2004 Acura TL Sedan, with the ELS Surround Sound System, designed by Elliot Scheiner
As some of you may know, I recently purchased an Acura TL. Aside from it being a great car, one of the things that first caught my attention was that it comes standard with a DVD-A player. That's right, STANDARD! You can't get the car without it!
The console may look intimidating, but it is very easy to get used to. My car has the Navigation system, which is essentially the only option on the car. Everything else is standard, including Bluetooth Technology for compatible cell phones, and XM Satellite radio (3 months free)
I have thrown every type of disc at this player, and it has played them all. (It does NOT play MP3 files, however - Not my bag, anyway) It has no problem with CDs, DVD-As, DTS CDs, CD-Rs, DTS CD-Rs, and DVD-A's created with discWelder and Wavelab 5. (I have only tried DVD-R media, however)
The unit operates without the normal DVD-A menus. All you do is insert the DVD-A and it comes up playing. You can insert any combination of 6 CDs, DTS CDs, or DVD-A's.
The picture above shows the touch screen in the DVD-A Audio mode. From here, you can "touch" the disc you want to play, and see the track number and time. It does not do DVD Text, so there is no indication of the disc name or song title. This screen is not required to be displayed. I only brought it up to show you the layout. Pressing the SOUND button brings up the balance screen, as shown below:
From this screen, you can set your balance and tone controls, as well as the volume of the center and subwoofer. It really works pretty well. After a few moments of non-activity, it goes back to the previous screen.
The speaker layout in the car is as follows. There is a large center channel speaker in the dash above the console. At each end of the dash are a pair of tweeters. In the front doors are the two front speakers. In the rear window panel reside the rear channel speakers and the sub. The overall effect of the system is not overpowering, but there is enough oomph there so that when you play a DVD-A like Kamakiriad, the bass will "move" things in the car!
Overall, the sound quality is excellent. It is so nice to hear sounds coming from the rears, filling up the car with music from everywhere. I found that I did not have to balance the speakers to get a "sweet spot" effect in the drivers seat. I listened for a few moments from the passengers side, and it was equally pleasing from there as well. I have yet to test the mix in the rear seats!
I have a DVD-A where the vocal starts in the front Left and Right, each a seperate voice, then two additional voices are added in the Rear Left and Right, creating 4 distinct vocals coming from 4 different speakers. The rears come up over your shoulders and the effect is, dare I say, "stunning!!!"
@: The car comes with a special DVD-A with a run through from Elliot Schiener, as he explains the benefits of DVD-A. We are taken through a stereo version of Long Train Running, then a Hi-Rez Surround version of the same tune. Towards the end of the disc, Elliot comes back and "builds" the surround mix for Grover Washingtons's Winelight. He starts with a single channel and it's designated instrument, then goes through each one on it's own. He then brings them all together into a surround frenzie!
Having DVD-A in the car is, to me, a great environment for surround sound. If more cars came with these players, the demand for these discs would surge! I would hope that Panasonic and ELS would get their system into more and more makes and models the help DVD-A get out into the mainstream. It's a natural.
I had never played with XM Satellite radio before, and as it came with the car, I checked it out! It is actually pretty nice!
It comes in handy when those Best Buy trips come up empty and I want something different to listen to.
I know that fellow member Bob Romano also has purchased a TL, and there are others here that have this car. I would hope that they will chime in and add what they can to this thread. As I've said elsewhere, if you are not ready for a $30,000 car, you should at least take one for a spin, with your favorite DVD-A or DTS cd, just to check one out. The 2005 models will be out soon, so your local dealers may have sweet deals on any 2004's they have left.
To me, this is a perfect car - now if it only did SACDs, it would be the ULTIMATE!
