I have 08 TL-S. I supposedly has ANC. Honestly, I can't tell the difference between this car and my 05 TL. It's ALWAYS on right? I don't have to do anything special to activate it?

Anyone have any comments about it? Positive or negative. Or is this function just a gimmick?

 

I believe your radio has to be on.

I find the car to be VERY quiet, but thats compared to other non-Acura cars, not other 3G models.

 

I sometimes question if its working on my 07 TL TypeS

Lots of people say if you crack the rear windows going about 30 MPH, the microphone in the back will pick up the windnoise, and try to counteract it, and make it sound like a Jet Engine...

Mine doesnt do that, not sure if the conditions are not right or what.. I am kinda hoping that the Service manual has a "test" section to see if its working or not.

 

Is this true? Anyone else can confirm this?

 

Yes, radio must be on. After all, you are transmitting a noise cancelling signal through the amp and radio to quiet the road noise. The two signals "flatten" each other so it is not perceptable to the human ear. It is "active" noise cancellation, not passive, for you woofer fans.

 

I couldn't find anything in the manuals on the ANC.

As mentioned above, I believe the ANC uses the subwoofer and amp to create the cancellation signal.

This is why I believe the radio must be on. But, I don't think you have to have the volume up; you can set it at zero and ANC *should* work.

Now whether it's really effective or not .... .

 

It's funny how Acura is touting this technology but no one REALLY knows if it's actually working or not. I turn the radio off and on set at volume zero. I can't for the life of me tell a bit of difference.

Anyone have a tried and true test for ANC that can tell us definitively if it's there or not?

 

On the 05-07 RLs you can cover the mics and hear the difference. I don't know where the mics are on the new TLs. Radio must be on with the RL.

 

The purpose of the ANC is to automatically adjust the audio system (any source) volume as the ambient noise in the car gets louder.

I find that when I am driving and adjust the ANC (the last choice or next-to-last choice if you repeatedly press the tuning knob) I can tell the difference between off / low / medium / high. As I move from off to high the sound lets louder.

It is not a miracle cure.

I decided to leave my setting on medium.

 

I don't think that's Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). What you describe sounds like Speed Sensitive Volume Compensation (SVC).


.

 

Bear is correct. ANC is not the same as SVC. ANC is not adjustable.
Just gives you a quiet cabin to enjoy your best tunes in.

 

In the ceiling, front and rear. Pretty much the same as the RL.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I stand corrected. :-)

 

I was driving down the highway on a straight away where the road noise was pretty consistent. I turned on the radio and set the volume at ZERO. I listened for a while and then turned off the radio. For the life of me, I absolutely heard no difference whatsoever in the cabin noise.

Honestly, I would love to know if it's actually on and working. Or we just paid for feature that is probably not even there. Great marketing strategy really. Customer can't even tell if they are getting anything for their money and wont' even complain

 

^^ Ha! True. But then again, most buyers probably don't know ANC exists and/or don't factor it into the buying decision.

Regardless, my Manual Volume Compensation Noise/Rattle Cancellation works pretty good - but it only goes up to 40. BTW - it seems to be Auto Speed Senstive too - the louder it is, the faster I go.

 

People with aftermarket amps have lots of problems with their TLs trying to cancel the noise with stronger and better subs, and make more noise that it tries to cancel... (so it makes alot of noise)

So it does work...

 

Turning the radio on/off does not matter. it is on all the time

From: http://www.hondanews.com/categories/735/releases/4212

ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION™

In order to provide a quieter driving environment during highway cruising, the TL Type-S uses Active Noise Cancellation™ (ANC), which is designed to dramatically reduce low frequency exhaust booming noise in the interior. The system operates whenever the car is running, regardless of whether the audio system is on or off. There are two microphones in the headliner, one in the front passenger cabin with another in the rear. The microphones capture low-end frequencies entering the cabin and then send a signal to the Active Noise Cancellation™ unit hidden in the dash. The ANC control unit then creates a precisely timed reverse phase audio signal that is sent to an amplifier, which powers the door speakers and the subwoofer positioned on the rear deck.

Since the system is designed to cancel low-frequency sound, it doesn't use any of the audio system's tweeters. The system dramatically reduces low-frequency "booming" by an impressive 17 decibels.