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

[SaaSManKS]

While I can understand your POV, it isn’t for everyone. What you are describing is geared towards a niche market, so I’ll second that with, there certainly isn’t anything else like it in the market.

 

[MJAir23TheGoat]

I would agree as well, this stereo isn’t even comparable to car stereos that are even a class or two below what this car would be considered…we got my wife an XC90, and hers is louder and deeper than my pure.

I have an appointment with service just to make sure nothing is wrong, as it’s the absolute worst audio system in a premium auto from my experience. Doesn’t play loud/ you have to press buttons wheel 6-7 times just to get volume up- sounds flat- zero bass.
If this is really the set up and I’m not having issues with mine, I can’t imagine how anyone who listens to a vast array of music can think it’s good …… but to each their own but to me it’s awful is my take thus far.

 

[segbrk]

I get a lot of bass in songs that actually have a lot of bass. Not so much in songs that don't. If you want booming bass out of songs that don't have it, all you have to do is use an equalizer. Lucid has one built-in, or you can run one on your phone as well if that's your input. The bass isn't lacking compared to any system I've ever heard, it's just reasonably tuned. The difference I've heard in other cars is it sounds like the bass is unrealistically cranked all the way up by default.

I get more volume than I could ever want, all I have to do is turn up the volume. People complain that their desired volume doesn't hit until 2/3 of the way up the slider, but that makes no sense to me. You've found your desired volume. Why does it matter where it is?

I don't agree that SSPro is uniquely low-bass or low-volume, it sounds like professional/audiophile equipment tuned by professionals. I do hope that other music apps than Tidal are added though, or that full bitrate audio is supported over CarPlay eventually. I'm limiting the sound system half the time just because I find Apple Music easier to use.

you have to press buttons wheel 6-7 times just to get volume up

This one is a real issue and it's not just you. I usually use the volume wheel in the center instead.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I have an appointment with service just to make sure nothing is wrong, as it’s the absolute worst audio system in a premium auto from my experience. Doesn’t play loud/ you have to press buttons wheel 6-7 times just to get volume up- sounds flat- zero bass.
If this is really the set up and I’m not having issues with mine, I can’t imagine how anyone who listens to a vast array of music can think it’s good …… but to each their own but to me it’s awful is my take thus far.

You may need the bass port fixed actually, it’s a known defect some vehicles had an issue with it being covered incorrectly. I had a loaner GT like that, the audio system was quite bad in comparison to my vehicle, which sounds more like a professional recording studio, with BALANCED bass, not crap your pants bass (provided your source material is high fidelity). Recently I thought I’d had a blown center rear speaker, turns out the deck lid had gotten a little loose possibly from my listening habits, and service fixed it quickly and it sounds fantastic again. As for the volume wheel calibration in the Lucid, unlike other cars, it’s calibrated to professional near field monitoring levels. SPL tests have born this out. See the section on the car audio levels here: https://www.lucidupdates.com/faq.html

While the system may not fit some owners preferences, as long as there’s no bass port defect or deck lid rattle, it’s certainly not poor quality. I find the Atmos mix of INXS “Mediate” tends to end discussion of the car having inadequate bass or volume.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I’d also recommend testing your system.
This is the channel identifier for Atmos:

Dolby Labs - Channel ID 7.1.4 (Ltf:Rtf:Ltr:Rtr)

Listen to Channel ID 7.1.4 (Ltf:Rtf:Ltr:Rtr) on TIDAL

tidal.com

And this is a good bass test track. Put your volume at 75-80% and play these back, it should start to drop off at 35hz, which is not far off from most studio mixing monitors which drop off at 32hz. Theres of course nothing wrong with wanting a dedicated subwoofer (the Lucid doesn’t have one, just a woofer that does the job to my ears thanks to cabin gain effect), but the majority of music mixes don’t emphasize frequencies below 30hz anyway.

The Lost Frequencies - Bass Tests, Vol. 1

Listen to Bass Tests, Vol. 1 on TIDAL

tidal.com

 

[borski]

This one is a real issue and it's not just you. I usually use the volume wheel in the center instead.

I’m not saying it’s a good workaround, but you can also use the slider in settings.

You may need the bass port fixed actually, it’s a known defect some vehicles had an issue with it being covered incorrectly. I had a loaner GT like that, the audio system was quite bad in comparison to my vehicle, which sounds more like a professional recording studio

This is my guess. Also, every single vehicle will have this problem - it’s just a matter of time. That tape it ships with (unless they’ve changed it, which they may have), will unstick. When it does, bass will sound awful.

First thing to check.

