US I4 (400hp) has fake engine noise pumped through speakers

Wow, this has been quite the new revelation and conundrum. You could pull the fuse, and live with the less than full sound profile (aftermarket exhaust/3rd cat delete the solution here?), or leave it be with the "stock" sound, but as one owner put it, once you know it's fake you can't "unhear it". Personally this aspect alone would drive me nuts and lead me to pulling that fuse.

My last car before the Emira was my 93 300ZX TT, which I've kept bone stock and still have after nearly 30 years of ownership. Love the car, hate the lack of sound (but at least not fake sound). My friends years ago dubbed it the dustbuster because it sounds like a vacuum cleaner. Happy now to have a V6 Emira with its decidedly different and raucous sound profile.

Well that blows...

Kaz said:

The engine drone is in all modes, most noticeable in sport/track. Your sub is distorting basically all the time from this signal in all modes - this is why there is no fader in the car too, that would lower the fake noise if you moved to the front.

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Kaz, can you ask your installer something:

• Check if the fake noise is only coming from the back and sub speakers.
• If the fake noise is only coming from the back and sub speakers, check if the sub and back speaker output from the main amp has the same noise.

My understanding is that the back and sub speakers are driven by the booster amp, while the rest of the speakers are driven by the main amp. If this is the case, it may be a possibility that the fake engine noise is being injected at the booster amp via an analog input signal. The booster amp should only need the sub and rear speaker signals from the main amp - this is how it's connected for V6 cars. If the installer identifies any inputs into the booster amp not directly coming from the main amp, then that could be the fake engine noise injection point, and disconnecting that signal should alleviate the issue.

I hope, anyway.

Nova said:

Kaz, can you ask your installer something:

• Check if the fake noise is only coming from the back and sub speakers.
• If the fake noise is only coming from the back and sub speakers, check if the sub and back speaker output from the main amp has the same noise.

My understanding is that the back and sub speakers are driven by the booster amp, while the rest of the speakers are driven by the main amp. If this is the case, it may be a possibility that the fake engine noise is being injected at the booster amp via an analog input signal. The booster amp should only need the sub and rear speaker signals from the main amp - this is how it's connected for V6 cars. If the installer identifies any inputs into the booster amp not directly coming from the main amp, then that could be the fake engine noise injection point, and disconnecting that signal should alleviate the issue.

I hope, anyway.

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My installer is probably a couple weeks out before giving it another go. He used a signal processor to get full range to the new speakers and had to combine some of those signals. The stock DSP is doing some frequency splitting. Regardless, the new sub will get that fake engine noise no matter what so right now it's kind of a non-starter. Someone might have figured this all out at least from an audio signal perspective? I even wrote to Cambridge Audio to see if they've done an I4 yet and how they handled this... Would be great if there was some secret decoder sequence to the audio signals lol.

Kaz said:

Yeah on all the time independent of media volume, for stock setup if it bothers you can just full the fuse to the ampf pull the fuse to the amp, navigation will also have no sound?

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If I pull the fuse to the amp, I imagine navigation will also have no sound?

675430VME said:

If I pull the fuse to the amp, I imagine navigation will also have no sound?

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might come through center channel? Your turn signals will go mute though

Kaz said:

might come through center channel? Your turn signals will go mute though

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Sigh........

Thanks for the video Kaz.

On the one hand, I can't believe Lotus did this. On the other, I can see why AMG wouldn't let them disable it. I'm embarrassed to admit I was a huge fan of the M139 sound signature, only to find it's completely fake, and not just "enhanced".

As you're the only man to ever hear an Emira i4 in its natural state, does it really sound as bad as your video? Any redeeming features to the soundtrack that elevate it above other popular 4-pot sports cars, like say an MX5/Miata?

Teshoo Lama said:

Thanks for the video Kaz.

On the one hand, I can't believe Lotus did this. On the other, I can see why AMG wouldn't let them disable it. I'm embarrassed to admit I was a huge fan of the M139 sound signature, only to find it's completely fake, and not just "enhanced".

As you're the only man to ever hear an Emira i4 in its natural state, does it really sound as bad as your video? Any redeeming features to the soundtrack that elevate it above other popular 4-pot sports cars, like say an MX5/Miata?

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My personal preference coming from the Alfa 4C is that you hear turbo noise, exhaust noise. Mine was VERY loud basically a straight pipe and very loud turbo and wastegate sounds. The M139 sounds great compared to other 4 cylinder engines, deeper a little more throaty. I much prefer it over the pumped in sounds and once we all do whatever intakes, they can open up the turbo sounds it'll be great. I just want drivers who don't want to mess with anything with their stereo or drivetrain (intake exhaust hybrid turbo etc.) to have the option to turn it off so their speakers don't blow out in the rear all the time.

I'm just waiting for someone to find a way to rev the speakers without using the gas petal. Or on startup have the speakers (engine noise) set as loud as possible. It's got to be cheaper than an exhaust mod.

