Dear Torpedo Ted,
Of course I agree with you.
My +25k set-up at home is pure stereo, based on Summit X Martin Logan speakers and Plinius electronics.
My system doesn't even have bass/treble levels. I never change the original sound. I want to hear the raw recording - as designed by the producer.
The first thing I did during my testing was of course to switch off the dolby DSP.
I agree with you that true audiophiles are about stereo, not surround / home-theater.
In a car you are very close to the speakers - much more than at home.
To have the speakers blend away, you need some rear power - otherwise the fronts are way too bright.
If this weren't true, why not just have two speakers in the car... why bothering with twelve ? Why having different settings for pano roof VS hard roof ?
A car is a closed box with reflection - not a home auditorium. Most of the "walls" of the car are made of glass... which are very bad for good acoustics. Optimal sound needs absorption not reflection. The best auditoriums are not symmetric for better diffusion and avoid resonance. A car is... symmetric.
So in a car you have to compensate, with other speakers to balance the full set-up.
I stick to the idea that It is not acceptable to have the drive speaker shouting in your ear like that.
Good balanced volume also provides immersion at lower levels - confort, no fatigue.
Also, in a 5-sitting car the sound system has to be designed for everybody (children listening - parents talking).
Not the case in the Tesla for what I have heard.
Still... not a deal breaker for me. I chose for Premium Sound and I am eagerly awaiting my S85D. I am just hoping that the sound will improve.
I have the feeling that the sound has not been a priority these two last years for Tesla, because they have so much to work on to successfully launch such a disrupting car company.
I just hope the time will come for more attention to sound - hopefully by software means.
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I stick to the idea that It is not acceptable to have the drive speaker shouting in your ear like that.
Typo : driveR speaker