Lucid Air aftermarket Hifi upgrade summary (and quality / configuration of the factory audio)

[xponents]

Part 2 - Power Amplification

For this next part, i will review things to know about the power amps. As stated before, the factory system consists of 2 Class D DSP Power Amps. One for the base system and one for the premium system. The factory system is fully active crossovers for each channel at least for the premium system. For the Base system, it's unclear if they will simplify the setup with some passive crossovers to save discrete channels. I suspect to the "Detuned" systems that have all the hardware but will be software limited, they will basically program it to kill the atmos functionality and the height channels but use the same power amplification. Not sure how thoughtful they will be about the tune from there. You will see below the factory amps alongside the aftermarket amps. For this build we used the Mosconi Pico series. Each amplified channel is mapped to an input side on the mosconi pico, and from there can be signal corrected before being re-amped to the drivers.

View attachment 9452
To allow mounting of the aftermarket amps in the same positions as the factory amps (so as to use the factory cables back to the drivers, a mounting plate was created to "shift" the factory amps over to the side. The offset levels were required to clear the other rear surround drivers.

View attachment 9453View attachment 9454

You will see the final mounting positions of the factory and aftermarket amps here inside the trunk. This setup is clean, consumed no extra trunk space and fit within the existing trunk trim. Elegant!

View attachment 9455
As mentioned elsewhere the Lucid Air actually has 2 low voltage batteries. One somewhere under the seat and one in the trunk in the compartment under the tow hook. It's not clear why they did it this way, but there probably was a reason. (maybe packaging? maybe to reduce the likelihood of total low voltage failure if a single battery failed?) They apparently operate in parallel, so it's easier to access the trunk battery to tap it.

View attachment 9456

Still waiting to see if i can get the RTA / Sweeps from the factory system.

Just realized, wouldnt the sub on the trunk lid cause vibrations throughout the cabin?

 

[DreamTour]

It looks like you are not using your own interface/preamp but did you see any way to tie in your own input either digitally (usb) or via analog (2.5mm)?

Didn’t really look into this. Given I was trying to preserve atmos functionality, the only way to do that is to work off the partitioned channels.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Just realized, wouldnt the sub on the trunk lid cause vibrations throughout the cabin?

It’s underneath the rear deck lid, not the trunk, but no unless something is loose it won’t vibrate anything in the cabin. That’s actually a good position for the speaker as it would maximize the cabin gain transfer function and you’d get some horn effect given the unique shape of the rear window/deck although less than what you’d get in a Tesla because it’s a hatchback. Fascinating reading here, I posted it before in another thread: http://www.caraudiohelp.com/newsletter/cabin_gain.html
I think the clue as to why the Lucid crossover is so high is specifically because they tuned it that way to get optimal response. @DreamTour said it was like 250hz? That’s the highest I’ve ever heard of, but hey it worked because I really think this system sounds excellent as-is. Normally with a crossover set that high you’d be able to identify the bass location, and also your mid range speakers would sound thinner if you’re cutting them off below 250hz, but that just means the woofers Lucid put in the car are doing that work and taking the lower frequency load off the mid range speakers.

 

[DreamTour]

Just realized, wouldnt the sub on the trunk lid cause vibrations throughout the cabin?

This is what the rear deck looks like. The stock "sub" probably run 100w rms, basically like a midbass, so it wasn't causing any noticeable distortion/resonance through the metal frame. Having the trunk as the enclosure and walled off from the seats also helps to keep the bass clean even if the gross power wasn't that high (also because it's not ported you basically only experience half of the sound (the other half is stuck in the trunk). In my build we did sound treat the rear deck since we were doubling the power to the sub.

