The folks are ELS have confirmed that the new RDX ELS 3D Audio system will play 5.1 .wav and .flac files from a USB stick or drive. This is awesome!

The old DVD-A system in the 2004-2015 Acura line was one of the few vehicle 5.1 systems out there and sounded great when you could find a DVD-A that you liked. By allowing 5.1 files to be played via USB stick the Acura owner no longer requires a DVD-A or DTS CD to listen to 5.1 music. In fact, with the proper software, all 5.1 sources including DVD-A, SACD, BluRay Audio and DVD-Video discs can be ripped to .wav or .flac and played in the new RDX.



The possibilities are limitless. There's a lot of 5.1 and 4.0 music out there if you look for it. And NO MORE DISCS!!!

 

This is fantastic news! Can't wait to see and hear the new RDX!

 

This is good news. I just ripped all my CDs to FLAC files for the home and loving ease of use and sound quality. What is the best way to get these FLAC files into the car? I used to use iPod, but that does not support FLAC. Other HD drives compatible and similar in function to iPod (i.e., easy to use, supports genres or playlists etc.???
Thx

 

 

Short answer is Spotify and Pandora do not come close to high resolution sound. Tidal gets to CD level at premium, and above (24bit/96kHz) if playing on compatible MQA device, which ELS 3D system is not.

 

So I have a 2011 Tech RDX with the DVD-Audio ELS, which sounds great. Yes, I bought like 12 DVD's just to hear the sound system to its fullest. So if the new 2019 RDX does not play a DVD-Audio source, what format is showing off its true audio potential? DTS?

 

To answer my own question... I converted the FLAC file to Apple Lossless and can use my existing iPod. I have to say that my existing Bose system sounds pretty damn good! I usually listen to podcasts on the commute, so forgot how nice the Bose system sounds for vocals and moderate volume (no hip-hop fans would be happy with the wimpy sub in my current vehicle LOL).
So, Acura claims iPod compatibility and it will just be a matter of how easy it is to navigate menus and playlists through the RDX infotainment interface.

FYI: I used dBpoweramp software for ripping all the FLAC files from CD and then the "Batch Converter" program in the software allows you to convert all those files to Apple Lossless format at once.

 

You can rip your DVD-A's (and SACD's and Music DVD's) and convert the audio to 24/48 5.1 wav files and play them from the USB port in the console. It works. I tried it. Very nice!!

 

Oblio,

Did you have any other format on that USB or was it strictly 24/48 5.1 wav? I went to dealer with USB having flac and various resolutions, but was unable to get USB to play at all. I will be going to another dealer soon and want to be ready this time. Was the USB formatted to NTFS or FAT32?

My dealer rep was not tech savy so could not help with audio test.

 

I formatted the USB stick with exFAT. The one I formatted as NTFS did not work. I used the following 5 files, which you can download at the link below:

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/miscstuff/test51.zip

Unzip these 5 files. They are short and to the point. Each file only has audio info in the channel indicated by the filename. These are 24/48 5.1 wav files. These files should play in the A-SPEC or Advance, cars with the 3D Audio. Make sure the DTS Neural Surround is turned off (This takes stereo and makes it a fake surround).

Make sure you use the USB in the console and not the one under the console. That one only allows device charging.

Try it again and let us know what happens.

 

That link doesn't work for me, get a 404 error.

 

It's a file. You have to right click the link and 'Save As'

 

So a techy audiophile I am not, but the FLAC files saved on a USB drive, how are they coded in discrete channels for the head unit to read? I just know the DVD-Audio format sounds the best compared to the DTS, compared to regular CD, compared with dreaded XM. Just wondering how much of the new stereo is "fake" discreet simulated channels versus the actual music source code. If that makes sense. Thanks.

 

 

Thanks Oblio, I reformatted my stick USB to exFAT and used the 24/48 wav file I converted from flac and it played with no issues and definitely was discrete channels. The file was "Ventura Highway" remixed by Elliot Scheiner from the DVD-Audio way back in the 2004 TL days.

Unfortunately, I ran out of time reformatting a larger Samsung T3 portable SSD (250GB) that is USB 3.1 with type-C port. I wanted to test out if that would work using a USB 2.0 type-B cable adapter. Last night I converted about 80GB of dsd multi-channel files using JRiver to that drive and plan to fill it up. I hope to take another trip to dealer, to go in detail on lease vs loan for the RDX.

