Brief post-PPF+Service Update

[Bunnylebowski]

Oh wow, I might try it first on my old Lexus LS430. That poor car can use some love. Has anyone tried their Leather products or other stuff and have a recommendation. Is the stuff lime iron oxide remover worth it?

They have a LOT of products on that site, I think it’s bonkers to need that much stuff to get a car clean, some of it has to be BS. Until Adam’s I’d never hear of anyone needing to remove iron oxide, which is literally rust. Maybe pro detailers have an opinion on it but it’s like the woman that has 9 different hair products to put on every day. Probably 7 of them do not have an effect anyone would notice. I just did the Graphene cuz New England winters wreck cars and I didn’t want to spend the big bucks for full PPF and was undecided whether ceramic is really worth it, so this was a cheap way to experiment

 

[MPawelek]

One has to balance what they want their car to look like, how long they keep it and how much they want to spend on coatings, PPF etc.

The fellow I use for front end PPF installation is anal about car paint and claims the paint is ruined by the time a car leaves the dealership. He wants to use a clay bar immediately, then PPF and then apply ceramic coating. Great for his bottom line but a first world problem from my standpoint. I hand wash all my cars monthly and apply a good wax every 6 months and always get compliments on how they look. Taking a magnifying glass and looking for micro scratches is not my thing. I have other things to do….

 

[copper]

Now that you've tested the audio system's frequency response in your own car, did you try to boost the bass with the car's tone controls to see if you could flatten the bass response? I was wondering if a certain level of adjustment worked well or were the turnover frequencies in the wrong place to do a decent job of making the car's frequency response more accurate. Thanks.

Yes, I ended up using the EQ. You can definitely lift the lowest octave (30-60hz) up a lot with the trade off of some funky ”boom“ on tracks where midbass regions hit a lot (Fuzz bass, high-BPM EDM tracks, etc). I’m pretty discerning so the lowest hits on songs like My Blood by Twenty One Pilots are something I look for.

A simple feature would be more EQ bands - the bass EQ only affects 30-200hz by the look of it. I’m not sure which DSP they’re using or how many biquads it has, but the software seems to really push the lowest end response down sometimes. More bands or an ability to override that would help.

For reference, this stereo is being compared against my custom built home system with a range from 32hz-21khz pushed by a Big Honkin’ Class A/B amp. Not exactly fair!

 

[LRSIII]

Yes, I ended up using the EQ. You can definitely lift the lowest octave (30-60hz) up a lot with the trade off of some funky ”boom“ on tracks where midbass regions hit a lot (Fuzz bass, high-BPM EDM tracks, etc). I’m pretty discerning so the lowest hits on songs like My Blood by Twenty One Pilots are something I look for.

A simple feature would be more EQ bands - the bass EQ only affects 30-200hz by the look of it. I’m not sure which DSP they’re using or how many biquads it has, but the software seems to really push the lowest end response down sometimes. More bands or an ability to override that would help.

For reference, this stereo is being compared against my custom built home system with a range from 32hz-21khz pushed by a Big Honkin’ Class A/B amp. Not exactly fair!

So, what setting did you use with the Lucid's tone control(s)?

32Hz to 21 kHz. What a piker! I've got two Definitive Technology Trinity subwoofers in my home system. Sub-20Hz bass is a piece of cake!

You really are going to force me into a Room Equalization Wizard setup for my Mac.

 

[copper]

So, what setting did you use with the Lucid's tone control(s)?

32Hz to 21 kHz. What a piker! I've got two Definitive Technology Trinity subwoofers in my home system. Sub-20Hz bass is a piece of cake!

You really are going to force me into a Room Equalization Wizard setup for my Mac.

+6 on bass, flat on mids and +2 on treble. [edit: this is what I currently have set. As @SaratogaLefty pointed out, I originally recommended +2 bass / -2 treble; I'm messing around with the EQ now that I have a car a lot so YMMV]

[Edit #2: I’ve now remapped it to +4 bass / -2 treble; less fatiguing and for some reason it seems to handle complex lower octaves better than +6 bass, but I haven’t sat down to really test this in detail]

That home system is a two way floorstander with 7” aluminum woofers btw. I’ve got a new three-way system I’m building that hopefully will hit down to 23hz in a bookshelf size

As for REW…

 

[LRSIII]

+6 on bass, flat on mids and +2 on treble.

That home system is a two way floorstander with 7” aluminum woofers btw. I’ve got a new three-way system I’m building that hopefully will hit down to 23hz in a bookshelf size

As for REW…

View attachment 2307

I know!!!

 

[SaratogaLefty]

One has to balance what they want their car to look like, how long they keep it and how much they want to spend on coatings, PPF etc.

The fellow I use for front end PPF installation is anal about car paint and claims the paint is ruined by the time a car leaves the dealership. He wants to use a clay bar immediately, then PPGG and then apply ceramic coating. Great for his bottom line but a first world problem from my standpoint. I hand wash all my cars monthly and apply a good wax every 6 months and always get compliments on how they look. Taking a magnifying glass and looking for micro scratches is not my thing. I have other things to do….

+6 on bass, flat on mids and +2 on treble.

That home system is a two way floorstander with 7” aluminum woofers btw. I’ve got a new three-way system I’m building that hopefully will hit down to 23hz in a bookshelf size

As for REW…

View attachment 2307

Ok I thought when you did the original test you recommended +3 on bass, flat on mids, and -2 on treble???

 

[copper]

Ok I thought when you did the original test you recommended +3 on bass, flat on mids, and -2 on treble???

I've been messing around with the EQ a lot. Most people will be fine with the original recommendation, and I'm working on a much more in-depth guide on the stereo for release soon.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

I've been messing around with the EQ a lot. Most people will be fine with the original recommendation, and I'm working on a much more in-depth guide on the stereo for release soon.