 

[DreamTour]

Part 3 - What i wanted to get out of an aftermarket system

I probably should have started with this, but nonetheless i think it would be helpful context for me to share what I was looking to get out of the aftermarket system (and where i felt the Lucid OEM system could be improved)

Some background context on me as a buyer:

I began my HiFi journey with my 2016 Model S. Originally because I like many others felt the bass was lacking. After looking at all the DIY mods that were available, i came to the conclusion i didn't need a project to hack on for which i knew nothing about. So I called a few shops and ended up working with Sound Innovations. As a Neophyte buyer, i needed education on just about everything. First starting with the: Can you throw a Sub in it and make the bass not suck? (Back then i thought the Model S Premium sound was a decent system)

Fast forward through the sales process (and the initial quotes) I wasn't bought in on the 5 figure build. Back then that was a mind blowing number to spend on audio when pretty much everything else was a $2-4k upgrade from the factory.

So i started with a "Value" system. At the time it meant having a DSP, a 4 channel Amp, and the Hertz line of aftermarket 2 way drivers and a subwoofer in a off the shelf box enclosure that was shoved into the trunk footwell of the model S. Probably <$4k build. Wow it improved a lot. Didn't know it could get that much better (and that was the low end aftermarket system!)

I later upgraded that system 2 more times to improve the drivers all around, improve the subwoofer driver and a custom enclosure for the sub so it wasn't sitting in the sub frunk where it was getting muffled. Here's a picture of the "visible" part of that system: the 12" sub.

What you should know about aftermarket car audio:

I know some readers here are avid HiFi nuts, and others are just curious like me and perhaps somewhat intimidated by the cost and all the jargon in the space. My goal is to help those who are just starting their Aftermarket Audio journey get a sense of what they are walking into.

1.) You have to realize that for most Auto OEMs, the sound system does not get high priority in the system design. (When was the last time you bought a car because it had an awesome stock stereo system?) Guess where all the attention, design, and Bill of materials cost goes to. Stuff that sells cars, engine, suspension, interior you get the idea. So what happens to the poor audio system? Well it tends to get last priority in the packaging of the vehicle. The speakers are located where they will fit and often where it's easy to install since they are mass producing and servicing these vehicles. The classic bad placement are the doors (because they are basically a empty resonance chamber).

2.) OEM's need to make money off their options, so when you buy the $2-4k Stereo upgrade in the car, there might be $400 of components in there, that often have to be split between 8-10 drivers and an amplifier. That really not a lot of $$ to go around. Oh and acoustic treatment? Yeah that's just extra weight in the vehicle that doesn't help the OEMs score points on their EPA ratings.

3.) So when you have typically poorly placed speakers and low quality components that often means that the system tuners of the OEM system are stuck trying to do their best with very little to work with. Oh and by the way the OEM tuners don't know who the main listener for the system is so they have to tune the system to sound "OK" for everyone. That's a lot different than knowing the exact seating position of the person who cares about the audio.

That means that someone who knows what they are doing with a Bill of materials in the $1-2k range (5x that of a stock system) are literally working with 5x the materials and can select components based on budget that address the design limits of the stock car audio. Getting better bass often means adding power and a driver that can take that power, but the system tuning especially with DSPs now is just as important because otherwise you'll just get more power fighting the rest of the system.

So what about Lucid's stock audio?

As many readers have noted. Lucid's stock audio is actually quite good. The reason for this primarily i believe is that along with Lucid's philosophy of fully integrated system design - the audio system was not an afterthought. It had a seat at the table during the design and packaging process so it didn't just get crammed where it would fit. Certainly input from Dolby i am sure was influential because the idea of atmos was 3d audio, which is hard to execute if your speakers are not positioned properly to do it. The net of it is that even with hard bill of materials limits, the general layout of the speakers was about as good as you can get for a stock build. As well Lucid didn't totally skimp on acoustic treatment so the cabin noise while perhaps not the quietest in the space was better than average. This means you have a listening environment that for a car is on the ideal side. With cars nothing is perfect because all that glass really isn't good for audio (due to the reflections that it causes).

