I know every single owner and journalist praised the MDX' audio (in general the ELS system for the entire Acura lineup) and had nothing but great things to say. SG always says Acura got one of the best audio systems (a source that I trust a lot). Today, when I read the news about "Acura and Bang & Olufsen™ Launch New Premium Audio Collaboration for All Future Acura Models", I will be honest, I felt sad! Since 2004, Acura vehicles are having one of the best sound systems in their respective segments. It's always a pleasure to listen to the music in my TL and MDX. I am not too sure about B&O as this is going to be more mainstream, whereas the ELS was dedicated to Acura and Elliot used to put a lot of effort to make it better and better. I asked Jon River and he is positive that it will be better....

What do you guys think?

https://acuranews.com/en-US/releases...e-acura-models

 

This would have made more sense back in 2008 as part of Acura's plans to move upmarket into the luxury segment. But given that Ikeda recently said they're focusing more on performance than on luxury, moving to a luxury nameplate like B&O instead of continuing with the best bang-for-the-buck ELS system is a headscratcher.

Maybe the Panasonic contract was up and the new proposed terms were unacceptable, and Harman gave Acura a much better offer. If this was indeed a business decision, I don't think we'll ever find out or get a straight answer.

 

Totally agreed! I just don’t see the need, unless it’s cost effective or there was a disagreement. That said, ELS announced the following a few hours ago:

”In case there is any confusion...ELS STUDIO Premium Audio remains on several Acura models for many more years. Stay tuned for exciting news regarding our next award-winning adventure. #acura #acurazdx #zdx”.

This clarifies there is no disagreement but could be different partnerships.

 

If we're speculating, it could also be that the Lyriq interior was designed acoustically for the AKG system, and if the ZDX adopts a lot of the interior then trying to shoe-horn in the ELS system could be suboptimal. AKG and B&O (auto) are both made by Harmin, after all.

 

Mod should merge the two threads on this topic.

My two cents:

1. The press photo is apparently the A pillar shot of ZDX. The general shape and design look exactly like Lyriq, so I think the upper dashboard on ZDX will look a lot like its cousin, minus the widescreen infotainment.
2. In the press photo, the bulge in the front has to be the trim piece surrounding the right side of the infotainment screen. The red part is interesting, is it ambient light (unlikely) or colored trim/leather on Type-S?
3. Maybe overthinking, but the response by ELS social team basically confirms there will be a new Acura model with ELS system sooner rather than later.
4. I feel there has to be a broader tie up between Honda and Harman group with this switch. We shall know in the coming months if Honda switches to Harman on audio and maybe digital cockpit. Also could mean ICE models stay ELS and all EVs will be B&O.

 

I initially thought this as well but since Acura is a relatively small car manufacturer, I think it would be tough for them to carry contracts from both Panasonic and Harman. BMW goes from HiFi to Harman Kardon to B&W in order of increasing audio quality. The catch is that all audio packages still fall under the Harman family for BMW.

If Acura does eventually fully migrate to Harman/B&O, I think this would be a tough sell for prospective buyers (B&O is not a cheap package as any folks from Audi or Volvo can tell you). The 3D ELS system was one of the few things I actually enjoyed in my '21 TLX and will destroy a lot of the good will from back when Acura was one of the few car makes that supported DVD-A.

 

Can't ask for more....Look at their partnership!
I chatted with Jon River, who is a very well respected execs from Acura and he is very positive about the new partnership. I think no one can deny the fact that ELS is one of the best systems out there (and the best if we consider no price increase from from Acura, just upgrade to tech package and you get the ELS). As someone following and owning Honda/Acura products for 20+ years (my fam has Hondas forever), and we all know they have made some bad decisions due to financial market, Honda's vision about Acura or whatever you want call it. But since summer 2018, things have changed for Acura. Third generation of RDX has started a new chapter for Acura brand.

RDX
TLX
MDX
Integra
The rebirth of TYPE S
And now a new partnership with B&O in the upcoming EV - ZDX!

