r000m101

I am extremely disappointed in the sound quality of the "upgraded" sound system in my car. I have an '11 TSX with tech pkg. I've tried various settings and nothing helps. The best sound quality comes when I stream music from my iPhone or from a USB drive and even then it's only mediocre. The 360-watt Dimension system in my Sonata sounded better than this. Other than ripping out the entire system, does anyone have any tips for improving the sound quality??

BaoZZeR

I thought Acura screws over the tech packages by giving them a shitty system. If you go nontech you get the "Premium" system so it says on the center console. But other than that it's mainly the quality of the radio station you're listening from. If you get HD stations they sound sooooo much better.

odus

iTrader: (1)

my base stereo sounds good enough for me beats our accords stereo

r000m101

I agree HD stations do sound better but I rarely listen to radio so that's not the issue. For me the issue is the lack of full, rich sound. The speakers sound like suped up, over amplified bookshelf speakers. Maybe if I didn't have the experience of better car audio I wouldn't mind as much. At any rate it is what it is and I love the car so I'll just deal with it.

TSXV6Guy

Best is to try a "real" uncompressed CD, as music on the iPod and USB devices, including (and especially) XM radio channels, is compressed and does not sound great.

I have the non-tech and the music is OK for my basic use. But I think some Hyundai systems sound wonderful in comparison.

cmalberto

2 things; one was touched upon...the better the SOURCE of your audio, the better the sound. XM is way to compressed and not really worth it if you have other available sources. I have been doing Spotify via BT and it sounds fairly decent. Same for iPhone tracks and USB. Have you listened to a DVD-Audio in your system? Now that takes advantage of your speaker configuration. Problem is that there aren't really many available. There is another thread that talks about creating your own.

Second thing is the mathematics around what is it 10 speakers divided into the total
power. That's barely 40 watts per speaker even if it were distributed evenly which probably isn't the case.

As for now my 12' TSX Tech will suffice although it could be improved. Something I may look at some other time.

--Mickey

JR_Rider

Maybe just have a different perception of a good sound system but I think the sound system in my 2009 TSX w/ tech package is terrific. The bass is deep and the highs are clear. Speakers do blow all the time though.

mercman

I have a few posts on the ins and outs of the ELS system so I won’t repeat them here except to say that the ELS uses DSPs in the amp to contour the sound to give the best possible output from the low quality speakers. The Eq is so heavy handed that when I upgraded the speakers in my 09 the highs made my ears bleed. It was so bad that I built an analog preamp to replace the factory amp; the result was some great sounding system. I have a 2012 now and haven’t got around to any upgrades yet, been too busy to play with the car.
Jeff

BobbyC

i honestly think the sound system is great. maybe its bc i came from a S2000 with 4 tiny speakers but i think the TSX delivers a nice deep sound.
i usually listen to XM or my ipod via usb.

if youre not happy with it, maybe adding some sound dampening material and upgrading your speakers will help?

mapleloaf

Read the reviews of experts who rate the ELS system above most luxury car systems. Again, understand that tis is not a booming over amped Bose system. Its the absolute clarity of the music that sets it apart....and I suspect you listen to a lot of rap crap to make the statements such as the Sonata's is better. I have a friend that has a premium fully loaded Sonata. The system is fine but not in the same class. Listen to music with depth and you will hear the difference. Certainly, DVD-A are the most amazing, but a DVD-R recorded from iTunes also makes good use of the system, as do CDs from the same source.

r000m101

Thx for your reply but I'm not sure how you reached your assumption about the type of music I listen to especially because I made no mention of that. I compared the sound quality of the ELS system to my last car, Sonata Limited, because that is what I drove last. I can tell you this, since my original post I have found system settings that have improved the sound quality enough to keep me pleased but my original comparison stands true. I prefer the sound system in the Sonata to the ELS system in the TSX. In fact, I'd take the sound system from my 2005 TSX over my 2011 TSX. In all fairness, I have not tried DVD-A, but truth be told, I don't even know where to find a DVD-A. So, until I decide to dump the 2011 for something newer, I'll stick with my current settings and be happy. Btw, I've been driving for 20 years this year and the 2011 TSX is my 15th car. I assure you this ELS sound system will be a thing of the past in no time.

cmalberto

Did you get a the DVD-A demo disc when you bought the TSX? I did - it is the only one I have right now but it sounds awesome. Run by your dealership and see if they will give you one.

I will be attempting to build my first DVD-A from a DVD I own with DTS. Really curious how this will work out. Will reply back and let yall know.

--Mickey

musty hustla

It's definitely not boomy or bass heavy. It takes time to get acclimated.

Tannis

I always dread the TSX loaner from the dealer as it will always have the tech package. I HATE the stereo in it. To me it sounds like someone took the "enhance" slider in iTunes and found a way to take it to 300%. I'm always grateful when I get my car back because even though it isn't that great, it plays without being overdone. I despise music that has been tampered with or altered to sound better.

OR... we could all just unplug our highs and roll around with 32" Clarion subs in our trunks. Screw sound quality, chicks dig guys that scream for attention.

mapleloaf

My comment about the type of music one listens to does have a bearing on how you rate the ELS system. I just got my Beatles Love DVD-A through Amazon, which also comes with a CD of the same 26 songs. I loaded those to the hard drive and compared the sound for each song to the DVD-A versions. Both sound great but the DVD-A versions are terrific and superior to any car system I have heard, whether it be my friends Audi Q5 or another friend's Sonata, or numerous others. The clarity and crispness of the vocals and each instrument are fabulous, and absolutely confirm the grammy award winning designer's intention to build a system that makes music sound like it was intended to sound. Interestingly, the DVD-A shuts down the Dolby surround setting, as presumably the output through the system does not require the "fake" surround effect as say the CD output would. However, I am no techie, so I will leave that to others to explain.

mercman

DVD-A playback does disable the Dolby fake surround processing and instead the HU outputs 5.1. In the other modes the HU only outputs two channels and the DSP creates the others. What makes DVD-A sound so good is the high sample rate and in most cases the remix from the original studio master recordings. One feature I would like to have in the car is the ability to listen to the original studio mix without the 5.1. This feature is available on my home DVD-A player and the stereo masters really sound fantastic. Too bad DVD-A did not catch on, the mass market is more in tune with ear buds and downloads then with audiophile quality source material. Not to mention Sony’s lame SACD.
Vinyl is making a comeback so maybe DVD-A will as well.

Jeff

musty hustla

I don't want a record player in my car.

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Asian Candy

I read all of your threads regarding the system in our cars. I ended up replacing all the speakers and installing an amp and it made a tremendous difference. Still alot of static coming through the high frequencies and nothing has made a difference. I'm thinking its just the "dirty" signal the amp puts out?
Anyway, did you ever get around to selling the preamp? I remember you saying you were going to