 

[Lucken]

This is my guess. Also, every single vehicle will have this problem - it’s just a matter of time. That tape it ships with (unless they’ve changed it, which they may have), will unstick. When it does, bass will sound awful.

First thing to check.

I wasn’t aware of this. Given the likelihood of this happening, do you have a picture of where the problematic area is? I seem to recall someone posting it sometime ago.

 

[borski]

I wasn’t aware of this. Given the likelihood of this happening, do you have a picture of where the problematic area is? I seem to recall someone posting it sometime ago.

Post in thread '[RESOLVED] Does your front footwell woofer work properly?'
https://lucidowners.com/threads/res...footwell-woofer-work-properly.3326/post-96845

(That thread, and @Bobby, will be your best friend in this)

The TSB to ask about is TSB-B1122-001-01 Lower A-pillar Door Access Holes - NVH Rework (Both Sides)

 

[LucidvsTeslaS]

If you’re used to pounding, exaggerated bass, the SSPro is not going to please. However if you’re looking for more precision in your sound, with a tight, realistic low end, then SSPro will definitely please.

If you claim the Lucid has a tight, realistic low end, how is that possible when the system lacks low bass entirely? It's difficult to understand how it can be described as tight and realistic when the necessary deep bass isn't present, with only midbass being offered.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

If you claim the Lucid has a tight, realistic low end, how is that possible when the system lacks low bass entirely? It's difficult to understand how it can be described as tight and realistic when the necessary deep bass isn't present, with only midbass being offered.

If you claim the Lucid has a tight, realistic low end, how is that possible when the system lacks low bass entirely? It's difficult to understand how it can be described as tight and realistic when the necessary deep bass isn't present, with only midbass being offered.

“Realistic” means to me that it would approximate what was heard in the recording studio, and most of the time is mixed on monitors with a drop off at 32hz. It’s tough to tell what you’re trying to communicate without specifying frequencies (“mid bass”? sorry I don’t know what is meant by that), but generally in music recording studios “low” bass, which I’m guessing you mean frequencies below 40hz, are viewed as a trouble maker as the long wavelengths can muddy up a mix and cause phase cancellation all over the place, actually obscuring bass guitar and kick drum frequencies a mixer might want to emphasize. Those low frequencies of 40hz and lower actually have a 3 meter wavelength or longer, which is why you’ll hear bass from automobile subwoofers louder outside of the car than inside, as what you’re hearing inside the car is not even one cycle of the waveform but a combination of cabin gain effect, resonance and harmonics. That bass that you “feel” from car subwoofers is fine, and in larger spaces like a movie theater or club then you actually CAN experience those low frequencies as those spaces can accurately accommodate the longer wavelengths, but not hearing something in a car the mixer didn’t put in the mix is not a fault of the audio system in the car. Too often people never hear the music or film mix accurately to begin with, and this was an enormous source of aggravation back when I was working on film sound, as in one example we had one director play back part of a mix in his truck which had a super hyped subwoofer and he insisted on having us change the mix in the re-recording stage to make it sound more like his truck. We finally weaned him off his ridiculously inaccurate listening environment and sent a tech out to upgrade his home theater and that became his reference for what it might sound like outside of the studio. So people expect all this woofer heavy bass that was never there in the studio and then say it sucks if they don’t hear what the mixer never put in there. . Don’t get me wrong, I love huge bass, that’s why I posted the link for the INXS Atmos mix of “Mediate” as an example, as that was deliberately put in there in that version, I just don’t think people have an accurate reference point for what “realistic” means as their point of reference is often an over hyped improperly calibrated car audio system. The Lucid audio system is actually the ONLY system I’ve heard in any car where the volume is calibrated just like the fader on a mixing console, where “zero” = 79db in a near field listening environment, and max volume is 12db more.

 

[DreamTour]

Here’s something I only found out after doing 2 aftermarket builds.

Any system tuned to flat response in a car is not going to sound good. This is because of all the reflections present as well as the noise environment driving.

While flat response might be “as it was in the studio on monitors” it doesn’t means it’s enjoyable in a car because as car isn’t a studio or even a treated listening room.

So when we say tuned to flat with any aftermarket tuner there is room for interpretation. So any build you have has the tuner’s interpretation of what a flat experience would be after all the car environment issues.

What does that mean for my experience?

I found the stock sspro system to lack bass in normal listening environments, e.g while driving. When I say bass I mean bass guitar and cello ranges which fundamental frequencies span between what would be classically left to a sub and a midbass driver.

There’s a philosophical argument that goes around which is do you want music reproduction to be accurate or enjoyable?

The reality is, no matter how expensive the system in a car getting to accurate is hard just by virtue of the fact that the dimensional constraints of the car makes it hard to create a wide enough soundstage to be “realistic” like you might have in a proper listening room with something as simple as two multi driver stereo towers.