So what i felt held Lucid's audio back primarily was the resolution of the audio and bass output. Primarily due to component quality and the design decision to seal the trunk (thus requiring a free air subwoofer in infinite baffle configuration which reduces bass output and the fact that the rear driver is only 8" (likely a packaging limitation as you can see on the rear deck which the cutout is for the sub.

You'll find that for tracks like electronic music, synthetics etc. Lucid's system actually performs quite well. Those types of music don't test the resolution of the stock drivers as much as say vocals or strings that have many higher order harmonics.

What i prioritized as now a more informed buyer

Anyone who spends time in the Hifi world will understand the statement that: There is really no limit on how much money you can spend. You can literally chase perfection for forever and spend a fortune on it.

While I have the fortune of being well off enough to comfortably afford my Lucid, my budget is not infinite.

So i said the following were my priorities.

1.) I wanted to preserve the stock packaging of the car. e.g. no custom enclosures, eating up trunk space or drilling holes. At the end of the day this is still a car you need to be able to use and drive around and Lucid spent so much effort on packaging it would be a waste to disrupt that design.

2.) My preference given that the stock system was actually pretty clean and didn't need a ton of remediation to correct material system flaws was to improve the resolution on the mids / highs. I wanted more bass as well, but not at the tradeoff of needing custom work. (I loved my 12" sub in the Model S, that thing would hit hard like you were in a live rock concert) but i would be OK without it.

3.) I kept the Power Amps Class D because at the end of the day, while i enjoy the texture of a class A/B amp (I have a decent Parasound for home audio) it wasn't worth the additional battery drain, heat, and space that the amps would take up.

 

[nautchilous]

Hi All, I recently had a HiFi upgrade done on my Lucid. To give you a sense of budget envelope, it was low 5 figures. So a serious upgrade.

I will be sharing learnings, pics, my experience thus far so hopefully other owners can benefit from understanding "what they will get" with the Atmos Surreal Sound system and likely what to expect with the Standard Stereo system. Also what's practical for audio upgrades.

The work was done by Sound Innovations here in the Bay Area, they specialize in Car Audio / Hifi systems. I'm a past customer (They did my Model S) so i knew what to expect. This was their first Lucid Air, so i was the guinea pig , that said they did an excellent job. (AFAIK no one else has posted a professional HiFi aftermarket implementation so maybe I am the first?) I know some Garage engineers have done some work on the Bass side.

Instead of doing a mega post, I will build the thread out over several sections so hopefully run the thead in more of a Q&A fashion. We will start with what you get with the factory system.

What you get with the factory system

• Excellent speaker placement for a car. The location of the of individual speaker components were extremely thoughtful to minimize standing waves, reflections, reverberations etc (in laymans terms it means that the speakers are not fighting each other when playing music). It was clear the audio system was part of the system design and not just an afterthought of (where do i jam these things into the car?)
  • Particuliarly, as others have noted, the front stage mid-bass drivers are in the footwell panels (it's actually around the level of the dashboard, which makes it expensive to modify since the dash would need to be disassembled to access the mid-bass drivers) This positioning is ideal for imaging since it's wide and deep and not in the door panels which would narrow the stage and doors are notorious for footwell standing wave issues and imaging problems.
• Dual DSP Ampliiers (SSP)
  • The Base Audio system basically has a single Class D DSP/Amplifier. The channels are actively managed so no passive crossovers in the car. The SSP audio system adds an additional DSP Amplifier to cover the Atmos channels primarily. Note the label for "BASE" and "PREMIUM" on the amps.
  • View attachment 9417
• Quality "OEM" Drivers.
  • The drivers are quality on par with OEM upgraded European sound systems. E.g. B&O or Burmeister for Mercedes. Pressed metal chassis and ferrite magnets. (The Sub / Midbass have plastic chassis). The cones are paper / poly. If you were to buy then off the shelf they are equivalent to $50 drivers in terms of quality. All serious aftermarket drivers with neodymium magnets, textile/metal driver cones, metal chassis will perform on another level.
  • View attachment 9418
  • View attachment 9424View attachment 9425
• Factory Tuning
  • The tuning that was measured was for the stereo configuration as the Atmos system is harder to effectively play sweeps / tests for. What's interesting was that the output from the factory head units had very little correction put on the signal.
    • This is either because the stock speaker placements were so good that little needed to be done OR they tuned for atmos and stereo was an afterthought.
  • The "Subwoofer" in the back is basically an 8 in midbass driver with dual voice coils. Apparently it was crossed over quite high, running as high as 250hz down to 30 hz. This tune caused some phase issues with the front midbass drivers since they overlapped in frequency much more than typical for a subwoofer.
  • The installer will share the test sweeps he did on the factory system / aftermarket system later this week so I can share then.

