Disappointing Surreal Sound Pro

[Bunnylebowski]

"pre/pro" = pre-amp/processor. The "pro" part is acknowledging that pre-amps are doing a lot more than in the days of analog only. Gotta have a DSP in today's world, especially when dealing with 3D sound decoding audio codecs along with dolby or dts. Room customizers like Audyssey or Dirac. I'm betting Lucid has a custom DSP built for handling the challenges of being a car. Doesn't require as many options for sound customization because it would have been optimized for the car versus a home unit where the room it's in is an unknown and can vary widely.

Oh I’d never heard the term “pro” for processor. Thanks!

 

[AIR.LUCID]

A nit. On the configurator, the Pure always has 1 rear deck speaker instead of three.

 

[Brad Carlson]

I’m not sure how the car could NOT have a separate processor, otherwise how is it doing the 3 band EQ? As far as separate amplifier goes, I don’t understand what your point is? Are you saying the Lucid sounds bad with non-Atmos content because you believe it doesn’t have a single dedicated amplifier handling all 21 speakers, and you think each speaker has its own amp? I’m just not clear on what you believe the problem is. If in fact the vehicle does have dedicated amps for each individual speaker (meaning they are active rather than passive), that is not a negative, as in professional audio, and specifically Dolby Atmos mixes, it’s often done that way with self powered speakers as the amplifier is tailored to be optimized to that set of drivers, etc. I honestly don’t know whether the car has active or passive speakers, I haven’t been able to find info on it. As for non-Tidal HiFi sources, as long as you’re not playing off Bluetooth which is limited, Spotify high quality sounds good, it’s just that Tidal HiFi (2 channel audio, not Atmos) sounds the best. Amazon music high quality sounds great also, just not quit Tidal MQA good.

I don’t doubt your experience, just trying to tease out what the actual problem is (possibly compression of the streaming format?), given the tuning of the system provides pretty accurate reproduction of mixes, but the EQ does allow for adjustment to preference in case you think the bass isn’t big enough or highs are too sibilant. I do think Lucid very much needs to get CarPlay into the car as I think many are playing over Bluetooth which DOES sound flat and lifeless and thin, and then people blame the car’s audio system which in fact has been shown to be seriously high quality in the testing @copper did.

I’m listening to Tidal. A 3 band EQ is not a pre/pro. I appreciate your comments. I don’t believe a single amplifier can handle all the speakers. My opinion is separate amplifiers and and a pre/pro allows for soundfield processing. Yes, multiple amps and a pre/pro are a space, weight and heat problem. I don’t hear 21 speakers on a Tidal Master track. All of the sound is upfront on the 7 speakers and I don’t hear much bass even though I have it set at +6. I’m not trying to be totally negative about Lucid. I think they cut corners to get the car out. We all know what they are. No CarPlay. Not even a capability to have Sirius XM. Tidal and TuneIn just cut out a lot. At least TuneIn tells you it’s buffering. I had SiriusXM cut out in my previous car when there were trees overhead but it came back when it was the clear. I can be out in the clear and Tidal or TuneIn just cut out, and I have to press play to get it to play again. If a car has 21 speakers, it should let you listen to all of them on any track of music.

 

[Brad Carlson]

Apple has a major CarPlay update coming in the fall. Are Lucid and Apple cooperating on that? Tesla doesn’t have CarPlay, right?

 

[Tesla2.0]

Apple has a major CarPlay update coming in the fall. Are Lucid and Apple cooperating on that? Tesla doesn’t have CarPlay, right?

Tesla and Apple don’t like each other. And I don’t think Tesla will ever have CarPlay.

 

[Brad Carlson]

I do think music over Bluetooth is inferior to USB. If I play FLAC over USB, I expect to take advantage of a sound field processor and 21 speakers.

 

[Brad Carlson]

But If I have to listen over Bluetooth CarPlay, I expect to hear a sound field over all 21 speakers.

 

[Brad Carlson]

The fact that didn’t put an SiriusXM antennae on the car is unbelievable.

 

[MoniputerLM]

The fact that didn’t put an SiriusXM antennae on the car is unbelievable.

Has anyone from Lucid said why they didn't?

 

[Brad Carlson]

So is Lucid ever going to have CarPlay?

 

[Brad Carlson]

Has anyone from Lucid said why they didn't?

I don’t know. I just know there is no antennae and no possibility of having Sirius XM via antennae.

 

[Brad Carlson]

I’m not very hopeful we are ever going to have CarPlay. Of course I don’t know what I’m talking about. Why don’t we have it yet? How many software updates have we had? What’s the number one priory? The only explanation is they are working with Apple on the fall release. Why couldn’t they do an interim release? Yes, the fall release is a big one. I hope I don‘t know what I’m talking bout.

 

[Tesla2.0]

Has anyone tried to link SiriusXM with Alexa app and then gone to Air and just talk to Lucid Air to play SiriusXM, would that work? Or need SiruisXm hardware?

 

[Tesla2.0]

The only explanation is they are working with Apple on the fall release. Why couldn’t they do an interim release? Yes, the fall release is a big one. I hope I don‘t know what I’m talking bout.

so you would rather Lucid release a half-ass built one so more people can complain incomplete and broken feature?

 

[MoniputerLM]

Has anyone tried to link SiriusXM with Alexa app and then gone to Air and just talk to Lucid Air to play SiriusXM, would that work? Or need SiruisXm hardware?

I use the SiriusXM app on my phone and stream to the car. Not as good as the real thing but it works.

The Mercedes EQS has SiriusXM hardware but I don't know where the antenna is.

 

[Tesla2.0]

I’m not very hopeful we are ever going to have CarPlay. Of course I don’t know what I’m talking about. Why don’t we have it yet? How many software updates have we had? What’s the number one priory? The only explanation is they are working with Apple on the fall release. Why couldn’t they do an interim release? Yes, the fall release is a big one. I hope I don‘t know what I’m talking bout.

I think it took Polestar couple years to get to release CarPlay on their Google Android platform. Tesla will never have it and Rivian also stated they are not interested to support CarPlay except using their own software. Lucid said it is working in progress on top of their own software which is on Android platform. Then we just have to wait.

Lucid only has 4000 employees and who knows how many IT guys are in there as opposed of 220,000 Microsoft or 370,000 Apple employees.

 

[Tesla2.0]

I use the SiriusXM app on my phone and stream to the car. Not as good as the real thing but it works.

The Mercedes EQS has SiriusXM hardware but I don't know where the antenna is.

Many cars have shark fin antenna for SiriusXM. Lucid needs to find solution.

 

[Tesla2.0]

I use the SiriusXM app on my phone and stream to the car. Not as good as the real thing but it works.

I need to try that too. I don’t know my Sirius account in other car.

 

[MoniputerLM]

I need to try that too. I don’t know my Sirius account in other car.

I have SiriusXM in my Navigator and pay them every month but when I called to change the plan, they said that I didn't have an account!

 

[hydbob]

I’m not very hopeful we are ever going to have CarPlay. Of course I don’t know what I’m talking about. Why don’t we have it yet? How many software updates have we had? What’s the number one priory? The only explanation is they are working with Apple on the fall release. Why couldn’t they do an interim release? Yes, the fall release is a big one. I hope I don‘t know what I’m talking bout.

CarPlay should be here within a month. Rumor is that is the timeframe.