Kaz said:

My personal preference coming from the Alfa 4C is that you hear turbo noise, exhaust noise. Mine was VERY loud basically a straight pipe and very loud turbo and wastegate sounds. The M139 sounds great compared to other 4 cylinder engines, deeper a little more throaty. I much prefer it over the pumped in sounds and once we all do whatever intakes, they can open up the turbo sounds it'll be great. I just want drivers who don't want to mess with anything with their stereo or drivetrain (intake exhaust hybrid turbo etc.) to have the option to turn it off so their speakers don't blow out in the rear all the time.

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Thanks for talking me off the ledge Just need someone to defeat this thing now.

Teshoo Lama said:

Thanks for talking me off the ledge Just need someone to defeat this thing now.

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the latest is my installer found some information yesterday about a module in the engine bay on the driver's side with some pins out...he's gathering more info, hoping we'll eventually have a way to get rid off it. Software only option seems...unlikely the factory would do anything but who knows? what a first world problem to have lol

Teshoo Lama said:

Thanks for talking me off the ledge Just need someone to defeat this thing now.

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sorry quick question you are based in the UK? I now realized all the early i4 review videos on YouTube in the UK and elsewhere all have the same sound...so I assume every i4 is doing this globally? makes sense otherwise there would be some easy way to turn it off

Kaz said:

sorry quick question you are based in the UK? I now realized all the early i4 review videos on YouTube in the UK and elsewhere all have the same sound...so I assume every i4 is doing this globally? makes sense otherwise there would be some easy way to turn it off

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Yes, I'm in the UK. Based on your video this affects every i4 globally. So I'd say this is an underappreciated thread at this point, and really should make waves in any future round of Turbo SE press drives and reviews.

Obviously there has to be a wire that feeds the RPM to the module. Just cut or unplug that wire. If the module thinks the engine is doing zero RPM, it should not produce output, right?

ShootingSight said:

Obviously there has to be a wire that feeds the RPM to the module. Just cut or unplug that wire. If the module thinks the engine is doing zero RPM, it should not produce output, right?

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The module is probably getting the RPM information in a CAN signal, cut that and you'll be looking at comms issues at the very least.

ShootingSight said:

Obviously there has to be a wire that feeds the RPM to the module. Just cut or unplug that wire. If the module thinks the engine is doing zero RPM, it should not produce output, right?

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unknown...there seems to be two sounds, one is just exhaust rumble that is there at idle, then the rpm driven engine noise, hard to tell if the exhaust rumble changes at different rpm's but it's there once the engine is on - hopefully we snip or pull a fuse and voila? one can hope

Sanity check. I get everyone being upset that the sounds aren’t real. However seems odd you’re keen to cut wires just to make it sound worse from inside the cabin. Are you guys audiophiles or why are these fake engine sounds so offensive?

Jinba ittai said:

Sanity check. I get everyone being upset that the sounds aren’t real. However seems odd you’re keen to cut wires just to make it sound worse from inside the cabin. Are you guys audiophiles or why are these fake engine sounds so offensive?

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1. It wouldn't sound worse, it sounds better. Why would anyone want to listen to that generated noise that is completely disconnected from reality lol. I would much rather hear the turbo spool, wastegate noise, exhaust noise, induction noise.
2. The stock rear subwoofer and rear bass speakers are simply overwhelmed with the fake exhaust bass, to the point in sport and track the exhaust drone you hear on the highway is 100% the rear three speakers blasting you with fake engine drone. This causes them to distort badly so that the music you want to hear sounds like crap (hence everyone wanting to change out the audio system). Even at idle you can hear the subwoofer pulsing away the fake exhaust note (and distorting)
3. It's not even a great sound...it's not even the right engine sound, it sounds like a Subaru (no offense to Subaru) boxer engine from Gran Turismo 1, that sound gets old really fast.

In my particular case, and why I started the thread...I have this amazing Audison/Focal/JL Audio sound system...that I currently have unplugged because there is no volume control for the generated fake engine and exhaust sounds. They are SO LOUD that the door speakers rattle the windows at idle in Sport mode. The sub just sounds like it's on a ground loop. So yeah, it's first world pain but it's a legitimate concern even if I didn't have the sound system installed. Either bad marketing decision from Lotus, or a leftover from AMG parts that what...no one noticed at Lotus? For the Drivers? lol...such an ass move. What an amazing car that is a total pain to tune. (latest chapter is the passenger weight sensor...GRP we believe in you to solve that!)

...because at volume the additional frequency causes the audio system to be over modulated - hence the bass levels get that old speaker papery slapping sound. When I say "at volume" i mean like half way up. Sounds like an old cheap 90's Hyundai stock system with the bass jacked and the volume all the way up playing some old school Dr. Dre with the rolling bass. It's only then that you realize your'e listening to Motley Crue in an Emira..