OK, I pick up my 2003 TL-S tomorrow. I know the stock system pretty much blows.

In my last car, I kept the stock HU and used line out converters for my amps. Can this be done with equal success in the Acura TL-S?

If I run dual line out converters from the speaker outs of the stock HU, I should be able to add aftermarket amps, subs, and speakers....right? It worked great in my Mercury Cougar. I'd build it from scratch if there were aftermarket kits available, but it seems that the aftermarket manufacturers haven't caught up to our needs yet.

It's nice. Look in the window and all you see is the same old stock bull****. Click the on button and sit back for the best asskicking your ears ever had.

I'm also thinking to install an MP3 RF changer in the rear.

Can you post a link to a wiring schematic of the stock system?

Thoughts?

 

well congrats on the tl-s purchase and to answer your question... yes you can use line out converters to aftermarket amps and speakers....

here is a link of the stock radio wiring schematics... (click on the link in the bottom left corner...)http://users.adelphia.net/~krisnlore...o/spkframe.htm


also you may want to look at this link for an alternative to the rf changer.....
http://www.acura-tl.com/forum/showth...threadid=47823

 

Yes, you can use line out converters...but with one major caveat: Bose adds an EQ module to the HU after the preamp but before the power amp. The EQ boosts the highs substantially to try to compensate for the fact that the BLose speakers are full range, and lack a tweeter. The EQ also rolls off the lows below 60 Hz.

As a result, if you use LOCs to feed an amp powering decent speakers which include a tweeter, it will be WAY TOO BRIGHT.

Iggy and Southbound figured out how to bypass the EQ, but again there's a caveat: some folks have picked up engine whine after doing so and it has been difficult to isolate the cause and remove. See TopGum's recent postings regarding this issue.

Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

 

I was planning to bypass the entire thing. Can't you just get your signal from the HU before it goes to the EQ?

I'll have to look at the schematics that have been posted to see what's up.

I just ordered two sets of the Polk DX6s. Typically I would have gone for something higher end but the reviews I've read on this site and others make the Polks sound like a hell of a buy. I figure they'll get me where I want to be once they've got some real juice hitting them.

 

Sure, you can use the line outs before they hit the EQ as well (although there may still be potential engine whine and other noise issues to deal with - just letting you know of the potential pitfalls!)

The only reason I mentioned the LOCs is that your original post asked if they could be used!

 

Yeah, as egilsrud has explained, you can use the line outs BEFORE the EQ to feed the new amp... BUT YOU WILL LOSE THE FADER FUNCTION. Also, these line outs are balanced with a floating ground which makes unbalancing them to connect to an RCA connector difficult. When doing so, engine whine and noise is definitely a problem. Also, the open inputs of the now unused EQ unit need to be terminated in a very specific manner or the subwoofer feed which is also fed from the EQ becomes unstable and tends to motorboat or oscillate or become abnormally boomy, etc...

Acura/Bose defintely didn't make it easy to mod their worthless system... HOWEVER, IT CAN BE DONE! But there are very specific concerns that need to be tackled. Some people have been more successful than others in beating the BLOSE system.

I would suggest that you USE THE SPEAKER OUTS to feed LOCS to your aftermarket amp AFTER you have bypassed the EQ. This will give you the fader control back, and will provide the easiest and least noise suseptability approach. Properly bypassing the EQ will also keep the subwoofer feed from becoming unstable... Iggy and I came up with a preferred method to bypass the EQ which eliminated the noise/whine problem in his and my car. You do lose about 6db of gain in the bypass, but the aftermarket amp should be able to make up for that. The POLK DX6s will sound a LOT nicer than the stock speakers especially when driven with some real power. Also, There will be no need to do the mods on the speakers themselves if you bypass the EQ and add an extra amp. But as you say, once you go to that level of an upgrade... there are other speakers to choose from... but they don't all fit as easy as the DX6. So they are still a good "bang for the buck".

BELIEVE US... YOU ARE IN FOR MORE FUN THAN YOU MAY HAVE WISHED FOR... BUT YOU CAN EVENTUALLY OBTAIN A GOOD SOUNDING SYSTEM IN THE TLS...

Welcome and CONTRATS on your new TLS!
Good luck!
Southbound

 

well if you're going to change out everything and the only left is that crappy stock HU..might as well get rid of it....that stock HU suck balls. Find some aftermarket HU..make the job much much easier and much better sound quality. Some aftermarket HU has a s/n ratio of 105 and some even 108!!! Stock is probalby 80 max... yuck!

 

Since I didn't listen to the stereo when I test drove the car, I didn't know just how bad it is. Both my brother and I started laughing our butts off after listening.

Thanks for all of your input so far. I'm sure as I begin digging I'll come up with new questions.

I'd really like to dump the stock HU for an aftermarket HU and EQ combo but without a dash kit, that seems like a lot of trouble. I need to read the posts on bypassing the stock EQ and getting the new gear installed properly.

I do love the car. The Anthracite Metallic looks friggin awesome when the sun is shining!