Ok so which one should I use for now? I just changed it to the +6 and +2. Should I go back to the +3 and -2 or should we wait for your review? Are you waiting for the OTA 1.2.5?

 

[copper]

Ok so which one should I use for now? I just changed it to the +6 and +2. Should I go back to the +3 and -2 or should we wait for your review? Are you waiting for the OTA 1.2.5?

• Do +6/+2 if you feel bass is lacking and want vocals/brass to be brighter. Otherwise +3/-2 is pretty good for most everyone. What kind of music do you listen to most of the time?
• Yes, I'm waiting on 1.2.5 for some audio quality fixes.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

• Do +6/+2 if you feel bass is lacking and want vocals/brass to be brighter. Otherwise +3/-2 is pretty good for most everyone. What kind of music do you listen to most of the time?
• Yes, I'm waiting on 1.2.5 for some audio quality fixes.

I created a Tidal playlist with only Dolby Atmos recordings. I have an assortment of rock, country, pop, and blues. A few Rap/Hip Hop selections slipped in which I am gradually culling. Also have the Star Wars sound tracks and some other classical music.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

You haven’t heard Star Wars until you’ve heard Galactic Empire…

 

[Sam6062]

PPF for front/hood/fenders/mirror is about $2500-$3K. Full PPF I haven’t heard less than $7K, usually more. Ceramic anywhere from $1100-$2K depending on what you choose.

Then this looks like a decent price, does it not.

 

[martinmeyer]

On this topic of audio quality, are you all sure the speakers are broken in? You might notice the audio output change as the suspension ring around the diaphragm loosens. That usually takes dozens of hours of use, and the audio will continue changing for several more hours of playback. In some speakers the change in sound before and after the break in period can be quite noticeable. I have Focal Flax speakers in my Model S, and the pre and post break in sound is very, very different. The installer actually re-tunes the audio post break-in because the change in frequency response is so pronounced. I have a Klipsch subwoofer in my home theater that I could _hear_ change during a movie when it finally reached break-in. The audio shift was fun to listen to for me, but I doubt most people would have spotted it. After that period was over, the sound from it became much deeper and intense (with no change to any settings at all).

There's no telling if Lucid does any pre-break in period at the factory. I would guess probably no. If I'm right, you might like one tuning setting when the car is very new, but something else about a month or two later.

 

[EVCar]

Then this looks like a decent price, does it not.

I've used this product on a standard-size sunroof, and this costs me $450.
Hope this info helps.

 

[Sam6062]

I've used this product on a standard-size sunroof, and this costs me $450.
Hope this info helps.

Thanks for your input. Does it not sound like the same product that bunnylebowski is getting or is it a lower quality product.

 

[EVCar]

Thanks for your input. Does it not sound like the same product that bunnylebowski is getting or is it a lower quality product.

Not necessarily true. Xpel product, for whatever reason, is more widely used. This can be related to many factors, including what kind of deals the installers get from the manufacturers, etc.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

On this topic of audio quality, are you all sure the speakers are broken in? You might notice the audio output change as the suspension ring around the diaphragm loosens. That usually takes dozens of hours of use, and the audio will continue changing for several more hours of playback. In some speakers the change in sound before and after the break in period can be quite noticeable. I have Focal Flax speakers in my Model S, and the pre and post break in sound is very, very different. The installer actually re-tunes the audio post break-in because the change in frequency response is so pronounced. I have a Klipsch subwoofer in my home theater that I could _hear_ change during a movie when it finally reached break-in. The audio shift was fun to listen to for me, but I doubt most people would have spotted it. After that period was over, the sound from it became much deeper and intense (with no change to any settings at all).

There's no telling if Lucid does any pre-break in period at the factory. I would guess probably no. If I'm right, you might like one tuning setting when the car is very new, but something else about a month or two later.

Yeah breaking in amp/speakers is an important factor. To my ear the Lucid system is pretty flat which is a good thing, I’ve been using it pretty aggressively and have 1,400 miles on the car, and I started to notice an improvement in the audio around 500 miles. I have no complaints over the low frequencies. Way too often car audio hypes the bass and that’s what people come to expect, when in fact the tracks were never mixed that way. You’ll get ear fatigue from overhyped lows which makes your ear overly sensitive to anything loud.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Thanks for your input. Does it not sound like the same product that bunnylebowski is getting or is it a lower quality product.

I’m getting SunTek, not to be confused with STEK. By all reports STEK is excellent but challenging to apply due to stronger adhesive, but STEK also appears to be very durable to impacts. SunTek is easier to apply and durable and has an excellent hydrophobic coat, but could be a little more prone to yellowing over a few years if you’re in a sunny climate. I’m not in a sunny climate, and my car is black so yellowing will not be a factor. I stalked a bunch of detailer threads on Reddit and the consensus seems to be that SunTek is easier to apply than XPEL and STEK, and is durable enough, STEK has far away the best clarity and XPEL is a good middle ground with good clarity, good durability with maybe a little more orange peel than SunTek or STEK but offset by less potential yellowing if you’re in a very sunny climate. So really your choice should depend on A) the color of your car, B) climate you’re driving in, and C) installer experience with that product. The installers I’m using have put SunTech on many a Ferrari and Porsche here in New England with good results so that’s good enough for me.

 

[Sam6062]

This Stek Film that the guy is offerring already has a Ceramic coating on it. He says warranty is 10 years Material and Labor. He quoted 1700 for the Stek DYNO for all front and mirrors and door handles and door edges for 1800 plus tax. Remaining paint trim and glass ceramic would be another 1400. Wheels additional 450.

7K for fullbody PPF