Tesla Model S 2018 aftermarket base audio speaker upgrade

[AMirza]

Yes, the Infinitys in the door produced more bass than stock. Amp powers subwoofer and rear-hatch speakers (with a mid-range crossofer). The amp uses two power sources, one switched, the other unswitched. The switched power comes from the fuse box in the passenger kick panel. I used a fuse-tap to tap of an existing circuit. As for the unswitched power, I tapped into the hot wire going to the hatch lift motor. Should be fine as long as I am not full blast and opening the hatch at the same time..LOL.

Would love to meet up and check out your setup as I have been looking at doing this.....assuming your in an around N.VA ?

LMK

 

[beatle]

I'm sure if folks forego the rear speaker upgrade because the person is usually driving and so improvements to sound stage and imaging in the front is more noticeable than fill at the rear doors, or if its the because the signal processing from the MCU just does not us the full range of sound for the rear channels. I'm deciding between a Reus System or a custom system for my base 2013. I'd like to add 3-way component speakers to the front (filling in the 3" speaker holes under the dash top), class D amp, and small sub. Not sure if I should got active with a 6-channel amp for the front or go passive with the supplied crossovers and use a 4-channel amp to power the fronts and bridge the other 2 channels for the sub. I'd love to attend a local Tesla meetup to compare the Reus vs a custom system before I commit.

Active gives you more options. Depending on which amp/DSP you go with, you may want more power for your sub. I used an 8-ch Audison AP8.9bit and bridged the 5/6, 7/8 channels for the midbass in the front doors, and used the other 4 channels for the new dash midranges and tweeters. I used a separate NVX amp for the sub. Leave the rear doors alone on the stock stereo. They provide almost no discernable difference in the sound and are a waste of money to upgrade IMO.

I'm planning to add the missing speakers in the front dash and in the trunk. These upgrades are crucial for the sound I'm aiming for. (Planning on using four Audison AV 3' mid-range speakers with a custom 3d printed bracket to fit into the mounting points).

1. DSP Placement: I want everything to look as stock as possible. Is there enough room to place the DSP amplifier discreetly, maybe on the front left side by the driver (similar to where the premium amplifier is in models with the premium audio system)?
2. Power Connection (12V): Where should I connect to the 12V? Is there a convenient internal spot, or do I need to run a new cable from the battery (with appropriate fusing)?
3. Signal Connection: How do I best hook up and hijack the signal from the MCU? Is there a particular wiring or method that works best for this?
   (I know i have to hijack the audio signals coming from the MCU into the forza amplifier).
4. General Wiring Queries: Any advice on managing the wiring for this setup efficiently and discreetly?

Would like to see your 3d printed adapters. Audiofrog GS25s will just drop in the factory locations, but other mids may not.

I had an amp rack built and placed on the right side of the hatch where the factory sub normally goes. A small carpeted, ventilated cover went over top. You really don't have much room to work with under the dash. You'll need to run new cables from the 12v up front. There are wires going to the door speakers where you can intercept a "full range" signal. Most amps/DSPs will accept line level inputs so you don't need a converter. There are types of speaker wire that include multiple channels in a single bundle that will make routing speaker wire back to the front a lot easier than individual wires. Stinger makes some.

 

[KalJoMoS]

Just make sure to order the 6.2 version, not the 6.5 version!

I guess I'll install it in around 2-3 weeks from now.

For clarification, what’s the difference in-between? Is one for front and another for rear? Or what?

 

[16MX]

6.5 has integrated tweeters and 6.2 has separate tweeters.
Link from manufacturer: IQ – LINE - Audiocircle
- front door (upper left product): IQ-C6.2 Tesla front
- rear doos MS (same version as front door), but check whether you've a separate tweeter for rear door as well)
- rear door MX (lower left product): IQ-C6.2 Tesla Model X rear door
(6.5 version is upper right product - for cars without separate front tweeter integrated in the A pillar).

