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"Ultra High Fidelity Sound" option - worth it?

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Didn't the previous "Sound Studio" package include the yet to be implemented "storage space for over 3,000 songs"? There doesn't seem to be any mention of on-board storage under the new package? Costs more, less filling.
 
If the new system used name brand speakers, wouldn't they advertise that? They certainly should. While I fully respect Tesla's engineering when it comes to the car and it's drivetrain, I do not trust them to do the audio right. I would feel much better if they used name brand equipment and specifically named what brand it was.

It would have to be one hell of a system for $2500. No way I would pay that much. Head on over to Crutchfield and see how much equipment you can buy for that. Here's a hint. It's A LOT!

I think this is the one price change that is truly ridiculous and deserves a detailed explanation by Tesla on why it's worth that much, which we probably won't get, because it's probably not worth that much.
 
my stereo from 12 years ago in my old mazda sounded way better, yes it was aftermarket, but at the time it only costed around ~$800
JVC HU with USB,
Clarion Power system speakers and subs,
5.25" components in the front, 6.5" coaxials in the back,
TWO 10" DVC Subs sealed box, bass shaker in each of the front seats,
380W RMS amp for the front and rear speakers,
400W RMS amp for the subs,
200W RMS for the bass shakers,
tuned to be perfectly flat for sound reproduction'

this stereo is considered "budget" you can go much higher in price and quality (3 way components front and rear, everything with their own cross overs and custom enclosures, etc)

as far as rankings go

1) high quality aftermarket
2) budget aftermarket (but tuned right)
3) the mark levinson system in the SC430 (wow i was impressed being a factory installed stereo)
4) lexicon system found in hyundai and rolls royce vehicles
5) ...
6) ...
7) Infinity system from my old Genesis coupe (2010 model, not the crappy 2013 downgrade)
8) the system found in the Tesla
8) Bose systems found in corvettes&some GM cars/nissans/mazdas (these sound horrible)

so as far as $2600 goes, you could get probably med-high quality aftermarket and it will blow away anything factory installed. i would not recommend the stock system from Tesla either standard or upgraded. Of course not everyone agree's with me but try listening to an aftermarket system that costs $1000 and is tuned properly, then listen to the tesla's, you will hear what im talking about.
 
The one thing I have noticed is that most of the audio sources kinda suck--XM, Slacker and iPhone over Bluetooth are all compressed to one degree or another and all sounded pretty bad to the point I was feeling a bit regretful about springing for the Studio upgrade. When I finally go around to putting some AAC files on a USB and listening to those, ..................

PS I wish Telsa would hurry up and enable iPhone audio over the USB connection.

if i were you i would just convert to FLAC, i was super surprised tesla programmed the codecs into decode both FLAC and OGG kudos to them!

its kind of Apple's fault for doing everything propriatary, there was already a standard in place but apple had to go off on their own. (Media transfer protocol has been around forever, same with USB Mass storage protocol)
 
my stereo from 12 years ago in my old mazda sounded way better, yes it was aftermarket, but at the time it only costed around ~$800
JVC HU with USB,
Clarion Power system speakers and subs,
5.25" components in the front, 6.5" coaxials in the back,
TWO 10" DVC Subs sealed box, bass shaker in each of the front seats,
380W RMS amp for the front and rear speakers,
400W RMS amp for the subs,
200W RMS for the bass shakers,
tuned to be perfectly flat for sound reproduction'

this stereo is considered "budget" you can go much higher in price and quality (3 way components front and rear, everything with their own cross overs and custom enclosures, etc)

as far as rankings go

1) high quality aftermarket
2) budget aftermarket (but tuned right)
3) the mark levinson system in the SC430 (wow i was impressed being a factory installed stereo)
4) lexicon system found in hyundai and rolls royce vehicles
5) ...
6) ...
7) Infinity system from my old Genesis coupe (2010 model, not the crappy 2013 downgrade)
8) the system found in the Tesla
8) Bose systems found in corvettes&some GM cars/nissans/mazdas (these sound horrible)

so as far as $2600 goes, you could get probably med-high quality aftermarket and it will blow away anything factory installed. i would not recommend the stock system from Tesla either standard or upgraded. Of course not everyone agree's with me but try listening to an aftermarket system that costs $1000 and is tuned properly, then listen to the tesla's, you will hear what im talking about.

