IIHII-TL

who uses thier tape player?
i think the tape player is out of date and just a added cost factor now.

caball88

that thing is the biggest waste of center console space. i'm surprised they left out the 8 track player. it's kinda embarassing sometimes when i show the car to someone for the first time. they are like "is that a tape deck?" then i bow my head down in embarassment and say "uh yeah". a car that has dvd-a includes a tape deck, amazing. if they had a tape deck delete option i would have excluded the darn thing.

TLGator

I continue to be amazed at the number of TL owners sharing this strange delusion that there is some sort of "cassette" mechanism in the car that plays "tapes" of some kind or another.

w1n78

oh that's what that is i thought it was a toaster. was about to put some pop tarts til i read this thread. wheew good thing i haven't yet.

TLGator

mmmm.....pop tarts.....with a schmear of Zaino.....

TBone2004

It holds my tire pressure gauge nicely tho!

yzfrebel

I have not gotten mine yet, but I have had about 10 test drives and I did not even notice that it had a tape deck.

Maybe I can dig up some old mixed tapes from high school. Oh wait I have already coverted those to CD.

jdriver

I've used it several times for books on tape.

soljc

I run my 20GB mp3 player through the tape deck, and it sounds pretty good.

JoganJani

They have kept TL as a very nice example of backward compatibility. You can play tape too.

spidey07

My TL has a tape player!

Learn something new everyday!

mlewbart

I haven't used it, but have a whole series of review tapes which I'll eventually listen to

savageTL

The TL is my travel car, so I use the tape deck constantly for books on tape and for listening to CLE classes on tape. So for me the cassette deck was a bigger draw for me since I am not into DVD-A given I am a old-school 2 channel purist who rarely listens to music in a car since to me it is lacking.

Vandy

rets

If Acura can provide the better device, such as MP3, it will be great. Otherwise, I don't mind using this tape cassette.

I do use them occasionally, besides XM and CD.

Norse396

Shhhhh, don't tell anybody, but it's 2004 and things sound better today. If you think an old 2 channel could hope to compare to the system in the TL then think of the word tone deaf and look in the mirror.

Now mind you, I would love an old Mac amp or Carver tube system, but 2 channel?!? Gad's man, you should come to my house some time and listen to some THX lovin Klipsch audio (not that Best Buy crap they're selling now), if after listening to that you're not convinced, I'll eat my remote!

ibeplato

there is one good reason for a tape player - books on tape has a much larger selection than books on CD.

TLGator

Of course, you could get radical and try books on books. I know, I know, it's a thing of the past, and who has the time anyway?

BLEXV6

A complete waste of space. I have it on my 2002 TL and I have yet to use it. It may not even work.

Nodoze2004

This is one area where Acura clearly needs to follow BMW's lead. On the BMW the tape deck is a zero dollar option that can be added, in all other cases it is rightfully left in the dust bin where it belongs. I am personally offended by it every time I see that stupid hinged door below that state of the art DVD-A deck, and the navi screen.

FOCK the tapedeck we want MP3!!!! The TSX offers it, why doesn't the TL???

-=¤willhaven¤=-

my iRiver MP3 will be hooked up through the tape player. hopefully i can find a cool place to put the mp3 player.

spidey07

ahh, I see you don't like music.

Unless you can back your old-school horn system with some good tubes and analog gear...otherwise putting brittle, poorly recorded DVD-A on such fine speakers as vintage klipsch would be a shame. But then again yours are older than 10 years and aren't the crap, peel your face off stuff they've been pushing for the last decade, right?

:tflamer:

Analog still dominates in my book, but SACD and DVD-a are a step in the right direction. Good reel-2-reel still sounds asounding.

SilverJ

My iriver ihp-120 sounds great thru the tape player...that was very important to me that the car has it. Books on tape are cool too

GaleForce

I like the asthetics it provides; just completes the center console instead of having blank compartments like the TSX. I guess its good for anyone who wants to use an MP3 player/tape deck or any other thing with a tape deck adapter. Also, some people listen to books on tape, which I find weird... its good for them too :p

caball88

hey what's up with all these books on tapes? they should really catch up with times and get books on cd. it makes so much more sense. you can use the tracks as chapters. maybe there is already books on cd, i dunno as i read the old fashion way. and if there already is books on cd why not use that instead?

greenseed

I'd prefer it if Acura decided to ditch the Cassette, and use the space to integrate a small hard drive for MP3 stowage, etc.

Honestly, I dont think I've listened to a cassette since 1989.

GaleForce

Some people need the casette, its not like it is hindering anything in the car. I am sure you can think of other things you don't use.

caball88

it doesn't hinder from anything on the car but could have been used for something like an mp3 player or even miniDisc(i know not many people use this now). but its the embarassment from people making fun of it that annoys me.

