2019+ Acura RDX: ELS 3D Studio 5.1 Surround Audio System

[Clint Eastwood]

I am pretty sure the electronics and programming in this system was a little rushed! I will be very interested to see exactly what the "fix list" is for this upcoming update.

Did the "fix" ever materialize?...any update?

 

[JonUrban]

Did the "fix" ever materialize?...any update?

Fix made it worse!

 

[JonUrban]

Sorry for the momentary derailment, but was the ELS in the 2004 TL pretty good?
A friend is selling one.

Blast from the past:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...close-up-look-acura-tl-els-dvd-a-player.3357/

 

[MrSmithers]

Sorry for the momentary derailment, but was the ELS in the 2004 TL pretty good?
A friend is selling one.

Good bump Baggy... They don’t sell Acura in the UK unfortunately but I was intrigued because I recently tested a Ford Fiesta that had a Bang & Olafson 3D surround system... But... It didn’t work properly... So I think Acura, Audi, and Jaguar/Land Rover are the only cars that might work at the mo? Further testing needed at Ford...

 

[Bob Romano]

Sorry for the momentary derailment, but was the ELS in the 2004 TL pretty good?
A friend is selling one.

It was a sweet ride at the time and the sound system was excellent IMO. I've been with Acura for 15 years now... though with the recent debacle of their file only system and no gapless playback I may have to start thinking about a new company.

 

[JonUrban]

It was a sweet ride at the time and the sound system was excellent IMO. I've been with Acura for 15 years now... though with the recent debacle of their file only system and no gapless playback I may have to start thinking about a new company.

Fix made it worse!

The recent upgrade of the Infotainment software made the system a nightmare. It had its quirks out of the gate, but nothing that a relatively normal MS Windows user would not be able to handle. However, the software push they did in November really impacted the USB playback to the point where now it's 50-50 if it's going to work properly. Sometimes it does not see the stick, sometimes it gets stuck on one tune and nothing you do can stop it from playing it over and over, many times you'll be listening and the system will stutter, or worse, go back to the very first tune on the stick by alphabetical order, irregardless of folders or albums. (Mine always goes back to "A Day in the Life" from "Love". I am getting sick of John talking about more piano.

According to the word on the street, the issues are with Acura, not ELS, and they allegedly have a new fix set for February to un-fix or fix the fixes. We'll see. At this point, I would caution anyone seriously counting on the USB playback to work perfectly to hold off, or get a car without the .7 update.

The car itself is great, the 5.1 audio quality is great, but they really screwed the electronics up with the last update, and the USB playback and AM Radio (of all things) were impacted the most.

So, time will tell. Just a heads up.

 

[Bender]

The recent upgrade of the Infotainment software made the system a nightmare. It had its quirks out of the gate, but nothing that a relatively normal MS Windows user would not be able to handle. However, the software push they did in November really impacted the USB playback to the point where now it's 50-50 if it's going to work properly. Sometimes it does not see the stick, sometimes it gets stuck on one tune and nothing you do can stop it from playing it over and over, many times you'll be listening and the system will stutter, or worse, go back to the very first tune on the stick by alphabetical order, irregardless of folders or albums. (Mine always goes back to "A Day in the Life" from "Love". I am getting sick of John talking about more piano.

According to the word on the street, the issues are with Acura, not ELS, and they allegedly have a new fix set for February to un-fix or fix the fixes. We'll see. At this point, I would caution anyone seriously counting on the USB playback to work perfectly to hold off, or get a car without the .7 update.

The car itself is great, the 5.1 audio quality is great, but they really screwed the electronics up with the last update, and the USB playback and AM Radio (of all things) were impacted the most.

So, time will tell. Just a heads up.

 

[Bender]

So sad to hear of this. C'mon Acura. You are our only hope.
(btw-are discs really THAT bad?)

 

[Steve Schoultz]

Hi Jon or anyone else that has purchased the 2019 Acura RDX. I was wondering if there is any news regarding a fix for the recent “fix”? I’m eyeing the RDX as a replacement for my 2012 TL AWD perhaps next year. I can’t imagine not having multichannel audio capability as I’m really spoiled with the car I have now. Appreciate any updates you can provide. Thanks I’m advance!

 

[JonUrban]

Hi Jon or anyone else that has purchased the 2019 Acura RDX. I was wondering if there is any news regarding a fix for the recent “fix”? I’m eyeing the RDX as a replacement for my 2012 TL AWD perhaps next year. I can’t imagine not having multichannel audio capability as I’m really spoiled with the car I have now. Appreciate any updates you can provide. Thanks I’m advance!

UPDATE: Well, here's what they had so far -

Version 1.0.4 - Original version sold with the car. Worked pretty well, did have a few issues of losing sync when playing a flac and sending a tone to the speakers
Version 1.0.7 - First over-the-air patch. This is the one that screwed everything up. Definitely made it worse.
Version 1.1.2 - (Current as of 4/19/2019) Much better. Car Play and most infotainment issues have been resolved. Still no Android Audio. Once in a while it still does the screech.
The also improved the NAVI by adding extra features that were missing with the earlier versions, but these are features that should have been there in the first place.

