If Acura has best Car Audio, which model is the best of the best? RDX? MDX? TLX?

[Steve Schoultz]

I have a 2022 RDX and I have never experienced Any issues with drives not being seen. Certain files won't play but those are 192/24 files. Also there is no gapless playback while playing files. There is a short (1second) gap between each track.

It's at the dealer and they are trying to replicate the issue. I just want to get it documented with the Acura engineers for a possible software patch. If the system would reboot at each start there would be no issue. I loaded the drive per Jon's instructions from years ago. No issues playing properly formatted files at all. It really just a minor annoyance, but it bugs me. Looks like you got a good one Bob.

 

[Steve Schoultz]

I have a 2022 RDX and I have never experienced Any issues with drives not being seen. Certain files won't play but those are 192/24 files. Also there is no gapless playback while playing files. There is a short (1second) gap between each track.

Does your system reboot each time you start the vehicle? For instance, do you see the all the startup screens each time you start the vehicle or sometimes just start playing immediately from the USB drive?

 

[Steve Schoultz]

Just happened with my loaner 2023 RDX

It appears the USB data line is hung and resets when the system reboots. Oh well…1st world problem.

 

[ddahl44]

I have a ‘21 TLX. I find that if I leave the drive plugged in when I stop the car then start it with it still plugged in it is more likely to hang. So I unplug it when I stop then puf it in right after starting the car and fhen it is much less likely to do so. The system “remembers” the last drive so it loads quickly. I bought a short right angle USB adapter so I don’t have to reach into the console and the USB adapter barely hangs out for ready access. Yes it is slightly finicky but oh that sound.

 

[KiloEchoNovember]

I can verify that the latest MDX system with 25 speakers is incredible, both in terms of clarity (much better bass, less boomy) and treble.. Makes my 21 TLX A-SPEC rather wimpy in comparison.

 

[Cygnus_X1]

To add my two cents worth, I've owned or tested all those Acuras and one thing I notice is that the smaller the vehicle, the better the audio system sounds. My 2013 TL ELS sounds way better than my 2022 MDX ELS, and a new RDX ELS was right in the middle of those two. I think the bigger cabin space is harder to fill with sound compared to a tiny TL.

 

[Infomas]

To add my two cents worth, I've owned or tested all those Acuras and one thing I notice is that the smaller the vehicle, the better the audio system sounds. My 2013 TL ELS sounds way better than my 2022 MDX ELS, and a new RDX ELS was right in the middle of those two. I think the bigger cabin space is harder to fill with sound compared to a tiny TL.

Which may explain why I love my '15 TLX. It's smaller than my 2012 TL but still sounds great when I have a good 5.1 mix in there.

 

[ProgRules]

To add my two cents worth, I've owned or tested all those Acuras and one thing I notice is that the smaller the vehicle, the better the audio system sounds. My 2013 TL ELS sounds way better than my 2022 MDX ELS, and a new RDX ELS was right in the middle of those two. I think the bigger cabin space is harder to fill with sound compared to a tiny TL.

That's the opposite of what I would have thought. My thinking was that bigger cabins would allow for more separation- the one thing I feel could be better in my '12 TL. But I guess I've got the best Acura sound then?

 

[Cygnus_X1]

That's the opposite of what I would have thought. My thinking was that bigger cabins would allow for more separation- the one thing I feel could be better in my '12 TL. But I guess I've got the best Acura sound then?

One great thing about our old Acuras is the fact that they could play DVD-Audio discs. I still have my 2013 TL because I can't bear to part with it, and I can't replicate playing a DVD-A in that intimate cabin in any newer Acura, including my 2022 MDX which has 6 more speakers.
Like I said, to me the RDX sounds better than the MDX, and I really need to try a newer TLX to compare to my TL.
BTW, I use high-res 5.1 FLAC audio files converted from DVD-A so that's not the bottleneck. Acura actually has an RDX demo USB stick that can be downloaded, but I can't seem to find the link. Here's a secret link with a bunch of 5.1 Acura FLAC files from their older DVD-A sample discs to test though. They used to give them out free with new Acuras.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1In0ioEBXQOJ-K4J0T-w_PF9ysk8jMDHK

 

[Infomas]

That's the opposite of what I would have thought. My thinking was that bigger cabins would allow for more separation- the one thing I feel could be better in my '12 TL. But I guess I've got the best Acura sound then?

Second best. The tlx is smaller.

 

[relaxing]

To add my two cents worth, I've owned or tested all those Acuras and one thing I notice is that the smaller the vehicle, the better the audio system sounds. My 2013 TL ELS sounds way better than my 2022 MDX ELS, and a new RDX ELS was right in the middle of those two. I think the bigger cabin space is harder to fill with sound compared to a tiny TL.

Is the soundproofing to cut road noise fairly equal across the range?

 

[Cygnus_X1]

Is the soundproofing to cut road noise fairly equal across the range?

Acuras are fairly quiet cars, especially the MDX. My 2013 TL is very quiet, on par with my 2022 MDX. I've tested the recent RDX and it seems to have a little more tire and engine noise than my V6 models.
Also, Acura uses Active Noise Cancellation in their vehicles which is pumped through the car speakers. I'm not sure how that affects the audio playback and I've seen a lot of discussions about that. I can turn it off in my MDX but I don't hear any difference. I never figured out how to disable it in my TL.
I do know that on very long trips in my TL, I would get ear fatigue even though the car is quiet and I would listen to music at normal volumes. Even my friend noticed it on one long trip. I always wondered if it was the ANC that caused that since I've never had that happen in any other car.