 

[julegave]

Active gives you more options. Depending on which amp/DSP you go with, you may want more power for your sub. I used an 8-ch Audison AP8.9bit and bridged the 5/6, 7/8 channels for the midbass in the front doors, and used the other 4 channels for the new dash midranges and tweeters. I used a separate NVX amp for the sub. Leave the rear doors alone on the stock stereo. They provide almost no discernable difference in the sound and are a waste of money to upgrade IMO.

Would like to see your 3d printed adapters. Audiofrog GS25s will just drop in the factory locations, but other mids may not.

I had an amp rack built and placed on the right side of the hatch where the factory sub normally goes. A small carpeted, ventilated cover went over top. You really don't have much room to work with under the dash. You'll need to run new cables from the 12v up front. There are wires going to the door speakers where you can intercept a "full range" signal. Most amps/DSPs will accept line level inputs so you don't need a converter. There are types of speaker wire that include multiple channels in a single bundle that will make routing speaker wire back to the front a lot easier than individual wires. Stinger makes some.View attachment 1020173View attachment 1020174

Thank you for your response.

I have a question about the wiring of the center channel front dash speaker. Did you use the original wiring harness, or did you modify the setup? I'm asking because, according to the wiring diagram, it appears that the center channel is connected through the autopilot ECU, possibly for additional sounds. Also, how are phone calls and general system sounds handled with this setup? Are there any specific issues I should be aware of?

 

[beatle]

I actually didn't run my own wires, the shop that installed the amp/DSP did, so I don't know what they pulled as source signal. They ran new wires from the amp/DSP back to the tweeter/dash midrange speakers, and they spliced into the wires leading to the midbass speakers in the doors, so the wires in the doors remained the same. When I swapped out my dash midrange speakers, however, I pulled the center channel and everything still worked. That means either the autopilot/car chimes aren't exclusive to the center channel, or the center channel was one of the signal sources.

 

[Janaman]

Helix 10 DSP - 10 chanell amp with 3 way active Helix component speakers sloved the base music trouble

 

[16MX]

Have you done this upgrade yourself?

 

[Janaman]

Part of it… I first took the easy approach (deadening of doors, replacing oe 6,5” woofers with Audison 3 ohm/93 dB) just to learn about “not exactly 3 ohm/93 dB reality”… the sound was low bass volume (although more accurate)… after some thinking I decided to do it right with DSP processing which is a bit more than I could do (you need at least certified mic and some experience, otherwise it will not be worth the money/effort).

 

[16MX]

I own a MX and installed upgraded IQ – LINE - Audiocircle speakers (easiest plug-andplay possibility in Europe) in the front and FWD doors after sound deadening them.
Got already the subwoofer box and a better subwoofer and amp, which are not installed yet.
Next plan is to get speakers for he liftgate. Then maybe the same Helix DSP amp as yours.
Maybe I'll also get some dashboard speakers the base system is missing, not sure yet.

I might feed 2 channels of the amp with the 1st row speaker signal (for new dashboard and front door speakers) and 2 channels of the amp with the 2nd row signal for new FWD and liftgate speakers.
Do you think this is good idea?

For grabbing the audio signals from the MCU1 I've already searched for the right connectors to make a kind of plug-and-play line extension from which I can easily grab the speaker signals without changing the original wiring harness. I'll post the Molex article numbers once I've successfully installed them.

I'll have the system calibrated by the company I buy the DSP amplifier from.

 

[Janaman]

Any reputable Hi-Fi shop/specialist will confirm this - skip rear speakers, spent money on front only...
Properly tuned 3 way active system sounds much better than any of those 3D, surround etc mimics... as a matter of fact, the 2nd row (or rear door speakers) do next to nothing when it system is set up... you may easily switch them on/off in the DSP setting and hear for your self... 2-3% filling role?
Dont bother, just focus on the front (3 way bings the stage depth/precision... especialy in MS where we have tw and mid close to each other) AND the DSP amp...
Speakers alone wont do nearly as much as one might think...