So in car, I just want to be able to enjoy it.

 

[xponents]

Here’s something I only found out after doing 2 aftermarket builds.

Any system tuned to flat response in a car is not going to sound good. This is because of all the reflections present as well as the noise environment driving.

While flat response might be “as it was in the studio on monitors” it doesn’t means it’s enjoyable in a car because as car isn’t a studio or even a treated listening room.

So when we say tuned to flat with any aftermarket tuner there is room for interpretation. So any build you have has the tuner’s interpretation of what a flat experience would be after all the car environment issues.

What does that mean for my experience?

I found the stock sspro system to lack bass in normal listening environments, e.g while driving. When I say bass I mean bass guitar and cello ranges which fundamental frequencies span between what would be classically left to a sub and a midbass driver.

There’s a philosophical argument that goes around which is do you want music reproduction to be accurate or enjoyable?

The reality is, no matter how expensive the system in a car getting to accurate is hard just by virtue of the fact that the dimensional constraints of the car makes it hard to create a wide enough soundstage to be “realistic” like you might have in a proper listening room with something as simple as two multi driver stereo towers.

So in car, I just want to be able to enjoy it.

Very true. Some people prefer different styles of audio, and Lucid happens to tend to people wanting one thing while another system might tend to other groups of people. Sound is ALWAYS subjective.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Here’s something I only found out after doing 2 aftermarket builds.

Any system tuned to flat response in a car is not going to sound good. This is because of all the reflections present as well as the noise environment driving.

While flat response might be “as it was in the studio on monitors” it doesn’t means it’s enjoyable in a car because as car isn’t a studio or even a treated listening room.

So when we say tuned to flat with any aftermarket tuner there is room for interpretation. So any build you have has the tuner’s interpretation of what a flat experience would be after all the car environment issues.

What does that mean for my experience?

I found the stock sspro system to lack bass in normal listening environments, e.g while driving. When I say bass I mean bass guitar and cello ranges which fundamental frequencies span between what would be classically left to a sub and a midbass driver.

There’s a philosophical argument that goes around which is do you want music reproduction to be accurate or enjoyable?

The reality is, no matter how expensive the system in a car getting to accurate is hard just by virtue of the fact that the dimensional constraints of the car makes it hard to create a wide enough soundstage to be “realistic” like you might have in a proper listening room with something as simple as two multi driver stereo towers.

So in car, I just want to be able to enjoy it.

That’s a fair point, enjoyment is key. I’m far enough removed from film sound now where I can actually enjoy movies again rather than analytically dissecting them noticing every last imperfection, which then basically ruins the experience of any sub-masterpiece level film. It would be disheartening knowing what the mix sounded like in the studio and then seeing the film in some sub par theater at a mall and realizing at least 50% of the effort you put into it was totally inaudible. Cue the old adage about seeing how the sausage is made will ruin sausage for you. But for me the car’s audio system when playing back good fidelity audio sources in either 2 channel or Atmos is very enjoyable, to the point where I wonder if some owner’s cars are defective, or they’re listening on Spotify or streaming over Bluetooth, or their point of reference is a LOUD hyped bass heavy car, in which case the Lucid is not that so I can understand how it doesn’t meet their requirements.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Went out of my way to get the Dynaudio system in my first Volvo V70R wagon.
Then tried the Mark Levinson sytsem in the Lucid, and the Bang & Olufsen system in Mercedes.

not
even
close

 

[LucidvsTeslaS]

Very true. Some people prefer different styles of audio, and Lucid happens to tend to people wanting one thing while another system might tend to other groups of people. Sound is ALWAYS subjective.

Perhaps incorporating the full range of low frequencies, extending down to 20 Hz, alongside a parametric equalizer or a high-pass filter with an adjustable cutoff between 40 and 20 Hz and an adjustable slope, easily achievable through DSP, would make everyone happy. This solution, combined with the standard low, mid, and high-frequency controls, could effectively address the issue. The primary concern with the Lucid Air is that the "subwoofer" in the trunk, which is more accurately a woofer, fails to adequately reproduce low frequencies. Compared to other luxury vehicles I've owned or rented, the bass performance of the Lucid Air is significantly lacking. I'm curious about the specifics of the Lucid woofer; if there's a more competent subwoofer with ultra-long excursion capabilities to achieve deeper bass response available that matches the impedance, I would prefer a direct replacement over installing an additional amplifier/subwoofer setup, as some have opted for. After all, measurements don't lie. To my ears, it seems like the bass begins to drop off around 50 Hz, and the cutoff is quite steep, although I haven't taken precise measurements.