AirlineMuseum.c

Does anyone know if the amp has a separate input for the tape player? If that is the case, wouldn't it be possible to disconnect the tape player only and hardwire in an MP3 Player? I know there has been alot of talk about doing that but with disconnecting the XM input - doing it with the tape input makes more sense (unless you are listening to books on tape, but even then you could just have books on MP3!).
I'm thinking it has to be separate from the CD because that is 5 channel, and the tape is clearly 2 - no point in trying to convert 2 channel to 5 for the sole purpose of running both sources into one input.
Anyone know if this would be an easy mod? Better yet, anyone have the service manual that shows whether this is true or not?

Nukeman

Acura had to decide between Cassette or '8 Track' and I guess we're luck they didn't pick the 8 Track

TLGator

On the contrary, it seems to hinder my Pop Tarts from achieving their full, toasty warm potential.

GaleForce

OMG toaster in TL would be amazing. Cept for the crumbs. Would need some kind of crumb tray.

TLGator

Nope, let the crumbs land where they may. Over time, they would fill in gaps in the interior and all the rattles would disappear.

Frosted Blueberry is my personal favorite. General Mills had a stroke of genius going to the 8-pack box. Absolute genius. Maybe they should try building a luxury sedan. Theirs, I'm sure, would have a slot to accommodate Pop Tarts.

caball88

CD is 5 channel? i think the dvd-a is the only source that is 5 channel.

AirlineMuseum.c

Hmm, good point - I meant that as the CD mechanism (CD/DVD-A inclusive), but now that you mention it, they would have to send the CD 2ch sound in on one input and the the DVD-A 5ch sound in on another (which must automatically switch based on the type of disc in the player). I still believe however that the tape player would be hooked up on a separate input and should be able to be unplugged to allow for an aux source (MP3 or iPod).
Again, anyone with the service manual to confirm?

SilverJ

Good thinking airline museum...I bet your right. I am going to ask my dealer tomorrow...I would kill my tape for an mp3 aux in anyday.

Xpditor

The tape deck is one of seven audio sources that come with the TL (including singing to myself). AM, FM, XM, CD, DVD-A, Tape, Me.

As several mature people have mentioned, we like to listen to books on tape on long trips. Sometimes that's the only time I have to "read" the latest good books. I also use it to listen to tapes of seminars that I was supposed to be attending out of town when I was actually up to more nefarious pursuits. :devil: (Don't tell boss)

XP

tallrussian

I definitely use it! 3 words for you - "books on tape". My local library has a huge selection of books on tape, but almost nothing on CDs.

Books are great to listen to on long trips!

jtruman

Hey guys, you are forgetting tape deck is really the only popular way to connect to an external audio source.

On long trips, I take my laptop with me and play movies on the laptop (put the laptop in the middle right below Navi screen so everyone can see it), and the tape deck is a nice way to get the audio feed into the car stereo. I know there are those who connect a DVD player directly into Navi, but that's still the minority of people.

Also, given there's on integrated MP3 player, the only other option is to connect a iPod into the tape deck.

What would be nice would be an intergrated audio jack into the stereo system. I have only seen that on a VW golf in the past. Unless that practice is standardized, you'll always have a requirement to connect stereo to external sources...

savageTL

[QUOTE=Norse396]Shhhhh, don't tell anybody, but it's 2004 and things sound better today. If you think an old 2 channel could hope to compare to the system in the TL then think of the word tone deaf and look in the mirror.

Now mind you, I would love an old Mac amp or Carver tube system, but 2 channel?!? Gad's man, you should come to my house some time and listen to some THX lovin Klipsch audio (not that Best Buy crap they're selling now), if after listening to that you're not convinced, I'll eat my remote![/QUOTE

My friend, first my HT system has 7 Klipsch speakers (and none of their new stuff period, even their non-mass market stuff pales in comparioson to their classic line) they are all veneer matched Forte IIs signed by those who built and tested them, all powered by Carver TFM 55s and M4.0ts the bass is supplied by Tom Vodhanel's best a B4-plus powered by a Crown K1, so I understand the power of multi-channel sound.

BUT, no multi-channel audio begins to touch the presence and articulation of my Classe' (front and back end)/Totem Mani II/ B&W ASW two channel system (technically 2.1)*. Multi-channel will come of age but until the REs start mixing for purity and not effect it will be merely a novelty. You should come by my house and take a listen, you don't know what your missing. BTW THX is the biggest marketing gimmick since Bose did listening studys.


* this is not actually true, it was used as hyperbole, a multichannel system set up with equal quality of components AND properly mixed recordings could surpass my 2 channel system with music but that would cost more than a TL and still leave you lost in the recording department.

In the end I like neah I love muti channel audio, but as of yet not for music.

Vandy

savageTL

I agree and read quite a lot, BUT I spend huge amounts of time in my road car and for me I prefer books on tape to music since it stimulates my mind more and keeps me awake! As to the previos poster regarding selection on tape verses CD, although I have no idea about the selection if you buy them I check them out from my library and they have about 10 times the selection on tape. So for me at least I agree the selection was a big issue.

Vandy