rhiannon1207

I just purchased a 2016 RDX AWD with Advance Package. I am really disappointed in the quality of the stereo. The bass is boomy, the treble seems tinny and the midrange is lacking. I have played around with the settings (including turning on and off the DTS) but just can't find an optimal setting. I am beginning to wonder whether there is something wrong with the speakers or the stereo. Has anyone else noticed poor sound quality with their RDX? I also have a 2009 Acura TL and the sound quality is far superior in that car. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Puma Jim

I have not noticed that in my 16 advance package. I really like the system with 10 speakers and sounds great to me

RSX_Takashi

What's the audio source? CD? MP3?

virtualH

I second that. My wife and I were also very much disappointed with the Stereo in our car. With all the advertisement about ELS I was expecting something better. Our last car was BMW e90 with BMW professional stereo and ELS Stereo doesn't come anywhere near to it. I am disapointed. I didn't see in their specs if they have an AMP installed or not. I think I might look into that.

RSX_Takashi

Stock Stereo or Logic 7? BMW Stock stereo does not come close to Acura.. If it is a properly tuned Logic 7 then it's a different story.

jasonsymack

what source are you playing?

I also found the audio a bit off....it still sounds good but had to do more tweaking than i remembered on my 2012 RDX. I just find that the audio i have to turn up the volume higher than i should to hear the bass kick in.? otherwise it was all vocals with no bass

I use an old ipod, i had to make sure i turned off the equalizer and only use the audio settings on the car...i like bass so i have my sub/bass both turned up pretty high with treble on high. Also notice i had to bump up the center channel in order to balance out the vocals and the music.

andysinnh

Overall the ELS system is pretty good - much better than the stock sound system in my '13 MDX. The wife's TL Tech has ELS, and the sound is better, but I attribute that to the smaller cabin size and acoustic characteristics therein. One thing I did find with the RDX is that you have to play with the settings - speaker enhance in some areas, reduce in others. I've also found that for my iphone that the equalizer settings on the phone carry to what you hear in the vehicle, so changing the phone settings can go a long way to improving/worsening the sound you hear in the vehicle. Once you get things set up it sounds pretty darned good, IMHO.

andy

carbonTSEX

I agree that my wife's 16' doesn't bump nearly as much as my 14' TL. The 16' RDX isn't running the same ELS setup. For that reason I just went out and purchased a 12" JL Audio W6 in box. Currently looking for an amp and I'm good to go! The wife wants more bass lol.

rhiannon1207

Thanks for all of the responses. I suspect that jasonsymack may be onto something. I have played with all of the settings with the exception of the center channel. I was driving my TL today and turned down the center channel and sure enough, it degraded the sound quality in a similar manner to the RDX. I will test increasing the center channel the next time I drive the RDX. I agree with Andysinnh about better acoustics in the TL because it has a smaller cabin.

By the way, I have been listening to my iphone in the RDX with the equalizer settings off. The sound quality seems best on HD radio and worse on XM.

Do any of you turn DTS on?

cheffip

I had a 2016 RDX loaner for a day while my 2008 was getting an A/C repair. Both had ELS but I found my 08 sound was richer despite the age of the car. Anyone else had ELS in both RDX generations?

samiam_68

I found that the center channel speaker in my 15 was really annoying and added to the tinni-ness. I turned it down and turned up the bass and treble, and the system sounds much better and more balanced. Still falls far short in comparison to my old Lexus/Nakamichi.

RSX_Takashi

The speakers need to be broken into before they will sound good.

The speakers in your 2008 was well broken into whereas the 2016 RDX probably still very new.

Beachtraveler

Just bought a 2016 RDX with Tech package. I'm actually really disappointed in the stereo! I previously had a 2003 MDX with Bose and even a 2013 Honda Pilot with stock stereo that both put this system to shame. I've played with the settings using both XM and ipod and it's not working well. It's very tinny. Is there an "ideal" setting combo that anyone has found works well on this model? Or is it just an inferior product?

Mr_MDX

My 16 Tech was a little disappointing at first. But using a high quality signal (ripped from a personal CD) I adjusted the sub to max, the bass +50% the treble +20% the center channel +1 notch, and the fader +1 to the rear. I still have to turn up the volume a little more than I think I ought too... but its now pretty nice.

There seems to be a HUGE difference between a non-HD FM radio station and a personal track on my jump drive or from XM.

IMO the RDX system doesn't go for volume. It seems to excel at clarity. Its one of the clearest and most distortion free system I've ever had.
Our 14 MDX was very similar but it could put out more bass at times. And believe it or not.. the high end Honda Odyssey has a very good system.

carbonTSEX

I agree with you 100%. The ELS in the 16 is built for clarity rather then bass. Even though I have the 12" W6 with 500/1v2 amp (which bumps extremely hard) I can still hear the lyrics perfectly. Unlike my 04 TSX when I had my 15" L7 with 2400watts. Couldn't hear any lyrics even with the bass down.

dirleton

If you want a boombox - buy a boombox.

emsrph

Sound quality is very dependent on the source, obviously. XM is very disappointing in the lack of dynamic range.

An Ipod or rip to a drive has much better range if the track has a high bitrate.

So my conclusion is that the system is capable (when dialed in), but it is unforgiving for low quality input.

In my previous vehicles, RAV4 with Kenwood factory sub upgrade and Maxima's with BOSE systems, they were more consistent even with variable input sources.