I am sure if we ignore the emotional aspect of ELS, as we all love it, I am sure Acura has made the right decision. Finally, this is not going to happen overnight and will take years to come...so ELS + B&O = TWO of the best! Enjoy!

 

Acura never gives up any opportunity to push its brand go upmarket.

 

Yes, an admirable quality for any car manufacturer! I just hope they don't price themselves out of their core market. Upsetting the "Honda graduates" just leaves folks also shopping the Germans. For all the "badge hunting" comments out there, I'm still waiting for the day when folks become less superficial.

 

Agreed! I would say recently Acura is really pushing to produce some great cars, design, high-end material, but still undercut the Germans by a few thousand of dollar. Now that Infiniti fell behind, it's helping Acura But on the other hand, Genesis is pushing their brand with crazy features and still cheaper than Germans and almost same as Japanese pricing.

As mentioned earlier, things are looking great for Honda/Acura....can't wait for the new RDX and RDX TYPE S!

 

Lexus was able to do it, but that's because their hard product and soft product supports being Tier 1. Acura's ICE cars frankly haven't because of the aformentioned lack of a V8 and RWD, but the transition to EVs negates all that.

I just hope they don't take the soft product for granted and they improve the minimum standards they set for dealerships. Buyers are going to balk at paying Tier 1 luxury prices for an Acura product in the SF Bay Area when the dealerships here are Honda Plus at best.

 

Twenty years ago in the 2G TL sub-forum, both me and the mods were complaining that Acura had no upgrade path available for then-existing Acura owners who wanted to move upmarket to some more luxury and more powerful vehicles. The lame performing Legend/RL/RLX was the flagship Acura then. These owners had no choice but to move on to European luxury brands.

Now in 2023, the situation remains the same. Acura still has no viable upgrade choice for those existing Acura (such as MDX Type-S, TLX Type-S) owners who wanted to move upmarket to some even more luxury and even more powerful (400+hp) vehicles. Again European luxury brands are the logical choices.

 

Cars with the Best Sound Systems in 2024

1. ELS
Acura offers its best sound systems in upper trim level models. The carmaker joined forces with Panasonic, a company known for its speakers, cameras, TVs, and other technology. These speakers first became available in Acura vehicles in 2004 and have evolved ever since. The 2024 Acura TLX A-Spec trim level and above comes equipped with 17 speakers and the new ELS Studio 3D Premium Audio System. The Acura MDX offers the same quality sound system for SUV drivers but with 25 speakers on the Type S Advance trim.

The new and improved Acura Integra also offers the ELS Studio 3D Premium Audio System in their A-Spec Technology trim level, but the system only features 16 speakers as opposed to the TLX 17.

The 2024 ELS Studio 3D Acura sound system brings an advantage over its competitors. Grammy-winning music producer Elliot Scheiner, an audio engineer for artists like The Eagles, Sting, Foo Fighters, and Queen, tuned Acura’s unique system to feel like a sound studio.

2. Bang & Olufsen (Future Partnship)
Audi partners with the Danish luxury speaker and electronics brand Bang & Olufsen. In addition to Audi, Bang & Olufsen partners include Lamborghini, Bentley, Aston Martin, Ford, and Genesis.

The sound system boasts a 3D Advanced Sound System as its top-of-the-line system. The highest level Audi audio system comes with ICE power amplification technology. This system includes 1920 watts of power, Advanced Vehicle Noise Compensation, and tweeters rising from the dashboard.

Regardless of the Audi model you select, this sound system is available for an upgraded fee. If you desire a more affordable luxury car with a great sound system, the 2024 Audi A3 is one of the least expensive cars in Audi’s fleet. The upgrade will add a few thousand to your final price, but you’ll still have an affordable compact luxury car with great audio.

https://www.autotrader.com/car-shopp...xQoi5J5FPHy8io

 

There's no chance Acura's putting "rising tweeters" into their future cars (too exotic for Honda/Acura)!

