yano_jl

I just purchased a 2004 Acura TL with Navi. As you all know, this car has received rave reviews from all over the world for having a premium sound system as standard equipment.

In my opinion, this stock sound system is lacking. For one, I have to turn the treble way up (and turn down the bass) just to hear any highs (XM/FM/CD). I have read postings where other '04 TL owners say they also push their treble up. Additionally, I don’t hear a clean separation between lows, mids and highs. The whole thing seems to be a muddy mix, especially at higher volumes. And finally, the characteristics of the sound changes across volumes. I hear different tonal qualities at low volumes than I do at high volumes.

I had configured my previous car (a Honda) with all aftermarket gear; component speakers, Amplification, etc. I may have become a bit “spoiled” by having premium sound in my cars thus far. But, I can’t help it. I love music, and I can tell when something is crappy about my system.

So here is where I need advice. I'm not sure if these issues are related to the speakers or amplification. The tweeters are on the dash and look very difficult to access, so I have concerns about speaker/amplifier installation. Should I be?

If anyone out there has installed aftermarket gear, I would like some feedback (excuse the pun). Any advice about improving this car’s audio would be greatly appreciated.

Dutchml

Yo, audioPHILE!!! I think the source material makes a big difference. I've heard some incredible sounds from some DVD-A's with stock speakers. Unfortunately, the speakers can also bring out some crappy sounds, too, including DVD-A's that were mixed by some half-wit trying to sell a few more disks.

dseag2

I know what you mean, Yano. I've heard it as well. DVD-A rocks... sounds even better than the Mark Levinson system in my past Lexus. XM sounds pretty good, although the sound varies from song to song. CD's sound inferior even to the BLOSE system in my Infiniti.

Unfortunately, I haven't looked into changing out speakers or amps. I'd really be afraid to modify the system. My solution... going this weekend to buy more DVD-A's. Good luck, and let us know what you end up doing.

spidey07

Its a very revealing system and a poor recording will sound poorly...just like it did in the studio.

Sonic

I notice the sound quality is not very good too. Even with XM, some stations sound better than others. You're right about the muddy mix between bass and treble. May be the speaker quality is not very good?

spidey07

try a well recorded CD, the sampler DVD audio.

for a real treat tune into channel 71 XM, watercolors.

spidey07

wish I could edit my threads...

anyhoo, there have been some member do some aftermarket stuff.

I don't know if we've figured out a good way to replace the speakers or if it would even make an improvement because the entire system was matched and voiced specifically for the TLs acoustics/interior.

dseag2

Thanks for the tip on XM Channel 71. I'll give it a try. I can use some decompression music in rush hour traffic!

yano_jl

Thank you all for the advice.
It seems that the group opinions on the sound system are of two schools of thought:
1) People whose previous car had lesser quality audio love what they hear in the TL.
2) People who have prevously invested in a quality aftermarket system seem to be more critical or the TL.

And as far as the custom matching speakers/amp to the acoustic interior of the car; I am of the impression that Acura spent more time designing the marketing materials than the actual audio system. Although I can't call it bad, I personally do not feel that the sound is as good as described in the brochures, web sites, or sales pitch. IMHO

Oh, and one final thought. I have searched this forum for similar threads and I actually found one where a TL owner described a "break in period" for the speakers; around 600 - 1000 miles. I personally have NEVER heard of such a thing. But, as I have not yet passed that period, I don't have any evidence to dispute it. (it does sound kinds silly though).

spidey07

Yano,

Like all things audio there is a difference of opinion. I personally own a 15 thousand dollar two channel stereo composed of only two speakers, a pre-amp and SACD player. My goal is good tone most importantly (a piano sounds like a piano, a sax sounds like a sax, etc), second comes overall balance and seperaton of insturments and the ability to pick out each and every one if needed and at the same time they are all tonally accurate.

The TL stereo does that better than most of the aftermarket systems I've installed (has to be hundreds as I did it when i was in college)

so all I'm saying is that speakers do break in (but it generally doesn't take much time. could be 10 hours, could be 20)

Go to your local high-end stereo shop and take a listen to some of their nicer systems setup in their own room. then compare those to what the TL offers. You'll find stricking similarity.

ensley696

Its interesting that Acura is going to use a Bose Sound System for the new 05 RL. Wonder if that would have made a difference.

boltjames

Yano-

You are correct.....the system is very lacking in highs and midrange. What I do is crank the treble to max, set the bass to the halfway point, and crank the subwoofer to one notch below max.

By doing this, I find that the highs and mids aren't overwhelmed by the bass and that the sub makes up for the bass that I've deliberately have cut out.

CD's being as 'bright' as they are sound much better than the XM or FM could in the TL. As for Bose, it's all marketing. Having owned many Acura Bose OEM systems, I can tell you that the TL's Panasonic system sounds just as good/bad as the Bose ones.

BJ

spidey07

once again you prove yourself to be a complete and utter bullshit idiot.

please leave.

boltjames

Forgive me, I forgot. Kentucky is the epicenter of audio fidelity in the United States. All ex-car stereo install assistants from Kentucky are experts on the sonic characteristics of the 2004 TL. My bad.

No one is buying DVD-A's for their cars. They're listening to compressed XM Radio and burned 128 kbps CDR's. The original poster appears to live in the real world with the rest of us- I don't know where you live. Oh, that's right. Kentucky. The epicenter of audio fidelity in the USA.

Clearly, in your Kentucky expert presence I am incapable of offering an opinion. However, I've owned 5 Acura Legend / RL's / TL's in the past 14 years with factory Bose / Panasonic systems. They all behave the same way. You lower the bass, you raise the treble, and (in the case of the TL) you up the sub. Problem solved.

