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Acura TSX Audio

118 messages,  Last post on Oct 02, 2012 at 6:10 AM

You are in the Acura TSX Forum.

What is this discussion about? Acura TSX, Audio, Sedan

Messages Page 1 of 12

#2 of 118 Speakers by rlsf

Jul 02, 2003 (8:08 pm)

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?

#3 of 118 Speakers by elrod03

Jul 03, 2003 (8:01 am)

Replying to: rlsf (Jul 02, 2003 8:08 pm)
My TSX also has excessive bass but I don't mind lowering the bass level to negative 1 or 2. It sounds fine at that setting. I listen to music fairly loud and haven't had a problem with rattles that I've noticed.

#4 of 118 Speakers by damormino

Jul 03, 2003 (5:41 pm)

Replying to: elrod03 (Jul 03, 2003 8:01 am)
Rattling Speakers is why I haven't purchased the TSX yet. I have driven three so far and all had very disappointing sound - even at medium volumes. I'd gladly trade their 360-watt crappy sound for 80 watts of premium sound. I am guessing, and I am not alone on this, that there are three problems with the system. First, the speakers are very cheap - made of paper, I think. Second, the door mounting is inadequate. Third, there is a plastic sheeting inside the door that rattles when the sound comes out of the speakers. Several people have mentioned that you could coat the inside of the door with Dynamat (a sound absorbing material), but that's really a job for an installer. The consensus is, unfortunately, that the TSX sound system is a big, big disappointment. I guess I'll have to wait and see what they do with the 2004 TL.

#5 of 118 new speakers? by mikearlma

Jul 04, 2003 (3:38 am)

Replying to: damormino (Jul 03, 2003 5:41 pm)
I love my TSX, love just about everything about it, except the speakers. I've been thinking about replacing the speakers to get better sound. Went to Tweeter, etc.. and they told me to get a substantial upgrade to stock sound system, I should put an amplifier and new speakers in the front only (over $1000!). With 300+ watts, it seems like I should only have to put in new speakers. But it's been a long time since I put new speakers in a car and I am a novice in this area. Any advice???? I don't mind spending a few bucks, but over $1000 seems excessive. What do I need to spend to get it from bad to pretty good?

#6 of 118 by varmint

Jul 04, 2003 (5:05 am)

Replying to: mikearlma (Jul 04, 2003 3:38 am)
Tweeter will sell you as much as they can. Try new speakers first. If that doesn't do the trick, then you spend more money for an amp.
 
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 =)

#7 of 118 Re:Defected leather and poor sound system by damormino

Jul 11, 2003 (11:20 am)

You didn't say why the sound system is poor. I am curious about this because the sound system is why I did not buy the TSX. I don't want to pay $27-$29 for a car like that and have to tear the system out - especially when it's integrated with the Navi on some models. But I thought the stereo sounded cheap. Specifically, there was lots of distortion from the door speakers - even at medium volumes. I've since heard that the speakers don't use standard mounting, so they may be hard to replace. I have also heard that the problem isn't just the speakers, it's the way the door is constructed. All adding up to a problem that is hard to fix. Let me know what your specific grips are and I'll forward them to a contact I have at Honda.
 
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.

#8 of 118 Sound System by leftfield1

Jul 14, 2003 (7:32 am)

Replying to: damormino (Jul 11, 2003 11:20 am)
I agree that sound system in TSX is far less than advertised. In addition to speaker quality, I have problems tuning in FM stations clearly. I had no problem in either of my previous Accords, but now the FM stations fade in and out on a consistent basis.

#9 of 118 Your Accords had real antennas by id888

Jul 14, 2003 (3:55 pm)

The TSX FM antenna is integrated into the rear glass. While that improves the lines of the car, I wonder if it negatively impacts reception.

#10 of 118 Re: Sound system by damormino

Jul 16, 2003 (10:09 am)

The jury is still out. Usually replacing the speakers will make the most substantial improvement in sound. But early reports on the TSX indicate that some of the distortion is related to where and how the TSX speakers are mounted in the front door. Apparently there is some film inside the door that is "excited" by the speakers. Ironically, this film is in there for sound insulation. But if the film "rattles" any speaker will excite it. The volume behind a speaker asks as the speaker box. If that is inadequate, you'll almost always have problems. A closed speaker, with its own box might work, but I don't know of any available to fit the TSX front door. The mounting for the speaker is nonstandard. Instead of a standard screw-mount pattern, the nonstandard speaker clips in.
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.

Messages Page 1 of 12

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