Acura TSX Audio
My 2 week old TSX seems to have a too strong of an audio system for its own good! Whenever I listen to music that has even the slightest bass in it (even classical!) both door speakers seem to humm, rattle, and buzz. I tried to lower the bass- but it doesn't stop until you are in minus on the setting which makes the whole music experience somewhat lacking. Anyone else with speaker issues? Have you taken it in to Acura? Do they fix it?
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Damormino - I've done Dynamat installs myself. It's a sticky job, but not very difficult.
I hesitate to let installers tear apart the interior of my cars. They tend to break things and not tell you about it. If I break something doing an install, I know about it. I can fix it if necessary. When they break something, you have to track down the problem before it can be corrected.
JM2C
Sorry about the leather. I have ebony (black) leather in my MDX. I also had it in my previous MDX and my Nissan Maxima. The black always held up better then the gray leather I had in my Camry V6 XLE. I always thought it was related to the quality of the leather, not the color. But I think I will stay with black for my next car.
Finally, I decided not to buy the TSX because I believe, like you, that the stereo system is poor. Worse, since I would by buying the Navigation option, replacing the stereo would be a daunting task. I am suspicious as to whether the stereo unit really has to be replaced. I believe that a good fix for the speaker problem would be adequate. I also believe that this solution should come from Acura - as this is a design defect with the vehicle.
I really hope you can get this resolved. Other than the audio system, I think the TSX is a great car and a wise choice.
Last week I drove the TSX (drove the snot out of it actually!) and loved it. Great fun, and small enough for my tiny garage and narrow driveway. I played with the stereo on an earlier drive, and then only briefly, but I did not find it overly impressive. The stereo on my 97 1.6EL seems on a par with the 300+ watt TSX. I primarily listen to classical music. Is there anyone out there who has driven or tested a TSX with classical music? What were your impressions? My first impression is that the 80-watt stereo in the Forester sounded better. Maybe the plastic-coated spartan interior of the Subie is better for accoustics...?
There appears to be a problem with the speakers in the front door of the TSX. Specifically, the problem is with how and where they are mounted. The result has been described as "rattle", "distortion" and "vibration". Even the best speaker will sound terrible if it is mounted poorly. The TSX's speakers may not be great, but replacing them probably won't fix the problem.
There are many 80-watt systems in new cars that sound better than the TSX because of this. I would not doubt that the Forester is one of these. My 1997 Integra GS-R sounds better than the TSX - and it is only fair. The Bose system in my 2003 MDX is far superior to both.
The Forester probably has cheaper speakers and a cheaper stereo unit than the TSX, but if the mounting is better, it will sound as good or better. Furthermore, if you replace the speakers in the Forester with something better, it may sound really good to you. Something you couldn't do in the TSX because of the mounting problem.
I love the TSX and would be driving one today if Acura hadn't gaffed on the stereo. Other than that, there's not much do dislike about the car.
Has anyone compared the TSX's sound system with the current TL's sound? Is the TL's substantially better?
I realize that the handling of the TSX is more crisp and precise, but the discounts that my dealer is hinting at with the TL (along with Honda Canada finance rates, which of course do not apply to the TSX) are tempting from a finacial perspective. I have driven the TL but I paid no attention to the stereo at the time.
I did not get a chance to compare the TL-S's Bose system, but I am willing to bet it is noticably better than the TSX's system. I have read a lot of posts knocking the Bose system in the TL, but I have never heard any Bose system sound as stale and distorted as the system in the TSX.
When I get a chance, I will take a few CD's to the Acura dealer and post my impressions. I hope you will do the same.
Yes, the TSX's stereo front speakers will vibrate when hit with large amounts of base. We used Stravinsky's Right of Spring (my 4 year-old's suggestion...smart girl!) for it's range of sound and very heavy bass. Adding more treble helped, as did more fade to the rear, but it did not completely remove the vibration. Still, the sound was clearer than in my 1.6EL. And after the TSX test, the 80-watt stereo in the Subaru sounded like my daughter's Fisher Price cassette.
My wife is sold on the TSX. I was concerned about the TSX's traction in the wet. It was dry for our test, but clouds were beckoning, so we arranged to come back for another drive "if it rained". Sure enough, it did. The TSX out-handled the Forester in every respect in the wet. I have a new respect for traction control.
The rock-hard, unsupportive passenger seats in the Forester, especially in the back, were the kiss of death. My mother-in-law was audibly complaining about the seat on our way back to the dealer. Since she takes several 1 hour journeys with us during the course of the year, this matters!