ICE amps are nice but I'd be surprised if Acura is able to incorporate nearly 2000 watts of power (just about double the MDX Type S 25 speaker system power) into their cars.

 

Kind of a weirdly written article that sounds like it was written by ChatGPT. For instance, it makes claims like:

And why is this even in the article:

 

The author's bio is even stranger:

"Austin Morris is an author specializing in editorial writing. He is an avid car enthusiast, and his favorite car is the Tesla. When he is not writing about cars, he can be found watching sports. His favorite sports to watch are basketball, football, and soccer, but he is open to watching any sports games that are on when he is watching tv. Despite being born and raised in Atlanta, he is not a fan of any Atlanta teams."

His bio might as well say, "Yes, I'm human!" Websites seriously phoning it in these days!

 

Well at least he's a real person:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-morris11/

Looks like he's an aspiring sports journalist who's an SEO Specialist for Cox (they own autotrader). That explains the article; it's not well-written but is rife with SEO keywords to get ranked high up in search engine results.

 

ELS and B&O are always on the top of the list. Amazing Acura partnership with the best in the industry. Older article but nothing has changed...ELS and B&O are always there
https://carbuzz.com/features/cars-wi...nd-system-2023

 

If the GLS was my DD, I would've gotten the 4D Burmester upgrade (we have the standard Burmester). The biggest knock on my current X3 is I picked a car off the lot w/the standard HiFi audio system. I probably went from one of the best to one of the worst audio systems in a car!

 

What's BMW's standard audio? If I am not mistaken, BMW uses Harman Kardon? 4D Burmester is sick!

 

In the US, standard audio for BMW is called the "HiFi system" (I'm guessing it's also sourced by HK but barely over 200W). You need to add the Harman Kardon package to get something halfway decent.

For BMW, you have to go all the way to the X7 in order to have a chance to add the top of the line Bowers & Wilkins audio system!

 

B&O is not always the best. It’s merely a licensed label that’s owned by Harmon Group. B&O automative was spun off from the rest of B&O many moons ago. B&O, AKG, JBL, Mark Levinson, Revel, HK, etc. are all just different brands from the same company. Case in point, the B&O system used in the Bronco is god awful. Worse than most base systems. But Ford paid to slap the B&O name onto it.

The independent labels are where there’s consistency. ELS/Pano, Meridian, B&W, Burmester, etc. Anything from Harmon Group (which is now owned by Samsung) can range from shit to great, depending on what the automaker wants/pays.

 

Correct! But except Ford, I have never heard a single bad review about B&O. If you see my post #7 above, all those brands, again except Ford get always positive feedback about their audio systems. Bose is not consistent....that I hear mixed feedback all the time.

 

Now it’s confirmed, after the ZDX, the B&O will be introduced to MDX with new infotainment

2024 is going to be a busy (in a good way) for Acura.

1. ZDX will be available
2. MDX significant refresh
3. RDX significant refresh
4. New SUV, ADX or CDX

The redesigned TLX got some goodies, so no complains. Finally, Teggy is winning left and right 🥇

 

Its Harman for god sake.

 

QFT! I own a Harman Kardon 330c, HK made some great products until they eventually got bought out by Samsung.

 

On this general topic of high end audio systems in cars. often (most?) many of the named systems are engineered/designed but the final product may be manufactured by some other company. Other times it may only be a trademark name which was licensed or purchased or agreed to making certain requirements (to uphold the trademark name which IIRC Marantz did). To say it's gotten complicated is a understatement. I remember when Bose systems were initially manufactured by Bose for some GM vehicles but Bose didn't understand car audio environment well so there were alot of stereo failures in some GM Bose vehicles. IIRC later Bose allowed Delco (today Delphi) to manufacture under license their amps and did alternative speaker manufacturers.

