetooth and finally from a USB in FLAC (or any lossless format). The results were “pitiful”, then “decent” and finally “wow… not bad”. The only time Bluetooth is acceptable and comes anywhere close to FLAC over USB is using a high bitrate source like Tidal Premium (lossless) or Spotify Premium (320kbps). There are many free programs that will convert WAV and Apple Lossless to FLAC. After I upgraded the system the difference was staggering!
A high end system should have at the very least three essential traits. A good sound stage (if you close your eyes it should sound like the band is playing out in front of you at ear level), dynamic imaging (locations of instruments/performers should be identifiable across the sound stage) and good tonality (sound is accurately reproduced and all frequencies are present and properly balanced… AKA there are no “holes”).
Audiophiles will attest that more speakers does not equal better quality sound, especially in a vehicle. Too many speakers can simultaneously destroy your sound stage and imaging (music sounds like it’s coming from behind you or that you’re standing on the stage with music coming from all directions at once). Additionally adding poor quality speakers to the existing poor quality system doesn’t help. With the exception of the tweeters, which aren’t too bad, the factory speakers are all paper cones with foam surrounds and tiny little magnets (signifies low power handling ability) and the sub is barely noticeable.
Below is what I have installed in my Tesla. There are dozens of other high end options, many of which are less expensive, which can be combined into an audiophile grade Hi-Fi system; however, these are the ones I happened to like the most for my personal taste. The most important thing when upgrading your system is to investment in the front stage speakers and the amplifier for maximum return. The speakers in the rear doors do not have to be the same brand as the front.. they just have to properly compliment them with similar sound reproduction so equalizer adjustments will have the same effect. A 5 channel amp simplifies the system and reduces install costs. The sub channel is a high power mono which can run one or two subs as long as you stay at or above stable impedance (ohms). Choosing one sub in a smaller custom (or prefabbed) box could save a few hundred bucks. For those of you that can’t sacrifice space, the sub(s) can be installed in the side compartment(s) of the trunk and the amplifier can easily be installed under the back seat.
Focal K2 Power 165KRX2 – Front Stage
- 6-3/4” K2 composite woofers + 2" woven Aramid fiber inverted-dome tweeter 2-ohm component system 100 watt RMS
ES 165 KX2 | Focal America
Hertz HCX 165 – Rear
- 6-1/2” damped mesh fibre woofers + ¾” Neodymium Tetolon dome tweeter 4-ohm coaxial 100 watt RMS
HCX 165 - Hertz Hi-Energy car audio coaxial
Kicker 12” CompVT – 4 ohm - Sub-woofers
- 12” shallow mount (slimline) 400 watt RMS
CVT 12" 4 Ohm Subwoofer | KICKER®
JL Audio RD900/5 – 900 watt RMS amplifier
- 5-Channel Class D System Amplifier, 100 W x 4 @ 2 Ω (70W @ 4-ohm) + 500 W x 1 @ 2 Ω
RD900/5
Cost for speakers & amplifier: $1,390
Cost for parts (amp wiring kit, speaker wire, etc): $150
Custom box for subs: $350
Labor cost to install: $650
Total cost: $2,540
While not absolutely required, lining the doors and trunk with sound dampening material is a massive upgrade in sound quality for hardly any cost. Many people think it’s main purpose is to help contain the sound of the stereo system and while that may be a bonus it’s main purpose is to block sound from outside the car. The faster you drive the higher the volume must be turned up to compensate. Tire hum, motor whine, wind, assorted body rattles and finally the biggest problem, road noise, can transform the Hi-Fi system in your driveway into an audible mess on the highway. Keeping all these external sounds to a minimum ensures your stereo always sounds good.
M.E.S.A. Dampening Mat – sound dampening material to line the doors
http://product.mespecialists.com/damping-mat/
Cost for materials & labor: $300
Last but not least is the eye candy of my system which I designed and the stereo shop built and installed.
Custom made wood frame covered in factory color matched carpet with a rear frosted ½” thick plexi-glass insert including clear TESLA graphics and backlit by blue LEDs.
Cost for materials & labor: $500
To add a little external flare I had the Tesla emblem on the back of the car swapped out with the “Lighted T for Tesla Model S” which is wired to the tail lights/break lights. This means it’s always on “low” when the headlights are on. Anytime the breaks are pressed it lights up “high”.
