As promised, here are the photos of the recent work I had done to significantly upgrade the stereo in my 2024 E-Ray. The work was performed by SoundFX in Lewes, DE. They are amazingly talented and do very professional work. As you are aware, there is no room for a proper sub in the C8 save for the cabin. So what was done to solve for that is to put a 10" Focal Utopia sub in the passenger floor space. It doesn't impact the passenger's foot space by much at all. A 6' person can sit there with no problem. The bass is proper and the system goes quite loud when asked.

The entirety of the system is Helix to include DSP, Amps and Speakers, save for the audio interface to the factory radio (NavTV). The Helix Conductor hangs off the factory touchscreen to the upper right as can be seen in the photos. This allows me to switch between factory radio preset, my iPhone direct via Bluetooth, or direct line in via an external player as well as control the volume of the sub separately and the whole system volume as well. It also handles the Bluetooth phone pairing to the DSP.

An interesting side affect of this is what when I'm on presset 2 or 3 (iPhone or direct line in), it bypasses the factory radio and thus the fake electronic motor sound that the E-Ray makes goes away, which is idea for me. I don't like it at all and am very glad to see this go away.

Yes, this took several weeks to get done because, a) the work takes up to 2 weeks to do properly and b) my E-Ray died on them when they reconnected the battery to the system and the dealer had to replace the high speed serial communications link in the vehicle (which took another 2 weeks).

All in all, this came out amazing and sounds incredible when compared to the factory Bose system. I cannot say enough good things about SoundFX and their staff. Wonderful folks to deal with. Enjoy the pics.

 

Very cool. Sucks that somehow the work interfered with that module maybe a voltage spike upon reconnection fried it? Electronic modules are very sensitive to voltage. But also sounds like chevy took a little extra to diagnose this!

I bet it sounds incredible.

The position of that sub though? Guess no other choice?

 

Yeah, unfortunately there's just not enough room behind the seats. I saw a video of some outfit that did it and I can only imagine how bad it truly sounds. Subs need space and there's nothing behind the seat in a C8. This sub plays low and loud and also integrates very well with the system. You can't even tell where it is when listening, which is a testament to the solid tuning they did on this thing.

 

I'll also add that all the sound deadening/damping they did in cabin and doors make the car much quieter. It's day vs night from before.

 

Can you tell us what the impedance (ohms) the factory speakers are?

 

Nice install.

 

Great Job, one of the best DIY jobs!

 

Mind sharing roughly the cost? Been thinking about some upgrades myself and want to know what I'd be into. PM is fine if you aren't comfortable sharing here (or if at all, no problem).

 

PM Sent

 

Not a DIY job. SoundFX is a professional car audio shop and they did all the work. Not exactly DIY, nor was the cost LOL - it's pricey, but it's worth it. Completely makes the car.

 

I was lurking in the Eray forum last week and seen your mishap with the module. So glad it all worked out. This system is second to none and certainly impressive. Only change I would of made would to have the box covered in the same gray material they used for the cover up front to match the carpet closer in the interior but thats just my OCD. LOL Very nice, now go and enjoy.

 

Yes, I too have that OCD (EE who was a pilot for years so OCD is job requirement LOL). I agree, it doesn't exactly match very well. I guess they couldn't find suitable carpeting, but everything else is top notch. I love the job they did on all the quick electrical connectors to the amp and DSP in the funk. It allows for easy removal of the tub in case service requires it. Also, the sound dampening material (used to be called Dynamat, but now other's are making it) they used all over the car make it completely sound-dead. When you close the doors it's like "thunk" (solid sounding) and is appealing to my sonic-OCD haha. That and driving in the E-Ray is so much better now. Quieter and without that annoying fake electrical whirring sound. The car has 53 miles on it now and I'm taking it on a couple hundred mile drive in a couple of days; can't wait to not only finally drive it, but to also listen to the stereo some more.

Next up, considering adding a supercharger, but not sure I would like the whining sound one produces. I have a 2023 911 Turbo S and am a speed junkie. This thing is not fast enough for me LOL, but I also don't want insane, just a bit faster than my 911 and this thing can do it for sure for much less than any mods on the 911 would ever cost (not only the depreciation on it for mod'ing it).

 

I have the original speakers in a box that I stored. When I get back to the storage I'll check and see what they are. But don't count your chickens, oftentimes factory speakers don't have it printed on them.

 

Arctic White over Tension Blue is the best combo. Underrated.

 

Damn...haven't even taken the dealership sticker off the windshield yet. You went right to it!

 

Very nice work! I imagine it sounds incredible over the stock stuff.

 

Thanks for sharing. I am located in DE, considering something similar for my E-ray, and am interested in learning more about how you are enjoying the upgraded sound system. I will send you a PM.

 

Looks like I can't send PMs with a new account. If you don't mind, could you share how much the system cost and what your impressions are after 6 months? Is there anything you would have done differently? If you live in the DE area, would you be willing to let me have a listen and see the install? I live just North of Wilmington and work in Newark.

 

The project is north of $20K. I don't live in DE. I recommend you reach out to Matt Schaeffer at SoundFX / Musaic in Lewes, DE. Their website is https://musaicdesign.com/ and I'm sure they'll have a system or two there in-house for you to listen to in order to get an idea what it will sound like.

As for impressions since the install, I have nothing but great things to say. The Focal sub hits incredibly hard and goes low. It performs at a level far beyond what I expected out of a 10" sub. It's just nuts. The enclosure isn't very big at all being in the passenger footwell. The sound quality of the system is audiophile-level good. Clean, resolving and revealing.

I'm very happy with the system and would do it all over again exactly the same. Best of luck with your system.

 

Super helpful! Thank you!