I do not understand, with all this new technology, why USB 3.x type-C port was not considered in addition to type-B. This issue of insuring the proper connection to port at night goes away and higher transfer rates should easily allow higher resolutions.

 

There are programs that you can get to extract the high resolution audio from a DVD-A disc. Two that come to mind are DVD-Audio Extractor and DVD Audio Explorer. These will give you either a 5.1 .flac or .wav file that you can resample (if needed) in an audio editor, then save to USB to play in the car. To rip an 5.1 SACD is a bit more involved, and requires an SACD player like an Oppo and special software that you put on a USB drive. The SACD player and the ripping PC must be on the same network, as the extraction is done over the network.

It sounds more complicated than it is, but you need to research this stuff on the net. Posting the info in a car forum is a bit much, If you guys are really interested, I will put something together here with links and everything.

 

 

 

Same here. When I started work at the Cape I had a physical including hearing. The doc told me not to waste money on expensive Hi-Fi equipment.

 

Yes, you can. You should start with searching "high resolution multi-channel music download sites" or something to that effect.

Personally, I have rarely bought down-loaded music and prefer to own the disc and rip it to a NAS device. Part of the reason is it tough to know the actual source of the recording and its resolution. Just because a site sells you 24 bit / 96 kHz does not mean its source is that high. It could of been up-converted from a lower resolution or the source could of been mastered badly squashing all the dynamics out of the music. A badly mastered 5.1 album is no better than a two channel badly mastered album.

I always check "dynamic range database" site to get an idea of the quality of the release before considering buying the down-load or the disc. There are also audiophile web-sites devoted to fans that review the sound quality of a release. One such site is from a mastering engineer, Steve Hoffman. There are many other sites, including QuadrophonicQuad which has a similar thread to this on the 2019 Acura RDX. Again, google is your friend.

I bought in on the DVD-Audio craze of the mid 2000s collecting over 150 discs, many of which were multi-channel. Now that those are OOP (out-of-production) and music almost never released in that format, the remaining choice are downloads or SACD for high-resolution music. I have 350 SACDs and most of those are two channel. I do have multi-channel SACDs, many RCA classical music are three channel and there are 5.1 or better, but the multi-channel releases are on life-support right now, except for classic music. Many are re-releases from the DVD-Audios which I already own, and since these usually cost a bit more than a two channel, low resolution CD, I do not always repurchase again.

It is the hope that new cars like this and home theaters, encourage more people to want to buy high resolution, multi-channel music, and increase the demand for it from the music recording and production industries. Right now unfortunately, unless you already own a good collection of multi-channel music, such as oblio98, it will be harder to find the titles your probably want to hear with the exception of classical music. For instance, one of my favorite sites is Acoustic Sounds out of Salina, KS near KC metro wear I reside. For multi-channel, it lists 25 (24/96) FLAC and 18 (2.8MHz/64fs) DSD titles, so 43 titles, most classical or live Blues albums.

This is an expensive hobby. I was one of those resurrected music audiophiles when I bought my 2004 Acura TL with the first ELS system that played DVD-Audios. Since then I done several home music system upgrades, bought over 500 high resolution albums (@ >$30 each), invested countless hours in ripping those disks to digital files to a 36TB NAS, even more time ripping vinyl for the same purpose, and now considering a $50K car upgrade when I own a perfectly fine TL. It is an expensive addiction, but I guess there are probably worse.

 

 

The spec's do not give a maximum, only a minimum (256Mb), which is pretty small. The largest I have tried is a 160Gb stick.

 

I just upgraded to a Samsung T5 Portable SSD - 500GB. It is working fine. I have near 140 GB of 24/48 FLAC files with 117 GB being multi-channel files. I am now down converting my prior DVD-Audio MCH albums to 24/48 today.

 

My forum has a listing of all surround releases that have come out over the past few years. You can see the 2018 release list by clicking the link below. If you feel like exploring, the other threads in that forum section list other recent years.
You don't have to register to read, and there are no ads or begging for donations!

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/for...eleases.24661/

 

I have followed oblio98's instructions and have found that the system sounds awesome now... I came from a Bose system and originally was disappointed in the system, but by following his directions, some of my audio files sound better than ever

 

I use a 128GB which is almost a necessity for lossless audio files

 

Agreed! This is as close to the having the ability to play DVD-As.