Lighted T for Tesla Model S
-- Photos are at the end --
Before I go into the details there is one thing I need to make absolutely clear. If you start with poor input it won’t matter how good the rest of your system is. What I mean by that is unless you’re playing high quality digital sound [AIFF/FLAC (lossless) or AAC/MP3 at 320+ kbps] then your high end system has had all the details and richness of the audio file stripped out of it and it can’t play what doesn’t exist in the first place. When I first bought my Tesla I did an experiment and I urge everyone to do the same. Take a few songs of different genres you know inside and out as your test tracks and play that track through Slacker (the Streaming option), then through your phone over Bluetooth and finally from a USB in FLAC (or any lossless format). The results were “pitiful”, then “decent” and finally “wow… not bad”. The only time Bluetooth is acceptable and comes anywhere close to FLAC over USB is using a high bitrate source like Tidal Premium (lossless) or Spotify Premium (320kbps). There are many free programs that will convert WAV and Apple Lossless to FLAC. After I upgraded the system the difference was staggering!
A high end system should have at the very least three essential traits. A good sound stage (if you close your eyes it should sound like the band is playing out in front of you at ear level), dynamic imaging (locations of instruments/performers should be identifiable across the sound stage) and good tonality (sound is accurately reproduced and all frequencies are present and properly balanced… AKA there are no “holes”).
Audiophiles will attest that more speakers does not equal better quality sound, especially in a vehicle. Too many speakers can simultaneously destroy your sound stage and imaging (music sounds like it’s coming from behind you or that you’re standing on the stage with music coming from all directions at once). Additionally adding poor quality speakers to the existing poor quality system doesn’t help. With the exception of the tweeters, which aren’t too bad, the factory speakers are all paper cones with foam surrounds and tiny little magnets (signifies low power handling ability) and the sub is barely noticeable.
Below is what I have installed in my Tesla. There are dozens of other high end options, many of which are less expensive, which can be combined into an audiophile grade Hi-Fi system; however, these are the ones I happened to like the most for my personal taste. The most important thing when upgrading your system is to investment in the front stage speakers and the amplifier for maximum return. The speakers in the rear doors do not have to be the same brand as the front.. they just have to properly compliment them with similar sound reproduction so equalizer adjustments will have the same effect. A 5 channel amp simplifies the system and reduces install costs. The sub channel is a high power mono which can run one or two subs as long as you stay at or above stable impedance (ohms). Choosing one sub in a smaller custom (or prefabbed) box could save a few hundred bucks. For those of you that can’t sacrifice space, the sub(s) can be installed in the side compartment(s) of the trunk and the amplifier can easily be installed under the back seat.
Focal K2 Power 165KRX2 – Front Stage
- 6-3/4” K2 composite woofers + 2" woven Aramid fiber inverted-dome tweeter 2-ohm component system 100 watt RMS
ES 165 KX2 | Focal America
Hertz HCX 165 – Rear
- 6-1/2” damped mesh fibre woofers + ¾” Neodymium Tetolon dome tweeter 4-ohm coaxial 100 watt RMS
HCX 165 - Hertz Hi-Energy car audio coaxial
Kicker 12” CompVT – 4 ohm - Sub-woofers
- 12” shallow mount (slimline) 400 watt RMS
CVT 12" 4 Ohm Subwoofer | KICKER®
JL Audio RD900/5 – 900 watt RMS amplifier
- 5-Channel Class D System Amplifier, 100 W x 4 @ 2 Ω (70W @ 4-ohm) + 500 W x 1 @ 2 Ω
RD900/5
Cost for speakers & amplifier: $1,390
Cost for parts (amp wiring kit, speaker wire, etc): $150
Custom box for subs: $350
Labor cost to install: $650
Total cost: $2,540
While not absolutely required, lining the doors and trunk with sound dampening material is a massive upgrade in sound quality for hardly any cost. Many people think it’s main purpose is to help contain the sound of the stereo system and while that may be a bonus it’s main purpose is to block sound from outside the car. The faster you drive the higher the volume must be turned up to compensate. Tire hum, motor whine, wind, assorted body rattles and finally the biggest problem, road noise, can transform the Hi-Fi system in your driveway into an audible mess on the highway. Keeping all these external sounds to a minimum ensures your stereo always sounds good.
M.E.S.A. Dampening Mat – sound dampening material to line the doors
http://product.mespecialists.com/damping-mat/
Cost for materials & labor: $300
Last but not least is the eye candy of my system which I designed and the stereo shop built and installed.
Custom made wood frame covered in factory color matched carpet with a rear frosted ½” thick plexi-glass insert including clear TESLA graphics and backlit by blue LEDs.
Cost for materials & labor: $500
To add a little external flare I had the Tesla emblem on the back of the car swapped out with the “Lighted T for Tesla Model S” which is wired to the tail lights/break lights. This means it’s always on “low” when the headlights are on. Anytime the breaks are pressed it lights up “high”.
Lighted T for Tesla Model S