 

[hydbob]

Perhaps incorporating the full range of low frequencies, extending down to 20 Hz, alongside a parametric equalizer or a high-pass filter with an adjustable cutoff between 40 and 20 Hz and an adjustable slope, easily achievable through DSP, would make everyone happy. This solution, combined with the standard low, mid, and high-frequency controls, could effectively address the issue. The primary concern with the Lucid Air is that the "subwoofer" in the trunk, which is more accurately a woofer, fails to adequately reproduce low frequencies. Compared to other luxury vehicles I've owned or rented, the bass performance of the Lucid Air is significantly lacking. I'm curious about the specifics of the Lucid woofer; if there's a more competent subwoofer with ultra-long excursion capabilities to achieve deeper bass response available that matches the impedance, I would prefer a direct replacement over installing an additional amplifier/subwoofer setup, as some have opted for. After all, measurements don't lie. To my ears, it seems like the bass begins to drop off around 50 Hz, and the cutoff is quite steep, although I haven't taken precise measurements.

AFAIK, @copper was the only one who setup testing equipment to get actual measurements.

Thread 'Lucid Air Stereo "Surreal Sound" Test Impressions' https://lucidowners.com/threads/lucid-air-stereo-surreal-sound-test-impressions.727/

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Perhaps incorporating the full range of low frequencies, extending down to 20 Hz, alongside a parametric equalizer or a high-pass filter with an adjustable cutoff between 40 and 20 Hz and an adjustable slope, easily achievable through DSP, would make everyone happy. This solution, combined with the standard low, mid, and high-frequency controls, could effectively address the issue. The primary concern with the Lucid Air is that the "subwoofer" in the trunk, which is more accurately a woofer, fails to adequately reproduce low frequencies. Compared to other luxury vehicles I've owned or rented, the bass performance of the Lucid Air is significantly lacking. I'm curious about the specifics of the Lucid woofer; if there's a more competent subwoofer with ultra-long excursion capabilities to achieve deeper bass response available that matches the impedance, I would prefer a direct replacement over installing an additional amplifier/subwoofer setup, as some have opted for. After all, measurements don't lie. To my ears, it seems like the bass begins to drop off around 50 Hz, and the cutoff is quite steep, although I haven't taken precise measurements.

Just to confirm, you’ve listened to this Atmos track in Tidal HiFi Plus in the native car app still think the bass is lacking? https://tidal.com/track/222435050

This one too? https://tidal.com/track/248428851

If you think it’s weak or poor definition after hearing those tracks, definitely call service to investigate the footwell ports to make sure they’re covered correctly. Not questioning your hearing, just making sure we’re speaking the same language and testing it first can help confirm.

 

[LucidvsTeslaS]

Thank you very much, I'll give it a try. Perhaps that's the issue. The car was previously in for service, and I've raised these concerns before. How can I confirm that they're functioning properly?

 

[LucidvsTeslaS]

My car is back at the service center (yet again...). Could anyone share a photo of the footwell subwoofers? I've heard some mention they're 8 inches in size

 

[LucidvsTeslaS]

Just to confirm, you’ve listened to this Atmos track in Tidal HiFi Plus in the native car app still think the bass is lacking? https://tidal.com/track/222435050

This one too? https://tidal.com/track/248428851

If you think it’s weak or poor definition after hearing those tracks, definitely call service to investigate the footwell ports to make sure they’re covered correctly. Not questioning your hearing, just making sure we’re speaking the same language and testing it first can help confirm.

Adjusting the footwell ports significantly improved the bass—it feels fuller now. I've had the car for over a year with subpar bass, which explains my previous complaints. It's better now; I wouldn't mind a bit more kick, but it's acceptable.

I have a question: When I play the same song via USB or Alexa from my Amazon Music, the volume is slightly higher than when playing it over Bluetooth, even after trying an iPhone and two Android phones, or when using Apple CarPlay. This isn't ideal, as it sounds slightly better using direct digital sources like Tidal, Alexa, or a USB stick. I'm surprised that Apple CarPlay has lower volume, considering that the signal is transmitted digitally through the cable connecting the iPhone to the car. Is this volume discrepancy normal? I turn the volume at max on android or iphone when playing the track over bluetooth, still is slightly lower than when using usb, so usb sound better

If Lucid has set the amplifier gain settings to favor internal sources over external ones, such as Bluetooth or Apple CarPlay, it would explain why I am noticing a difference in volume levels across various audio inputs. Did anyone else try to play the same song from Tidal/USB/bluetooth sources and see if the volume is the same or different? I wish I had the same high volume when playing through bluetooth , since the car does not have YouTube music , Amazon music, or di.fm