Listening to "Watercolors"? Good advice there. Listen to bad music that sounds good in the TL instead of listening to what you like and adjusting the knobs to make it sound better. There must be a place where they do that. Hmm. Oh yeah. Kentucky. The epicenter of audio fidelity in the USA.

BJ

spidey07

I won't give in to your games, only say that anyone who feels the need to crank the treble or bass is immediately dismissed from anybody who has ever installed stereos.

Your opinion is now worth nothing. And the fact of the matter is you have no idea what you're doing fidelity wise by doing so.

if you have to lower the bass and raise the treble then please go get your hearing tested. I'm not joking on that.

boltjames

I just love supposed purists like you. Keep the bass and treble set to flat, just like those vendor funded audiophile magazines tell you to.

You spent $15k on an audio system and force it to sound like an AM radio? Good job Mr. Kentucky Audio Expert!

Does it matter to you that millions of people appreciate the bass, treble, and subwoofer controls on their devices? Those 'loudness' buttons on all those receivers.....they're there for a reason.

Every steak tastes better with some salt, pepper, and Montreal seasoning on it. Bet you eat yours plain and blame the meat if it's not too tasty.

BJ

dseag2

Completely agree on the bass/treble/sub settings. Works for me, too. I find that too much bass distorts the overall mix of sound. Also agree on the Bose, as I've had it in many past cars... everything from Acura to Inifiniti to Audi... and was pretty underwhelmed.

Xpditor

No highs.
No lows.
Must be Bose.
Bose blows.

Someone on the FreshAlloy.com (Infiniti forum) showed pictures of the cheap, paper speakers they pulled out of their new G35 Coupe with the $900 upgraded Bose audio system. Yukk!

The main complaint of those folks seems to be the poor quality of the upgrade audio systerm (Bose). They say to save the $900 as you can't tell the difference anyway.

Those of you who set the bass midway, turn the sub up a notch and the treble a bunch are surely aware of the power considerations.

Bass takes the most electical power since the magnets and cones are much bigger. The tweeter will work with very little juice.

By shifting the spectrum higher and attenuating the lower frequencies, I believe you are freeing up some nice clean wattage that will allow higher listening levels without distortion. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Take it with a grain of salt. I'm not in KY.

XP

Vtecne

My fix: I added a 12" JL Audio 12W3V2 with a JL 250/1 Amp. My treble is up to six (one notch bellow full) and my bass and sub are at half. The sound is now incredible... I personally don't crank up the stereo to full blast (I am trying to keep my hearing for my old age). I try not to go over volume notch 34. One thing that I found out is that OEM Stereos lack in sound quality due to poor internal components and speakers. Therefore you have to turn the treble up in order to compensate for the lack of quality. The TL stereo is over average but not good enough for a true audiophile. The only things you can do are adding a sub and use the stock speaker for primarily you mids and highs. It takes time to find the perfect balance but it can be done. My .02 Cents worth.

Neil

criss

Should have seen the crappy Alpine paper cone speakers I pulled out my MDX with a "Premium Bose sound system". Replaced them with some Infinitys.

I can tell you the TL sound system is much better than the Bose system in the MDX.

zexi

The stock system is the BOMB for the money.. The high end is there , just depends on the recording, IMO

Aegir

If your not happy with it, you should change it. IMO, I would start with speakers. This is a generalization, but new car receivers are typically at least decent and the weaker link is typically the speakers. Since you are concerned with the highs, I would start with the six speakers used for stereo channels and see if that does the trick. There are more expensive options if that isn't enough, but they all probably include new speakers, so it makes sense to start there.

999999

I visited my installer today and got some info regarding my current '99 and upcoming 2005. I'll post in a bit.

TLGator

I know people have issues with BJ, and perhaps it's true he's been banned. But his initial post in this thread was entirely sincere, free of insults or wisecracks, and intended to inform and provide an opinion. Here's what he wrote:

It's fine if you don't agree with him. But in this thread, YOU attacked him first with the above highly inflammatory and unnecessary reply. Maybe you're right, maybe he knows nothing about stereo, but I know LOTS of people who crank the treble all the way up and prefer it that way.

If you think BJ's behavior is in general unacceptable, then you not only lowered yourself to that level with the above comment, you took several steps further down the cesspool.

jbeck620

BOSE makes car stereos for many different models of cars...and from what I've heard (Nissan Maxima, 2nd gen TL and Infinit G35) there are differences in the amount of treble and bass in each. Mine (the Maxima) has the opposite problem of too much treble and not enough bass. When I crank up the bass and turn down the treble, it sounds deep and rich. I think that BoltJames and the haters on Bose need to listen for more than loudness, though I agree that there is sometimes the need to change the settings.

Some Bose equipped cars suck, such as the NSX, and some may not be sound staged correctly. There was a lot of time put into the ELS TL system for sound staging so the driver and passenger get the sweet spot of the sound. If you do not believe in 'sweet spot' try listening to computer speakers behind them or to the side, it sounds very different.

That said, the BOSE systems are clearer than most and sound rich and deep (with a quality recording, of course!!!!) and the true test is how well you can distinguish the true sound of an instrument. I agree with Spidey07 that saying BOSE is just marketing shows a lack of understanding about what sound fidelity is. It is not "how much a system bumps": the usual goal of aftermarket tuners, but how close to original sound of the instruments and vocals the sound system reaches.

Honestly, BJ, if you cannot tell the difference, stop hating and get your head checked.....maybe bumping all that loud music has ruptured your ear drums. :noob:

jbeck620

yeah.....I stand by what I just said....but hopefully i won't be booted from team camel for it. :sqnteek: