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

[LucidvsTeslaS]

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/

The graph shows they boosted frequencies under 150 Hz, but the bass drops fast under 45 Hz. Wish it did not drop until 20 Hz, or at least 32. The response is all over the place. Erin audio corner or Amir would say is not good, but the system sounds decent to me now , after footwell ports have been fixed; the bass response improvement is huge

 

[Bunnylebowski]

The graph shows they boosted frequencies under 150 Hz, but the bass drops fast under 45 Hz. Wish it did not drop until 20 Hz, or at least 32. The response is all over the place. Erin audio corner or Amir would say is not good, but the system sounds decent to me now , after footwell ports have been fixed; the bass response improvement is huge

Ah you’re misinterpreting the graph. That’s not a “boost” it’s likely just where they set the crossover to send to the woofers. It’s actually not that fast of a drop below 45hz, it’s about 5db. At that amplitude in the graph, if you play a 45hz sine wave, then play a 40hz sine wave 5dB quieter than the 45hz one, the drop isn’t that noticeable. While the addition of a true subwoofer could get you down to 20hz staying relatively flat, most music isn’t mixed with anything below 32hz anyway.

I’m glad the bass port defect fix solved the issue for you though, after having a loaner that had the defect I know totally understand why some complained about the bass.

As far as your question about Bluetooth volume levels, any audio played over your phone via Bluetooth is also dependent on your PHONE’s volume. I’m pretty sure if you increase the volume on your phone then it will play louder in the car.

 

[LucidvsTeslaS]

Ah you’re misinterpreting the graph. That’s not a “boost” it’s likely just where they set the crossover to send to the woofers. It’s actually not that fast of a drop below 45hz, it’s about 5db. At that amplitude in the graph, if you play a 45hz sine wave, then play a 40hz sine wave 5dB quieter than the 45hz one, the drop isn’t that noticeable. While the addition of a true subwoofer could get you down to 20hz staying relatively flat, most music isn’t mixed with anything below 32hz anyway.

I’m glad the bass port defect fix solved the issue for you though, after having a loaner that had the defect I know totally understand why some complained about the bass.

As far as your question about Bluetooth volume levels, any audio played over your phone via Bluetooth is also dependent on your PHONE’s volume. I’m pretty sure if you increase the volume on your phone then it will play louder in the car.

I tried three different phones at maximum volume and noticed the same level mismatch. The issue persists with Apple CarPlay, which is particularly baffling considering the signal remains digital throughout, without the decoding and re-encoding that occurs with AAC when using Bluetooth. While the difference isn't huge, it's noticeable, as it reduces the dynamic range. Music sounds better from the car's native app.

I am confident that this is due to the level mismatch rather than the AAC decoding and re-encoding over Bluetooth. Perhaps it was designed intentionally this way. Maybe the Lucid engineers are concerned about protecting the speakers from high-volume external signals. Is unfortunate. The level should be identical.

Regarding the frequency response, it would have been preferable for it to be flat down to 32 Hz at least, rather than 45 Hz. Even if the crossover is set at that frequency where I notice a "boost," it's still a boost. There are speakers available that maintain flatness within +/- 3 dB in the crossover area. I'm certain the system was designed this way to create the impression of ample bass, especially considering the car features Dolby Atmos. It would be great to enjoy a movie while charging; a 20 Hz response would be even better.

I plan to add a subwoofer. Although the bass is decent after fixing those footwell holes, I can still discern a difference compared to other cars or a home system with a 20 Hz sub when listening to music. To my ears, something is missing.

 

[ajroxstar]

Yikes these pics of the Lucid diassembeled and put back together give me anxiety. The electronics in this car are already a little glitchy sometimes. I can see Lucid basically wiping their hands clean and not honoring any service warranty in electronics after a non authorized Lucid dealer has literally removed every panel and ran new wires and amps to their battery. I would even wonder if Lucid would honor their 8 year battery warranty after all this work. For me just not worth it. I will stick with my stock system.

 

[borski]

Yikes these pics of the Lucid diassembeled and put back together give me anxiety. The electronics in this car are already a little glitchy sometimes. I can see Lucid basically wiping their hands clean and not honoring any service warranty in electronics after a non authorized Lucid dealer has literally removed every panel and ran new wires and amps to their battery. I would even wonder if Lucid would honor their 8 year battery warranty after all this work. For me just not worth it. I will stick with my stock system.

Just to be clear - you aren't running any wires to the HV battery. That would be insane. The HV battery is what is warrantied for 8 years. You are running wires to the 12v battery, which is a fairly standard 12v battery for any car.

As for aftermarket parts; yes, technically anything you add Lucid will not warranty. However, they would have to show that whatever is broken is due to your actions and not a defect. If you can prove it was defective, your warranty stands.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Yikes these pics of the Lucid diassembeled and put back together give me anxiety. The electronics in this car are already a little glitchy sometimes. I can see Lucid basically wiping their hands clean and not honoring any service warranty in electronics after a non authorized Lucid dealer has literally removed every panel and ran new wires and amps to their battery. I would even wonder if Lucid would honor their 8 year battery warranty after all this work. For me just not worth it. I will stick with my stock system.

The biggest concern from what I’ve been told by those who would know, is that with an install like this you risk failure of some airbags deploying. So it’s not just an issue of potentially breaking something and then it not being covered under warranty, it’s an actual potential safety issue.

 

[borski]

The biggest concern from what I’ve been told by those who would know, is that with an install like this you risk failure of some airbags deploying. So it’s not just an issue of potentially breaking something and then it not being covered under warranty, it’s an actual potential safety issue.

Oh, sure - I'm not suggesting you're not messing something up. I'm only referring to the concern the poster above mentioned re: warranty.