How to turn off fake engine sounds

[TaycanHero]

Couldn't agree more! Humans are quite good at discerning what is real and what is fake when it comes to sound. Thinking back:

• I loved the sound of my NA Mercedes V8s. Nothing 'try-hard' - just natural with sympathetic resonances
• My first Porsche was a 718 Cayman. It sounded pathetic - until I worked out how to disconnect the 'speaker' that was vibrating the fire wall in a vain attempt to make it sound like something that it was not.
• Then my Carrera T had a far superior sound... for a turbo.
• Now to the Taycan... A couple of long drives in demonstrators made up my mind: 'Sports Sound' is faux and tiresome. It took me a while to work that out. My wife came to the same collusion a few seconds after I turned on the sound: "What's that weird sound? Can you turn it off?" ....Scratch that option (at a saving of over AUD$1k)!

Taycan's are quiet. It's a virtue to be celebrated.

Indulge me for a moment: When I was 15 years' old, I read a newspaper article about 'prestige' cars. The article attempted to capture the essence of each brand: The Porsche owner liked his car because it performed well and 'girls notice it'. (Hey, it was the '70s) The Ferrari owner liked his car because it 'ate Porsches for breakfast'. (Whatever.) And so on. Finally, the Mercedes owner was asked why he liked his car: "I love the sound that the door makes when I arrive home from the yacht club at 2am." Perfect! 15 Mercedes later, I bought a Porsche and haven't looked back. Guess which car makes the least noise at 2am now.... ...and performs better than any Mercedes!

To the Porsche owner, all I will say is human nature never changes

When she sees the car, she's imagining the holidays...

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[gnop1950]

Computer games are another thing I can't get used to, I've tried a few but always get fed up and do something instead. My grandchildren don't know how to do anything else as far as I can see...

Now, this is true heresy I'll be 72 this summer and still play computer games, mostly MMORPGs but a few single-player games as well. I have to admit I've finally given up on the FPS games, they can make me nauseous now.

 

[Hirschaj]

Now, this is true heresy I'll be 72 this summer and still play computer games, mostly MMORPGs but a few single-player games as well. I have to admit I've finally given up on the FPS games, they can make me nauseous now.

Sorry to hear that you had to give up the FPS games but great to hear that you’re still gaming at 72!!! I hope to be doing the same.

 

[f1eng]

I have no doubt you are correct! It’s more the £1000 than the weight that puts me off!!

I am notoriously tight fisted but it was one of the first options I chose.
My objective was a quiet comfortable car with a good turn of speed when needed. I had been considering a Bentley convertible but the Taycan ride was a revelation as was the lack of noise so it is a better fit for my requirements in the end.

 

[f1eng]

Now, this is true heresy I'll be 72 this summer and still play computer games, mostly MMORPGs but a few single-player games as well. I have to admit I've finally given up on the FPS games, they can make me nauseous now.

I’m 72 already and earned my first income from writing software in 1971 but I have never liked computer games, from the first table tennis types to the amazing lifelike stuff of today. Slightly intrigued by the code a long time ago, never by playing.
Maybe its the Asperger’s.

 

[Lars]

It’s the actual motors sound amplified, not some DJ mixing something together. So, fake and not fake at the same time

Interestingly, Many modern ICE sports cars have some kind of engineered engine / exhaust noise through various means (including speakers). I’m not a fan of it at all, Aston , Jag and BMW have engineered ‘pop and crackle’ but I like the electric sound on the Taycan in sports mode.
And I like the peace that it can give in normal mode.

 

[IrwinJ]

I test drove a Tesla, and consistent with Elon‘s mischievous personality, Teslas have an engine noise which sounds exactly like a loud fart when you step on the accelerator pedal – hilarious!

 

[XLR82XS]

There is an additional sound played on the outside of the car for safety purposes and that I don't think you can adjust at all as it is mandated.

PWS. It can be disabled - unplugged.

 

[IrwinJ]

PWS. It can be disabled - unplugged.

On second thought I'll not disable that sound. Seems like an important safety feature.

 

[XLR82XS]

On second thought I'll not disable that sound. Seems like an important safety feature.

It's dumb. People still walk in front of the car while driving in parking lots. Doesn't do s*it for "safety"

 

[bah1590]

you must be right about that, I checked my list of options, and it doesn't include Electric Sport Sound. Okay I get that the vehicle makes noise for pedestrians. However I hear the zooming sound even when on the highway. Or maybe that's the sound (when I'm in sports mode) of going from 1st to 2nd gear perhaps?

Do you only hear the sound when you are in Sport mode? How about when you are in Normal or Range mode?

 

[IrwinJ]

Do you only hear the sound when you are in Sport mode? How about when you are in Normal or Range mode?

not sure but even if it's only in Sport mode and not the others, it wouldn't matter because I like driving it in Sport mode. That said, others made good points about safety which convinced me that the sound is acceptable. And now that I've driven the car for a full day after delivery, I'm finding that the sounds are minimal and not annoying. So I'm all good with it.

 

[Marcad80]

You obviously didn't like the Tron movie when you were a kid!! Oh for neon blue under lights.....

did someone say Tron Movie?

 

[Perry]

Mind you, AVAS is only active at low speeds (<30 km/h, though I’ve seen some claim it’s 50 km/h for the Taycan). At higher speeds, you should only be hearing the actual physical motor sound, which sounds like a rather distinct high pitched whine, especially while accelerating.

 

[Max Attack]

To my understanding, the "electric" sound you hear in every Taycan on the road, particularly when accelerating suddenly, does not come from the electric motors but rather from a thing called frequency drive. It's function is to convert the electric current from batteries to form and frequency the actual motors can put to use. I don't know how much sound design there is involved in designing a frequency drive, but I'd imagine not that much as electric efficiency and heat are the most likely main design drivers. You can hear the frequency drive whining also in modern locomotives and metro trains.

Then there are sounds that are designed and computer-generated on purpose for just being sounds. These come from loudspeakers. One of these is the pedestrian warning at low speed, known as AVAS in Europe and as mandatory it is included in every Taycan trim here. This sound has also an "electric" tune to it, and is directed outside the car but can be heard inside too, especially if you open the windows while coasting slowly in a parking garage.

The other designed sound is the optional Porsche Sport Sound, that is supposed to "emotionally connect" the driver to different driving modes and situations, giving the driver more feedback for actions than the frequency drive sound does. The sound designers have done a good job, as number of people seem to quite like this feature. For the rest of us, fortunately one of the options of PSS is to turn the disco off after some initial moments of emotion.

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