Acura's new partner is IMPRESSIVE... but here's why it's bittersweet
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2023
- #Acura #ELSstudio #bangandolufsen
Acura is leaving one of their most iconic features after nearly 20 years of collaboration. Here's why I'm sad but excited at what the future will bring.
Sources:
acuranews.com/en-US/releases/...
www.acura.com/els-studio
/ @dailymotorsound
www.youtube.com/@ELSStudioPre...
corporate.bang-olufsen.com/en...
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Acura is trying to fix something that isn't broken. There was nothing wrong with ELS. B&O isn't going to make them a "luxury brand." They need a RWD platform, hybrid drivetrains, expand the product line, etc. But that would cost real R&D money.
You severely over estimate the intelligence of “luxury” car buyers. They will eat this up and ask for more.
I couldn’t agree more. The Nsx was a huge flop because they didn’t do the car right. New Corvette E-Ray just launched a copy of the Nsx idea and ste flying off dealerships
Bring back the Legend and Vigor badges and make a full sized suv
I have seen a Honda V8 . Why Acura/Honda isn't using it hurts my mind. I'd love to see an actual Honda big boy pickup truck , a revamped RLX to sit alongside the Beamer, Merc, Audi, but most of all bring back the legend name to rival the big @$$ SUV family haulers 😫😭
I’d rather have the ELS honestly, can almost guarantee the B&O will cost more with a negligible change in quality
ELS is just as good as B&O if not better, especially with 3D Studio
B&O is indeed an excellent sound system. But ELS was unique for Acura, like Lexus's Mark Levinson.
I'm surprised that Acura's new speaker supplier isn't Sony
Maybe Honda gets Sony?
One of the first things I thought.
Not too surprised tho tbh, Sony isn't really a luxury audio company. Maybe a luxury subsidiary of Sony.
@@Nhxn_ Sony is kind of like one of those underrated brands similar to ELS. Its brand isn't prestigious, just like ELS, but Sony recently has made headphones with superb sound quality and Sony has a lot of potential to make speakers with superb sound quality, especially if they partner up with a luxury/premium car brand.
@@Blank00ELS is prestigious. Elliot Shiner is a legend and it’s an Acura only
Wow, Elliot Schiener. He did lots of work with Steely Dan and many of their records. He's one of the top recording engineers in the world.
B&O is awesome but im really going to miss Acuras els system
The bowers&Wilkins in the volvo is one the best. B&O is not bad. But the ELS 3D was good for what it worth
I own a 2020 RDX with ELS and a 2023 Pilot Elite with Bose. ELS system hands down the best sound system in a car I’ve owned - good balance of highs, mids, and solid bass. I find the bass in the Pilot’s Bose system too boomy in the cabin. If the bass is dialed back then it’s way too little bass. Hard to find a sweet spot with the bass tuning.
B&O as an option often costs 5K+ extra. I'd rather invest that 5K for better home stereo system and focus more on the road while driving.
Depends, most people spent a lot of time in their vehicle, so it's worth it for some.
I already have a great home studio setup with some beastly Yamaha speakers.
I think that this is a sign of Acura trying to move upmarket! Honda and Acura have always had the opportunity to do much more than they do now, but Honda’s management and leadership over in Japan is so dang conservative. It’s like the new Honda is too scared to do anything, they are too risk adverse. I hope they give North America more freedom to do projects as far as R&D and the budget that they give.
True their managements under mibe bit less innovatives, they are too afraid too take risk
@@seogabonotjah6555 This isn’t the Honda Motor Co of old. Honda has historically never had to play catch-up to the Koreans and even Toyota, they’ve always out engineered their whole class of vehicles, yet now they’re behind. They no doubt still have some of the best engineers in the world, but they don’t have a opportunity to show what they can do because current management are more of bean counters. What has always made Honda so impressive is how small they are and their vehicles never had (still don’t) reflect how small they actually are. Toyota makes Honda look like a street vendor.