Notes for consideration

• If you opt for SSP, you are basically paying for the atmos license, an extra DSP amp and the height channels. (Maybe they downgrade the drivers too, we'll see)
• I think that where Atmos mastering is at today is kind of like when 3d movies first came out (and before James Cameron got his hands on it) kinda interesting, a little gimmicky because artists / engineers haven't figured out what to do with it, but has potential to do new and different things. Will take some time for things to catch up.
• If you plan to just run Stereo (and plan to do aftermarket work) the base system is fine since you'll end up replacing most of the components anyways.

I will follow up with more on the test sweeps, tuning notes, and then my build later in the week. Hope this is insightful to folks!

This is what the rear deck looks like. The stock "sub" probably run 100w rms, basically like a midbass, so it wasn't causing any noticeable distortion/resonance through the metal frame. Having the trunk as the enclosure and walled off from the seats also helps to keep the bass clean even if the gross power wasn't that high (also because it's not ported you basically only experience half of the sound (the other half is stuck in the trunk). In my build we did sound treat the rear deck since we were doubling the power to the sub.

View attachment 9480

Gm. What size mids are on the rear deck …I know there is a 8” midbass driver in the center and a 2way component system in the corners…I am so excited with this thread because I too was planing to transfer my Morel Hifi setup from my Tesla to my Air Touring….I was thinking on doing a 3way active setup in the front and a set of coaxials on the rear Deck…..The sub and amp rack would be in that empty compartment in the trunk area..I would love to hear your feedback about adding a woofer in the trunk…Similar to what I did in my Tesla….I included couple pics….

 

[borski]

Oh you were you were the radar guy! Haha Small world. Envious of the travel, hope you are having fun. I have a 2 month old and 3 year old so that kind of travel will need to wait a bit.

Hit me up when you are back. What part of the bay are you in?

Yeah that’s why we’re traveling now.

Cupertino.

 

[DreamTour]

Gm. What size mids are on the rear deck …I know there is a 8” midbass driver in the center and a 2way component system in the corners…I am so excited with this thread because I too was planing to transfer my Morel Hifi setup from my Tesla to my Air Touring….I was thinking on doing a 3way active setup in the front and a set of coaxials on the rear Deck…..The sub and amp rack would be in that empty compartment in the trunk area..I would love to hear your feedback about adding a woofer in the trunk…Similar to what I did in my Tesla….I included couple pics….

All the mids are 3.5 in"

The front stage is actually a 3 way in the corners (tweeter, mid, mid bass)

The main issue you'll face other than taking up trunk space for the sub is that the Air doesn't have a hatch like the model S. So the only way to get the sub to play into the cabin is to open the pass through or remove the stock subwoofer so the sub energy can make it into the cabin or both. For me, i preferred to keep the trunk space and minimize road noise coming from the trunk.

Are you planning to play stereo and build off the base system or try and preserve atmos?

 

[DreamTour]

Part 4 - The physical build

For my build, I used top of the line Focal Utopia TBM tweeters (1") and Utopia Mids 3.5". Here they are side by side with the stock tweeters and mids.
"

Here's the full set - 3 sets because the center channels needs to match. If you don't have atmos, probably save yourself the cost on the center channel.