I've got a decade-old car now with a "Premium 300-watt Bose Upgraded Stereo" and it absolutely destroyed the Tesla Upgraded Studio Sound package. I was actually astonished at the lack of power in the Tesla system and kept asking the rep "are you sure Dolby is off?" I think in Tesla's defense the Model S is a huge car without a trunk - everything is there with you in the vehicle - and this may present problems with the sound stage. Although in my high school stereo days the best systems were in Chevy Blazers which were essentially hatchbacks because you could put rows of woofers in the back.

I guess I'm going to delete that option and pour the $2500 in an aftermarket system. Hell, for another grand I can get this "Reus" system that everybody is talking about.

Thanks for all the replies.

- - - Updated - - -

Do you happen to know which brand?

O

Sure don't. Just regurgitating what I've seen on the message boards. I would sure love something like Rockfords or Alpine but I'm pretty sure they'd be Panasonic (which I'd still trust a bit more than speakers by Tesla!)
 
After the last software update last week, the sound studio system sounds much better. There is also an option which I might have not noticed previously for less compressed Slacker in high signal area. I can't turn the system above 7 now.
 
They removed that from the old system description a while ago. There is no plans to ever support it for any system.

That's disappointing to hear considering it was part of my decision to go with that option (regrettably). I had thought they only removed the 1,000 song storage from the standard sound package? Geee, not even a Tesla branded USB stick in lieu?
 
I know it's too soon to tell, but I'd like to start a thread on whether people think the new "Ultra High Fidelity Sound" option is worth it until we actually see some new cars with this "$2500" option. Given that the car is pretty quiet, I'd like to have a good sound system.

AFAIK, the top end sound package went from $950 (Studio Sound) to $2500 (Ultra High Fidelity Sound), but it doesn't seem as if anything changed other than $1550 worth of pretty words around it. If indeed, nothing has changed, it seems the $2500 (or more) is better spent on an aftermarket system. I heard Reus does a great job on aftermarket sound.

Thoughts or facts?

I have no idea, but I would not be surprised if the system is virtually unchanged from the original Studio Sound system.

Although I enjoy my Studio Sound system, I must admit that I was disappointed by the so-called 7.1 implementation, which frankly doesn't work. I am not an audiophile and I do not claim to have a trained ear. Nevertheless, I have a home theater and I know how good multichannel sound can sound. I would be prepared to pay to retrofit my system, but I would be looking for the addition of multichannel room correction and a decent surround sound implementation. It would also be nice to be able to feed discrete multichannel inputs to the system. Currently it only will accept two-channel, and has a primative Dolby Surround process that many think does more to harm the sound than enhance it. I think the current system has a pleasant sound, but it always sounds like you are listening to two-channel in a car. I believe with the right multichannel surround implementation that the system could transport you to the the appropriate venue, a concert hall, a nightclub, etc., with the ambiance being supplied by the multichannel recording.

Larry
 
They removed that from the old system description a while ago. There is no plans to ever support it for any system.
(Referring to the storage capacity). I paid for it, I want refund while they are at this very moment, replacing my tuner, and my mind may change therafter, this is to date the worst radio that I have had in a car, ever. I paid for storage, and I WILL get it.
 
Just some tips for FLAC which I have been using for years:

FLAC is like a zip file for audio - when played back it is exactly the same as when created.
However you need to start with a good source. Typically this is a CD you ripped and then each track is encoded as FLAC.

Converting compressed files like mp3 or m4a to FLAC does not improve the sound and wastes space. The exception would be ALAC (Apple lossless) or wav files.

Search the web for free FLAC encoders - some CD ripper apps have it built in. If you start with CD quality you will get exactly that quality in your Tesla.
 
That's disappointing to hear considering it was part of my decision to go with that option (regrettably). I had thought they only removed the 1,000 song storage from the standard sound package? Geee, not even a Tesla branded USB stick in lieu?

The rumor is that Tesla will use the storage for other purposes like caching Google Maps tiles, so I think it will pay off in the long term. I have never used on-board storage in any of my cars because I find its a pain to maintain, so this seems like a good idea for me, but YMMV. But agree, would be nice to get a Tesla USB stick. :)

O