Allegedly another update is imminent. We shall see. For those interested in the car, the car is great, the bugs in the infotainment system do not affect the car as a car.
Hopefully, the next update will add the Android Audio connection (for those looking for it) and fix the screech bug. There are documents posted in the Acura forum from the upcoming 2020 RDX, and in that stuff is all of the info for Android Audio.

As far as gapless playback, I am not holding my breath.

One important thing I don't think I mentioned earlier. If you like Apple CarPlay to use Waze or Google Maps, your phone will be using the one USB data port that allows input to the system, so you cannot use your 5.1 USB stick at the same time as you are using Apple CarPlay. It's one or the other.

Maybe QQ Member LennonCobain can chime in here as well, as he has one of these too.

 

[Steve Schoultz]

UPDATE: Well, here's what they had so far -

Version 1.0.4 - Original version sold with the car. Worked pretty well, did have a few issues of losing sync when playing a flac and sending a tone to the speakers
Version 1.0.7 - First over-the-air patch. This is the one that screwed everything up. Definitely made it worse.
Version 1.1.2 - (Current as of 4/19/2019) Much better. Car Play and most infotainment issues have been resolved. Still no Android Audio. Once in a while it still does the screech.
The also improved the NAVI by adding extra features that were missing with the earlier versions, but these are features that should have been there in the first place.

Allegedly another update is imminent. We shall see. For those interested in the car, the car is great, the bugs in the infotainment system do not affect the car as a car.
Hopefully, the next update will add the Android Audio connection (for those looking for it) and fix the screech bug. There are documents posted in the Acura forum from the upcoming 2020 RDX, and in that stuff is all of the info for Android Audio.

As far as gapless playback, I am not holding my breath.

One important thing I don't think I mentioned earlier. If you like Apple CarPlay to use Waze or Google Maps, your phone will be using the one USB data port that allows input to the system, so you cannot use your 5.1 USB stick at the same time as you are using Apple CarPlay. It's one or the other.

Maybe QQ Member LennonCobain can chime in here as well, as he has one of these too.

Thanks Jon. That is definitely positive news. Hopefully they will continue the updates to improve the infotainment system. I’ve read very positive news about the RDX itself. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the older model. I’ve driven those a few times as a loaner when my TL was being serviced.

 

[deepsky4565]

Will any other models get the USB 5.1 capability and or ceiling speakers in the 2020 model year?

 

[LennonCobain]

Will any other models get the USB 5.1 capability and or ceiling speakers in the 2020 model year?

I don’t know if Acura has yet confirmed any new generation vehicles launching for the 2020 model year. The MDX will likely be all new for 2021 and should have the ELS Studio 3D Audio System available. The TLX may be all new for 2020 if a sedan is of interest. It is highly unlikely for the ELS Studio 3D Audio System to appear in any existing models.

 

[salsdali]

I'm, just gonna say it. Can you go to a junkyard and rip these (or any of the ES systems) out of vehicles and they will install and play as a replacement headunit (sans speaker configuration) in my Toyota?

 

[JonUrban]

I'm, just gonna say it. Can you go to a junkyard and rip these (or any of the ES systems) out of vehicles and they will install and play as a replacement headunit (sans speaker configuration) in my Toyota?

I doubt it. Like most cars, the audio system is integrated into the entire system of the car, the heating and A/C, Navi, radio, disc player, etc. Integrating it into another car would be a real stretch.

 

[erebus]

Hi all, hoping to get some advice from those in the know. I'm probably buying a 2020 Acura RDX in a few weeks and look forward to enjoying some sweet surround action on the ELS system. Learning how to rip my SACD and DVD-A collection seems like a daunting task, so I decided to try this service called ******** They deliver the files in DSD or PCM format, so I'll probably have to convert the files to WAV or FLAC myself for playback in the car. I'm wondering what software you all recommended for the Mac platform. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bob Romano]

Hi all, hoping to get some advice from those in the know. I'm probably buying a 2020 Acura RDX in a few weeks and look forward to enjoying some sweet surround action on the ELS system. Learning how to rip my SACD and DVD-A collection seems like a daunting task, so I decided to try this service called ******** They deliver the files in DSD or PCM format, so I'll probably have to convert the files to WAV or FLAC myself for playback in the car. I'm wondering what software you all recommended for the Mac platform. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

So I’m no expert but I believe that would be an illegal service and unfortunately is not allowed here on the forum. Sorry.

 

[erebus]

So I’m no expert but I believe that would be an illegal service and unfortunately is not allowed here on the forum. Sorry.

My apologies The order form has a section you agree to stating "I certify that I am the owner of the discs to be sent for digital audio extraction. I will retain ownership of the physical discs as long as I retain the digital files. The files are to be used solely for my personal use." Seemed like a legal CD ripping service.

 

[Bob Romano]

I really think this is one of those gray area things that we try to stay away from. Thanks for understanding.

 

[JonUrban]

Thanks Bob. Unless the site works with your personal discs that you send them for conversions, it's an illegal deal. Even if you sent them your discs it's still probably a gray area. At QQ we ask that members don't link or point to this type of site.

Thanks for understanding