Note that the custom laser cut adapters have already been mounted to the aftermarket drivers to fit into the lucid factory holes.

Below is how the A pillar that houses the tweeters look.

Here's one of the front mid's and center channel set.

I did not address the factory mid-bass that's in the front footwell.

For the Sub, we chose an 8" Gladen One 202 BMW speaker (it's really a woofer that can accept a lot more power). This Sub is sold as an aftermarket upgrade for BMW's by Gladen Mosconi. See below to compare it against the stock Sub. Note the custom adapter that's been mounted to it.

Finally, because we are going to run 200 watts into a Midbass playing as a sub we sound treated the rear deck.

A nice touch for additional bass control was a custom mount for the bass control switch. This was mounted behind the pilot panel. Looks like it was part of the original design!

As mentioned, my goal was to keep the factory look. Mission accomplished!

Will share the RTA stuffs next.

 

[nautchilous]

This is really good stuff sir. I opted not to get the SSPRO…So I guess you are running the new 8” sub in an infinite Baffle setup using the trunk as an enclosure? How does it sound compared to the stock setup? I was planning to run a Helix Dsp and do my own signal processing…Do you know where I can can capture a full range signal to send to my Dsp, Since I will not be using Atmos? I am sure my installer would like to know? You are absolutely right about the ski pass and the bass issue, if I do a trunk mounted subwoofer….Another reason why I was hoping that rear deck had enough room to accommodate a single IB 12”…..BTY I really appreciate the pics….This gives me so much hope….Another question, did you beef up the 12volt battery? I know class D typically are very efficient and do not pull a lot of current….I remember Lucid had 12 volt battery issues in the past, I would be concerned added any additional load on them…what are your thoughts
send more pics if u can

 

[ebr]

The main issue you'll face other than taking up trunk space for the sub is that the Air doesn't have a hatch like the model S. So the only way to get the sub to play into the cabin is to open the pass through or remove the stock subwoofer so the sub energy can make it into the cabin or both

Hey, great and informative thread. Keep it coming. However, regarding the above, the sound waves involved with the subwoofer are plenty large enough to penetrate the trunk enclosure so adding a sub back there will provide a much needed enhancement to the low end. No need to put the seats down or anything.

I added a relatively small 10" integrated sub in my sub-trunk space and it made a world of difference - just filling in that bottom end punch that isn't there with the small "sub" they have in the rear deck. The system sounds awesome now.

 

[nautchilous]

Hey, great and informative thread. Keep it coming. However, regarding the above, the sound waves involved with the subwoofer are plenty large enough to penetrate the trunk enclosure so adding a sub back there will provide a much needed enhancement to the low end. No need to put the seats down or anything.

I added a relatively small 10" integrated sub in my sub-trunk space and it made a world of difference - just filling in that bottom end punch that isn't there with the small "sub" they have in the rear deck. The system sounds awesome now.

Hey your are the young man from DYImobileaudio

 

[DreamTour]

This is really good stuff sir. I opted not to get the SSPRO…So I guess you are running the new 8” sub in an infinite Baffle setup using the trunk as an enclosure? How does it sound compared to the stock setup? I was planning to run a Helix Dsp and do my own signal processing…Do you know where I can can capture a full range signal to send to my Dsp, Since I will not be using Atmos? I am sure my installer would like to know? You are absolutely right about the ski pass and the bass issue, if I do a trunk mounted subwoofer….Another reason why I was hoping that rear deck had enough room to accommodate a single IB 12”…..BTY I really appreciate the pics….This gives me so much hope….Another question, did you beef up the 12volt battery? I know class D typically are very efficient and do not pull a lot of current….I remember Lucid had 12 volt battery issues in the past, I would be concerned added any additional load on them…what are your thoughts
send more pics if u can

Existing 12v is plenty for my build. The overall power output didn't increase that much over stock, maybe a couple hundred watts max.

 

[DreamTour]

Hey, great and informative thread. Keep it coming. However, regarding the above, the sound waves involved with the subwoofer are plenty large enough to penetrate the trunk enclosure so adding a sub back there will provide a much needed enhancement to the low end. No need to put the seats down or anything.

I added a relatively small 10" integrated sub in my sub-trunk space and it made a world of difference - just filling in that bottom end punch that isn't there with the small "sub" they have in the rear deck. The system sounds awesome now.

Depends on your listening preference, while you will certainly feel the energy, the tightness of the bass is going to be affected by having to pass through seats / rear deck. My current build is more catered to resolution than energy. The build in my old Model S had the Focal Kevlars and that was definitely a max energy build. Both are fun. I just wanted to try something new this time.

 

[DreamTour]

RTAs attached, as well as post correction results. That's pretty much what i got now. In the meantime, i am going to enjoy my system.

 

[nautchilous]

All the mids are 3.5 in"

The front stage is actually a 3 way in the corners (tweeter, mid, mid bass)

The main issue you'll face other than taking up trunk space for the sub is that the Air doesn't have a hatch like the model S. So the only way to get the sub to play into the cabin is to open the pass through or remove the stock subwoofer so the sub energy can make it into the cabin or both. For me, i preferred to keep the trunk space and minimize road noise coming from the trunk.

Are you planning to play stereo and build off the base system or try and preserve atmos?

I am planning to play stereo and build off the base system….I am assuming my installer will be able to capture a full range signal at the factory amp?

 

[Bunnylebowski]

RTAs attached, as well as post correction results. That's pretty much what i got now. In the meantime, i am going to enjoy my system.

View attachment 9572View attachment 9578View attachment 9577View attachment 9573View attachment 9579



View attachment 9574View attachment 9580

Ok I gotta ask, on those RTAs it appears the corrected (IE new speaker install+DSP?) lows and sub are actually lower amplitude, is that correct? I see the dash/tweeters have a more flattened frequency response with the corrected one. The RTA also make sense as far as their crossover choice goes at 250hz, they just tuned the woofers/subs to cover that 50hz range before they drop off at 200hz. They must have put a low pass filter on the woofers to avoid phase cancellation and muddiness.

 

[DreamTour]

Ok I gotta ask, on those RTAs it appears the corrected (IE new speaker install+DSP?) lows and sub are actually lower amplitude, is that correct? I see the dash/tweeters have a more flattened frequency response with the corrected one. The RTA also make sense as far as their crossover choice goes at 250hz, they just tuned the woofers/subs to cover that 50hz range before they drop off at 200hz. They must have put a low pass filter on the woofers to avoid phase cancellation and muddiness.

Yes this is new dsp / speaker response before / after further correction / tuning.

 

[MalosAires]

I’m proudly having the first Lucid Air upgrade performed by Reus Audio in Anaheim. Last week, they installed my subwoofer and the whole thing already sounds astonishingly better than the stock system. Very deep, clean bass inside the cabin with no noise outside. As for the mids/highs, they sound good now, but the team at Reus knew they could be better! They took several audio measurements which they are currently having their software analyze, to determine the best drivers/crossovers to be used for the cabin. I’ll be posting a full review once the system takes on its final form, but have been so pleased so far that I wanted to share with other SoCal owners who may be considering an upgrade!

 

[Bus Driver]

I’m proudly having the first Lucid Air upgrade performed by Reus Audio in Anaheim. Last week, they installed my subwoofer and the whole thing already sounds astonishingly better than the stock system. Very deep, clean bass inside the cabin with no noise outside. As for the mids/highs, they sound good now, but the team at Reus knew they could be better! They took several audio measurements which they are currently having their software analyze, to determine the best drivers/crossovers to be used for the cabin. I’ll be posting a full review once the system takes on its final form, but have been so pleased so far that I wanted to share with other SoCal owners who may be considering an upgrade!

Too rich for my blood, but thank you. I know Reus Audio have done a lot of work for early, wealthy Tesla owners.