oblio98

To me, the thing I like LEAST in my TL-S is the stereo. It's not that bad, it just could sound better, much better.

What are some of you guys doing to beef this thing up? I want to keep the CD Changer, but would be open to R+R'ing the amp and speakers if that helps. (obviously it would)
Is there an amp that will fit where the old amp sits and be wire-compatible?

Others have mentioned a subwoofer upgrade. Do these fit in the same place as the BOSE speaker in the back deck?

ALSO: Other than the stereo, what do YOU think is the "Weakest Link" in the TL-S?

:-jon

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2002 TL-S NAV Black/Black
w/Spoiler, Body Kit, Bowling Ball Wheel,
Bowling Ball Gauge & Vent Trim Kit
Comptech Springs
Comptech Exhaust
Pictures at:
<A HREF="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1626677&f=0

" TARGET=_blank>http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1626677&f=0

</A>

1000bpm

The stereo is the one big weakness, imo. The upper frequencies just aren't there, imaging is unfocussed and the bass/lower frequencies are not tight & controlled. In the all-important mid-range, I don't hear the level of detail that i'm used to hearing. I'm sorry to be so critical but I listen to music a lot, both in my car and at home, and for me the Acura's system does not cut it. I've heard relatively inexpensive systems that sound a lot better. I'm not sure that just adding tweeters will solve the problem either.

Other gripes:
*The quality of interior finish could be better.
*Don't caremuch for the chrome door locks (inside) or the dashboard gauges
*The seats in the TLS are much better than the regular TL, but I still prefer the CL's seats. Frankly, I couldn't care less if the seats were 100% pure leather or leatherette, but the CLS seats appear to be finished better and more comfortable.
*Take a close look at your doors, more likely than not the chrome trims are not flush when you move from panel to panel. I've noticed this on pretty much every TLS I've examined so far. Again, not a huge concern as far as I'm convcerned, as long as water doesn't get seep into the TLS the way it did in my ES 300.
*The paint job could have been better
*The wheels are too fragile. If you're going to hit a kerb at 30 mph ANY rims are going to bend but it appears that one needs to be extra careful w/ the TLS.
*The suspension needs to be smoothened out a little. Don't get me worng I hate the "floaty" disconnected ride that cars like the ES 300 give you, but the TLS seems to have this odd hopping characterestic everytime you hit a bump.

All things considered the TLS is an amazing value. Other than the stereo, I'm more than happy to overlook the the other 'deficiencies' in exchange for the pure driving pleasure that the TLS gives me. You got to love the sound of that VTEC screaming

Guest

Weakest Link=Bose Stereo, for sure.

Interestingly enough, just today I visited a high-endish car stereo installer here in the Bay Area. He said it's no problem to keep the head unit in and replace the power amp(s) and speakers. He said he'd use a little "magic box" to convert the Bose outputs to standard RCA outputs that could then feed into an equalizer (to correct the funny things Bose does to the audio spectrum.) He'd mount the new amp in the trunk, adjacent to the subwoofer and Nav system. He was pushing a/d/s speakers and Zapco EQ and Power Amp. Like I said, this was a high-end installer so the price of all this wasn't cheap. Speakers with remote crossovers were between USD$400-$1200 per pair(!), EQ thingy was $800, and a 50wpc, 4-channel amp was about $600. Add another $500-$1000 for a 3-day install and we're talking a non-trivial amount of money here.

I'm pretty picky about my audio, and definitely don't want one of those horrible boom-and-sizzle systems that I hear at stoplights all the time. I'd honestly been planning on a Sony power amp and 4 nice little Infinity Speakers --figuring I'd get out for under $1K. Needless to say, I'm still exploring my options.

Other than the stereo I've found little to quibble with --the fit and finish on this car is vastly superior to anything I've owned before.

If I had to nitpick, I'd say:

• More Headroom (I'm 6'5")
• More Legroom for the rear passengers
• Less windnoise at blatantly illegal speeds
• A security system that detects more than just someone opening a door --to prevent HID headlight theft, etc.

Still, I'm happier with this car purchase than I've ever been with any of my 3 previous new car purchases.



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2002 TL Type-S
WDP, Parchment, Navi
Custom, High-Performance Molybdenum Muffler Bearings --At least, that's what the salesguy said...
Roadbrew (TM) Dashmount cappuccino machine --Messy & dangerous, but worth it.
Bobbing-head dog figurine in rear window --Stylin!