New ELS Acura systems are pretty bad. Sadly

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Jon, I am so sorry to hear about this. I have just extended the lease on my 2013 Acura ZDX for another year, just so I can hang on to the DVD-A capability. It's my third Acura with ELS (had two TL's before this), and it will be a huge loss when it's finally time to say goodbye.

Out of curiosity, how is the stereo sound on your new system? I am considering a 2017 MDX, but also thinking about a Lexus RX with the Mark Levinson system, if I have to be stuck with stereo listening (I stream all of my music from my home server to my iPhone at full lossless quality).

Well, IMHO, the AM/FM and iPod playback (in stereo of course) is nowhere near as good as my old car. Frankly, it sounds cheap. However, by futzing with the EQ controls which goes where years of training have taught me not to go, I have the DTS CD playback to the point where I think it sounds pretty good, at least with the few discs I've made so far - Fagen, Steely Dan, Assorted tracks, etc. Turning the ANC system off helps a bit but is a pain and until I can disassemble the dashboard and rip that unit out I am going to have to live with that most of the time.

For anyone who was choosing Acura's solely on the basis of the ELS surround audio system checking out other cars in that price range (Audi, Lexus, infinity, etc) would probably be a good idea. If I still have a job in 3 years (and am still around) I will surely check out everything as my allegiance to Acura is about done at this point. Of course by then a disc player in the car will be a relic.
 
Same thing here. The lease just ended on my 2013 TL Adv and instead of upgrading to a newer TLX, I just bought my car. A three year old TL Adv with 36k miles for $20k...couldn't beat that. Plus I take care of it so it's immaculate.
I'll hold on to it for quite a while or until I can find something else that has comparable DVD-A playback, maybe a Lexus RX.
 
I have never understood wanting surround in the car. Such a compromised listening environment. Most drivers and passengers sit waaay off from any potential sweet spot, and the driver's attention needs to be directed to driving, not listening to music. Stereo is bad enough if there's a lot of discrete information.
I've always thought that a vehicle is an excellent listening environment for stereo and surround, but it depends on the vehicle. The big old boats that people drove around in in the seventies were the best. A couple of 6x9's mounted on the rear deck provided great stereo IMHO (even though the sound came from the rear). Adding front speakers in the front doors, you were ready for Quad. I recall adjusting the fader and balance controls on mono sources like AM radio so that the sound would image slightly above your head. Quad tapes with full centre vocals sounded amazing, when properly balanced. We used to also use the type of car speakers that came mounted in plastic surface mount cabinets, the fidelity was not great (especially the bass) but the stereo effect was excellent. I recall installing a pair of these type speakers in my friends pickup truck, behind the seat, but high up the wall; The stereo effect (from his 8-Track player) was excellent, almost like wearing headphones.
More modern vehicles do pose a bit of a problem. Rear speakers mounted in the rear doors are only (somewhat) good for stereo for the rear passengers, sound is muffled from the front so not really usable as rear speakers. Being mounted so low they don't even sound that good for stereo.
In my aging Pathfinder I used the front and rear (door mounted) speakers for the front and added my own 6x9's in the back, I had to build box's taller than normal to get them above the level of the back seat. The sound is quite good, I'm using a Rocktron Circle Surround decoder. I don't know about the use of a centre speaker, unless it's factory installed I don't know how you could even mount it in a modern vehicle, also I would question the need for it. Again the old cars from the sixties and seventies would of had a centre speaker for the AM radio mounted in the dash already. When I do decide to purchase a newer vehicle, the ability to install some type of surround system (if not already equipped) would have to be a consideration.
Also I wonder if Jon had thought about the possibility of swapping the old and new sound systems when he traded in his car. Assuming that the dealer would allow that!
 
......Also I wonder if Jon had thought about the possibility of swapping the old and new sound systems when he traded in his car. Assuming that the dealer would allow that!

It's not like the old days, when we did cut Jensen 6x9's in the back deck, and installed the player of our choice in the dashboards, sometimes getting the custom install kit from Crutchfield! :) How many "radios" did I install through the years in my cars. So much time hanging upside down under the dash, pulling up the carpets and baseboards running the wiring. Getting the voltage from the proper place (big amps right to the battery).

Those days are GONE when it comes to the modern car.

Today's "radio" is just a footnote in the cars complex computer/navigation/maintenance system that is so intertwined with every saftey feature and everything from backup cameras to collision indicators, taking the audio system from one car to another is pretty much impossible.

These days I am somewhat glad that I don't have to hang upside down under the dash - but I have to admit, those days really did give you the chance to really put in exactly what you wanted to have - even if it was as simple as a Craig Q8 player and two crappy cheap stereo amps!
 
It's not like the old days, when we did cut Jensen 6x9's in the back deck, and installed the player of our choice in the dashboards, sometimes getting the custom install kit from Crutchfield! :) How many "radios" did I install through the years in my cars. So much time hanging upside down under the dash, pulling up the carpets and baseboards running the wiring. Getting the voltage from the proper place (big amps right to the battery).

Those days are GONE when it comes to the modern car.

Today's "radio" is just a footnote in the cars complex computer/navigation/maintenance system that is so intertwined with every saftey feature and everything from backup cameras to collision indicators, taking the audio system from one car to another is pretty much impossible.

These days I am somewhat glad that I don't have to hang upside down under the dash - but I have to admit, those days really did give you the chance to really put in exactly what you wanted to have - even if it was as simple as a Craig Q8 player and two crappy cheap stereo amps!
in past i suggested to Chucky redirect their effort to design and build USB based automotive unit for playback surround flac.
since there no need for disc drive it can be done very compact and easy to connect to aftermarket 4 channel power amp.
oh well, as usual all in vain.
 
It probably wouldn't be too complicated for someone to design something with a raspberry pi
 
It probably wouldn't be too complicated for someone to design something with a raspberry pi
never seen one but from what i read Raspberry Pi appears to be masterpeace of sophistication vs. what needed to play audio files, even if they in surround configuration.
 
I have a 2016 Acura RDX AWD Advance Package and never even considered active noise cancellation as a reason why the ELS system doesn't sound nearly as good as the ELS system in my 2014 Acura RDX. I assumed that the current ELS equipment was from a different manufacturer. I did access the secret developer menu when I first got the vehicle to play around with the DTS Neural settings, but became frustrated when the settings were not retained.
 
Back
Top