As far as the boom box comment...I don't want it to boom and rattle the car. I want it to have deep, clear bass that is natural and the way the artist intended. So many of my favorite songs have fantastic bass tracks. It sucks when you listen to them and there is nothing on the low end.

cheffip

Just curious...did Acura change the ELS in the 2016? I don't recall reading any official news about this nor do I remember reading a lot of complaints about the sound on the 2013-15 models with ELS.

carbonTSEX

It's not like having subs in a car. Mine has no rattle at all and the bass is super clear. No complaints. To each their own. Plus you can adjust it to your liking. Doesn't need to pound unless you want it to.

guytdt

2016 does not support dvd-a. Other than that I'm not aware of any change. I do not notice any quality degrading when moving from 2015 to 2016.

Acc20yrs

I have a 2014 AWD Tech and the bass is almost non-existent for some songs and adequate for others, never good. Hit or miss, the source of the music seems to have a very direct impact on the bass in this ELS system...

Masta120

I just picked up my 2016 RDX AWD Advance, and went on my first trip (~120 miles). The only thing I'm not in love with is the audio. I put on the same stations that I listen to in my 2005 TL, but the radio sound in the RDX sounds flat in comparison. The bass is just non-existent. Over bluetooth, I played a song from my phone with a lot of bass...and it sounded decent. but, anything other than bluetooth sounds atrocious. It sounds like the majority of the sound is coming from the dash board area speaker. I realize my testing comes from Sirius or FM stations, which I realize aren't the greatest audio source. But, comparing the same station in my TL, the RDX seems to have very inferior sound.

Is it just a calibration thing? Will decreasing the center setting make it sound better?

I realize everyone has their own preference when it comes to sound. But, the RDX sound system seems lacking to me.

samiam_68

I turned the center speaker way down. It was really annoying. Also, turned the bass and the subwoofer up. Everything sounds much better now.

dirleton

If you search around the forum you will find some recommended settings that, at least for me, work very well.

dirleton

Boost bass, sub, and treble. Turn down center speaker and fade to the rear a bit. Works for me. Below are the settings recommended elsewhere. Others invited to chime in.


1. Dolby PLII on
2. Treble +6
3. Bass +2
4. Fade: 2RR (2 notches towards the rear bias)
5. Balance: centre
6. Centre channel: -2
7. subwoofer: +4
8. SVC: high (that doesn't affect sound quality)

jkozlow3

Here are a couple of other comments that members have made over time regarding the 2nd gen RDX with ELS audio:

"While driving the RDX, I set the Bass to 4 and the Treble to 5 with everything else at baseline."

"In my RDX w tech, I set my fader to boost the rear +1 and fade the front -1, set the bass to about 5, set the treble to near max, and boost the sub. Make sure to turn the center channel down -1 too. This minimizes that hollow sound."

"I like my bass at +4, my subwoofer at +2 and my treble pushed all the way up! I like bass but high treble that allows you to take advantage of hearing the fine music instruments...."

ceb

By boosting bass, sub and treble all you are really doing is making everything louder.


All these settings need to be made with a reference CD - not some random XM or radio station

Masta120

So lowering the center speaker made a HUGE difference! Sounds much more like my 2005 TL (which is a good thing). Thanks!

jkozlow3

How far did you lower it? Did you change other settings? I'm still looking for the perfect settings myself.

Masta120

I lowered the center by 3 or so. i also turned up the bass and subwoofer. But it really will depend on your preference.

richardyc

I read that it could be the ANC (active noise cancellation) is filtering some of the sound from the audio system. The music is noise to ANC, so it will try to cancel out some of the music. you can disable ANC by going into the secret menu.

jkozlow3

What secret menu?? Please share!

cudfoo

Went from a 12 tsx tech to a 16 rdx tech. When I first listened to the audio it was awful.After a few weeks it was dramatically better and an improvement over the tsx. The DTS feature is a huge step forward from the Dolby garbage in earlier models. I'm able to get a decent ambient- transparent center image. I'm used to listening to high end audio at home and all and all I think the new ELS audio in the 16 is very good. Biggest gripe is the lack of a real parametric eq that would take it up a level but I do think it one of the better OEM units available.

richardyc

it is the diagnostic screen, there are few video out there.


this is by pressing 1 + 6 + power to get into the diag screen. (no need to press display )


this one by pressing 1 + 6 + power at the same time.

I am not sure which one is the right combo for 2G RDX.
once you are there, you press 1 to turn ANC off and on.

enter at your own risk. I've not done it before. The ANC will turn back to on once you restart the car next time, so this is not a permanent fix, you might have to unplug the module to do that.

Masta120

If anyone has info on how to disable the ANC on a 2016 RDX, please share.

dbarnhart

I guess I'm lucky. I'm 62 years old and spend most of my life up close and personal with loud airplane engines. Almost anything sounds good to me ;-)

Mela

I have to agree with OP. Disappointing Soundsystem My 2007 TL sounds way better I was expecting more from RDX. There is no bass, it's all just noise. Makes driving less enjoyable.

Masta120

Found this thread explaining how to disable the ANC by going into the developer options of the system:

https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...er-car-919478/

Running these steps to disable the ANC definitely makes the system sound better. But, as soon as the engine is turned off and turned back on, this setting gets re-enabled automatically.

Anyone know how to permanently disable the ANC without having to mess with the mic or open up the dash to mess with the equipment? Thanks.

16RDX

I was also at first disappointed with the sound system, Had a 2014 Nissan with Bose system that I thought was superior to ELS. Turns out I didn't have it adjusted to how I like to hear my music which is loud. After making several adjustments just a couple minutes of my time I must say its an extremely good sound system. I am very happy with it. Depends on the audio source as others have stated, XM & regular FM sound tinny no matter what settings you use, HD Radio and my CD's I've downloaded to the computer are excellent. The center speaker is the culprit here I must say. Must be adjusted.

jkozlow3

Did you lower the center? By how much?