FWIW, my brother's ex-wife is a Danish designer and knows some Bang & Olufsen personnel and some of them are amused by their prestige. In the high end audio world B&O are more often associated with their sleek stylist design more so than their audio sound production. For high end audio there are many names that reflect true high end sound production, Mark Levinson, McIntosh, Krell,...

But do I think the optional Krell audio system for the Acura RLX was designed and engineered by Krell? Probably not, most likely a licensed name but built with very high end Panasonic components and most likely with class-D amp's for efficiency and thermal management.

 

About the nicest thing I can say about HK when they made receivers back in the day was that they were honest about their power output per channel when everyone else was taking great liberties or lying through their teeth!

 

Samsung buying out Harman has changed nothing. At least in the aspects I care about the most. Harman Luxury Audio still has the development budget and the RD department led by Dr. Sean Olive has been untouched.

Well the other thing that is different is the current crop of Samsung sound bars are fanastic and neutral measuring products because they have utilized the vast research from Dr. Floyd Toole and Sean Olive.

As a Harman Luxury dealer and audio enthusiast I care a good bit about the topic.

 

Agree that folks get too hung up on brand names vs what that "name" actually brings to the table. The consolidation for brands into Samsung and a handful of other companies means we are facing car audio oligopolies so "we get what we get and don't get upset"!

At least one of my Pioneer Elite receivers (SC-25) at home have B&O ICEpower amps (Class D) but Pioneer eventually moved on to develop their own tech. I trust name brands as it applies to home audio but laugh at folks who think they have high-end audio in their car. Upgrade thousands of dollars to the Bower & Wilkins audio for BMW or the 4D Burmester system for Mercedes and then you have my attention!

I built a fairly decent home theater system ($10k in 2005 dollars), got a part-time job as a home theater equipment salesman, bought more junk, and have largely slowed down 20+ years later.

If these car companies want a chance at halfway decent audio, they should hire Swedish company Dirac to perform in-cabin correction to tune their speakers using machine learning software (like I do on my current Denon receiver). This would replace hiring an Elliot Scheiner or in collaboration with such an individual to ensure a great sounding product!

 

Have you considered working w/Dirac for car audio?

 

I have not but very much have enjoyed Dirac Live Bass Management on many AV Processors, about to get my hands dirty with Dirac Live Art on an install we have in Texas this week.

 

I've been reading the thread. B&O (Harman) are providing the hardware going forward, instead of Panasonic. I don't see anything here that prevents ELS from being involved with the tuning of this new system from B&O. That would be one likely explanation for the ELS response mentioned above. ELS has always been the ear behind the system tuning, but I've never seen any hard tie in between ELS and Panasonic, or Pioneer for that matter (RDX system).

 

I just saw the new QX80 is going to have Klipsch built-in speakers. Is this a first for Klipsch for car audio?

 

Yup, (Vomit emoji) I can't think of a bigger turn off at that price point. No offense to fans of the orange cones, but they do not make a good product.

 

To be fair, it's built by Pano and probably just branded with the Klipsh name with some degree of tuning (much like Fender, ELS, etc.)

 

Yeah, they can't be real Klipsch speakers as there aren't any horn tweeters!

 

One Canadian Reviewer, Motormouth has praised the B&O audio system Happy to hear that Acura did not make a bad decision here by changing ELS.

 

I've looked but haven't found any info. Do we know if the B&O supports 5.1 audio?

 

I'm surprised nobody has tested that yet since the ZDX is in stock at dealers.
Charlie at Daily Motors / DM Sound on YT tested the B&O in recent Audis. They passed the 5.0 test but failed the 5.1 since the LFE subwoofer channel was also sending sound to the center channel speaker, which would not happen in a true 5.1 system like the ELS. I imagine the Acura B&O will be similar to that.
I might just go tomorrow and test one myself, that's going to determine if I buy a slightly used MDX or splurge for a new one. I assume the B&O in the ZDX will be comparable to the upcoming MDX as far as features. If I do, I'll post the results here.