 

hi
when i right click and save as the the file only 2 kb and will not unzip

 

Try https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/mis...udioTest51.zip

I upgraded the file to include a few more examples.

 

Thanks!!

 

I am using a lexor USB 3.0 thumb drive and when I import into the USB port by the cup holder. The system ask me to insert a drive. Can anyone explain what I am doing wrong thanks

 

Check if the lexar is formatted as fat32 or xfat

 

Has anyone come across a list of "certified" USB drives? When taking my car in for an oil change, I mentioned the spotty nature of the Infotainment System's ability to recognize that there was a USB drive plugged in and that the files were actually and truly valid. While other times, the songs are all found to be in great shape and other times it may take five minutes to initialize.

They said to use a drive that was "certified" or some such by Acura. The only references I can see to requirements even coming close to this is page 312 of the owner's manual where it says don't use security enabled thumb drives and have them be bigger than 256 Meg.

Is there a followup to this somewhere?

I don't really even know why I bothered asking the service rep, but I did.

 

So.. Based on my experiences, this is what has to happen... In order to get best performance, do not use a drive larger than 32GB in size and ensure it is formatted to fat32 or exfat.. I personally use Sandisk USB drives and my 32GB drive works flawlessly, but the issue is that if you use .flac files and like a lot of music on your USB drive, then 32GB is not very much space. Hence I created 4 separate 32GB drives with different type of music on each depending on my mood. I know that sound crazy, but it is what it is.

When Android Auto arrives (If it does), I am going to have to scrap this idea and get used to playing music from my phone since there is no second USB port and will try to no longer listen to albums, but greatest hits from groups.

 

I am using a Samsung 500Gb T-5 USB 3.1 external drive. It's loaded with 24/48 5.1 .flac files and since the version 1.1.2 update, it's been very stable. The system does not always revert to the first song on the drive in alphabetic order like it did ALL OF THE TIME with version 1.0.7, and I only occasionally get the screech when the system loses sync with the .flac file it's playing. If I disconnect the drive from the car to add to it or update it, it does take a few minutes for the system to read in the data but there's a lot of data on there. Version 1.1.2 seems to be much better dealing with playlists than 1.0.4 and 1.0.7.

As for certified USB drives, I think that the dealer is talking crap. As long as you have a brand name, non-budget brand USB stick you should be fine. San-Disk and Verbatum are probably the best brands. I don't think the car port is USB 3.x, but I would be sure to get 3.x for any memory stick you buy.

The system is picky with what type of files it wants to see. Your issue might be the files themselves as opposed to the USB stick. Try converting from wav to flac, or flac to wav and see if that makes a difference.

 

Maybe he was trying to sell you a CPO thumb drive with a 50,000 mile warranty for $150?

 

Wow! I hadn't even thought of that, yet. Android Auto navigation or my audio collection. Normally I would consider throwing in a hub, but with all the fun I am already having with the system, I think that may be a bridge too far.

 

Many thanks to oblio98 for the sample files!

I am pleased to report from my own experiments that the system also seems capable of playing multi-channel AAC (m4a) files. Quite a boon since they are a fraction the size of the uncompressed FLAC files. It's a shame that iTunes and other vendors do not offer multi-channel content.

Now if only Acura would fix those audio bugs in CarPlay...

 

Speaking of USB hubs, I tried one. I was thinking IOS and USB stick at the same time...wow... Got a small portable 4 port, USB 3.0 hub with separate switches for each USB. The system told me to go suck an egg, but with a nicer on-screen message.... BTW, I use a 256 Sandisk USB for my flacs. Have not had an issue. Just make sure if you are plugging either the USB or phone in, that you do it AFTER bootup (got that from dealer), which is when the text warning comes up. There are problems if you plug it in earlier. If it is already plugged in, like leaving in the USB from the drive before, it appears to function fine.. (for me).
So far have 1400 flacs loaded.

 

My experiments have also show than when formatting a USB stick for the audio system, you need to use Master Boot Record partition layout instead of GPT. Rather surprising; I would have assumed that since it supports the ExFat filesystem that the Android Automotive 5.1.1 OS was modern enough to handle either format.