I have heard a lot of statements being made both on and offline, that the “premium” (version) sound systems within Tesla vehicles, were superb. In many cases, referred to as “audiophile” in quality. This triggered my interest since I had planned on picking up one myself and I am, by all means, an obsessed audiophile.
Looking back around 5 years or so, I was test-driving the Model S P100D with one of their reps. During the ride, I mentioned that I wasn’t so impressed with the sound. This labeled them a little surprised as they thought the system sounded fantastic.
However, I brought them over to my car at the time (2008 Mercury Sable Premiere) and showed them what it sounded like in the car. This was an unmodified (outside of the EQ) stock “premium” package system. I am not a big Ford fan myself, but they did get one thing right (the system). I played some Boz Scaggs and the rep agreed that it sounded much better than the P100D.
When I had asked about custom upgrades to the speakers/system and how that affected the oddly unstable-sounding warranty, the topic was bounced around until someone from service came out with an answer. She said that it wouldn’t be wise to touch the system as any modifications to anything would void the vehicle’s warranty. As you can probably guess, I walked away after that as that was far too great of a penalty for something so common.
Years later, I am back after everyone has been bragging about the enhancements Tesla made to its sound system (that, and I was absolutely ready to buy a new car). It was here that even one of the reps in the showroom location I was at used the term “audiophile” when describing the sound inside the car. However, getting into one of the models on the floor (a Model Y with the premium system, which she stated had the same system in the 3 LR) I couldn’t quite agree. Although it did sound vastly better than what I had heard 5 years ago, it wasn’t “audiophile” by any means.
Further discussions led to the discovery that you can feel a bit more comfortable modifying the system now as the company has relaxed its expectations surrounding the vehicle’s warranty. Now, it’s only what you modify that may or may not void the warranty to the related parts (and parts/systems potentially affected by them). That seemed fair enough.
I wound up buying a Model 3 LR with the “premium” system. I haven’t upgraded anything (yet), therefore I have spent a noticeable amount of time listening to the stock system since. At this point, I still agree with my updated assessment. It is definitely “better-sounding” than many stock systems, but it isn’t audiophile. It is a rich-sounding system with a decent EQ that allows a user to dial it in for their own audible preferences.
It’s just when I think of “audiophile”, I am normally thinking of brands like Paradigm (Premier/Studio series) or B&W. I am used to listening to a simple stereo pair of speakers that can melt me where I sit and pull me right into what is playing. Something I don’t feel when sitting in the Tesla. The car melts me in other ways, just not via sound. The immersive settings are a little noticable but not life-changing when it comes to stage presence. Overall range is ok, but it isn’t going to make you want to close your eyes and slip away (when you are parked and looking to do so, of course).
In some cases, I can sometimes find the system a bit exhausting. Leading me to constantly want to tinker with the EQ depending on what I am listening to. I find the quality of the premium package streaming service (provided by Slacker) to be underwhelming. A good selection of music, but the overall quality isn’t anything to brag about. So I find myself using Bluetooth mostly as it sounds better since I have mostly FLAC albums on my phone.
I still haven’t tested FLAC files via a USB drive but I shouldn’t have to. A 2022 Tesla should support BT 5.2 with LDAC, AptX HD, etc. At least, those are my expectations based on price. With this, Bluetooth should sound pretty darn good via a hi-res system. I should be noticeably happy before even wanting to bother with FLAC via USB.
The more I continue to play with the system, the more I find myself drifting toward wanting to upgrade it with something custom. I know Tesla has been using ex-representatives from B&O in the design of its speakers, but it just doesn’t seem to be enough for the price. Which makes the need of having to pay more to customize it later down the road hurt all the worse (a cold sting). Maybe Tesla should have partnered with a good German or Japanese company for its speakers directly. For now, we are stuck with in-house systems that need a lot more love than they are getting.
In the meantime, I have adjusted the EQ enough to calm my desires for a little longer as I focus on more important endeavors. The audio in my vehicle is the least of my concerns with other challenges and goals surrounding me at this very moment in time. So I, at least, decided I should share what was on my mind to get it off my chest. This will have to do for now.
If you have a Tesla and would like to share your own thoughts on the system, feel free to use the comment area below. We all hear the world in our own unique ways, afterall.