I am an audio engineer, and I bring my own CDs with me to car dealers to test the sound systems before considering a car. I find no problem with the TSX sound system. Ours is very clean and clear, especially at the "live-sound" levels I like to listen at. Perhaps there was some assembly problem in the earlier cars? When I set up the system, I did find that the bass was pre-set to a very high level. Reducing it to +1 or 2 made the sound much clearer, better balanced and less muddy.
Also- I see some comments about the rear window vibrating - I don't see this either. Exactly when do you seem this?
My silver TSX is 4 weeks old today, and has sounded terrible from day one. I have tried all bass settings, and the sound quality actually goes from really bad to bad with less bass.
I checked, and my rear deck speakers are stamped Pioneer TS09534 (not my favorite speaker maker), the NAV/Radio unit says model 7GA0 on the front, and the car was made in 5/03.
Regarding the rear window shaking...this is really annoying and is clearly visible esp. during night driving at low or high volume levels.
If the Acura website is correct, the rear deck speakers a subs only, not full-range as the 4 doors are suppose to be.
I stopped by the Acura dealer on Sat to discuss the issue, and the Service Manager said just 1 TSX Owner has complained about the stereo rattles in the doors (esp the passenger front). He said their solution was to "add insulation" into the door panel, but not a product like dyna mat or some other sound absorbing material.
I will call Acura tomorrow and open a case on this.
How sad, it's even worse than a Monsoon? I thought that Monsoon I recently heard from a brand-new Wolfsburg Jetta in the show room sounded cheap, even if I dialed the mid-range all the way down to max the bass & treble.
I don't like the way TSX stereo sounds either, especially w/ that distorting bass, but does sound more powerful & not as cheap as the Monsoon.
Even a top-of-the-line Toyota OEM or a std Lexus stereo sounds better, & I'm not talking about Nakamichi or Mark Levinson.
Maybe the construction of the internal door panel and rear view mirror parts are cheap and cannot handle any bass.
Okay, now about the stereo. I've read a lot of posts about buzzing door panels and such when the bass and volume are cranked. I stopped by the local Acura house this morning with one of my favorite CDs, and sat in a TSX in the lot to try out the stereo. I turned the bass down to about +1 and the treble to +2, and it seemed to sound fine, with no buzzing at volume levels that would drown out most ordinary conversation. I didn't take it on the road, so I don't know if the combination of music plus road vibrations might cause the door panels to buzz.
The songs I used to test the speakers, btw, included Can't Hide Love by Earth Wind and Fire, and Strawberry Letter 23 by Brothers Johnson. Go ahead and laugh, but both songs, esp. the one by EWF, will show off a system's range pretty well. Overall, I'd say the TSX is probably about average for its price and class.
After I was done, I jumped back into my '96 civic with the Boston Acoustics speakers that I blew Mr. Bush's Great Tax Rebate on two years ago, and noticed that the TSX didn't sound quite as clear and natural as my aftermarket setup. Maybe that can be solved with a quick trip to Tweeter once I get the car. Anyone else out there replace speakers in a TSX yet?
I'm still hoping to get a Satin/Ebony 6sp. with no NAV by the end of the month.
By the way, the MOST critical speakers in any 2-way system are the woofers, not the tweeters(Woofer distortion is in the easily audible range, and tweeter distortion is not). They are also the most expensive, and the most likely to be compromised for cost. I think that we would all be surpised at the low cost that car makers pay for their speakers.
Most of Tweeter's stuff is what I consider a cut above Best Buy and Circuit City. It's where I got the B/A speakers a coupla years back.
But anyway, I'll give the sound of the TSX a chance to grow on me before tossing the speakers. The sound may be a bit hollow (wish the head unit had a mid-range adjustment), but I could learn to like it after a few hundred miles. A strong mid-range is important in the Civic, because of the abundant road and tire noise, but perhaps it will be less of an issue in the TSX, since it's supposed to be (and does seem to be) a bit quieter.
It is possible that a little extra dampening material in the doors can solve much of the muddiness problems. When a speaker has strong bass, the problem of the car parts vibrating and resonating can become very noticeable. I believe that you can read about this ad infinitum on the car stereo boards.
By the way - It is easy to boost your midrange - just cut the bass and treble, and raise the volume. The end result is the same as raising the middle, and you don't cut your equalizer headroom possibly causing distortion.
Thank you.
call me superficial, but i desperately want one of those displays with swimming dolphins and 20-set equalizers. anyone else like one, or own one?
I love REAL dolphins. But, not the ones on my stereo screen.
Note: we have a TSX without Nav. This line-in is not possible with a Nav equipped car from what I have read on other forums.
Craig
http://www.logjamelectronics.com/sounsnhond3.html
http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon03pcson.html
Craig
http://www.mp3yourcar.com
One note -- none of these devices will work if you have NAV.
Craig
Craig
Ron