I hope but I can’t expect much from them
@@chezzyperson3339 They have to nail their upcoming E&E architecture or they’ll be in trouble. They’re already behind in electrification and started their R&D way later than other manufacturers, so I’m hoping them taking there time means that they’re coming with something good. What I do know is, Honda has some of the greatest engineering teams in the world, so if given the proper R&D budget, they’ll nail it. They’ve invested $64 Billion in EV R&D through 2030, so I hope they put it to proper use.
I think they went to B&O to save cost.
One thing to remember is that Bang & Olufsen has multiple levels to their audio systems - the ones branded "B&O" (in Fords, for example) are the lower tier. Systems branded with the full "Bang & Olufsen" name are the higher-end systems. And then they have special "Diamond" systems like in the high-end Audi and BMWs.
I have an ELS in my 22 MDX A-Spec and it is hands down one of the best sound systems I’ve ever heard, with that being said the B&O will probably sound great to, they wouldn’t just get rid of a great sounding system if the other one didn’t sound better, if not comparable.
SavageGeese measured the Mazda 3 sound system being the best (and better than Integra) in the economy car class.
All these brands/technologies are in a constant state of flux. What once was, or has been, is not necessarily a lens into tomorrow. Saying that one brand/system is better (mostly subjective) does not mean that a competitor can't leapfrog to new heights. My question is, why is Acura making this change? Contractual agreement disparities? Costs? Brand recognition/image? Could be a blend of these things and others. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.
maybe ELS not quite sold yet bit too expensive caused only acura used * lexus used mark levinson but thats another story. Well missed those 3d audio of ELS but hey this is not the 1st time changing audio system.already used Krell then going to Bose to ELS now with B&O.
Yes, I absolutely agree, even though the ELS in my 2022 RDX A-Spec Elite is absolutely fantastic sounding, sometimes it lacks volume.
Most underrated audio system in a normal car from factory was the Shaker system found in the Mustang not too long ago. There were two levels of Shaker systems for the Mustang and even the cheaper one was amazing...still my personal favorite factory audio system that I have owned (for a car).
BANG AND OLUFSEN in a premium brand like ACURA will HELP them tremendously! honestly! Acura did the RIGHT MOVE! Harman Kardon audio systems are no JOKE!
They can be a joke sometimes. ALL of Acura’s products with the ELS sound System Rank better than other brands with “B&O” such as Audi, “Harmon Kardon”with BMW and Even “Lexicon”for Genesis. It has been a known Fact with journalists that ELS performs better than B&O and in some cases Bowers and Wilkins in the MDX Type -S ADV
@@ZAR.E.O what! Lol 😂 bruh it s subjective! I’ve heard ELS systems and yes they sound good…. But they don’t sound as amazing as other systems in other cars….
My 2018 RLX SH-AWD I feel like I can get my krell audio loud enough to where it can hurt my ears. But the woofer will sound distorted. Also if you turn it up to loud the system will shut off. 😂
My 2022 TLX lacks volume. It’s the only gripe I have with it. Sounds great, well balanced too, however I often wish it had more to give.
Jon Rivers (Acura's product planner) said himself that Acura would NOT have gone with Bang & Olufsen unless it was better than ELS. Apparently Acura got B&O to create there own system in the MDX Type S and it blew that system out of the water. I would've preferred to the Bowers and Wilkins though
It got beautiful sound and crystal clear turn up the volume. Els speaker have special sound to them
I Had a Audi A3 S Line that had the Bang and Olufsen till this day the best system I had the base and how loud it went is hard to beat I have the ELS on my Integra and its awesome but you are correct it can be a little louder!!!
Great video Kirk, and I have to say Honda has never had very loud sound systems (which has always drove me crazy (pun intended lol)), when I've own honda products and driving with the windows down the sound would always be drown out by the wind, so your hearing is probably fine lol.
Why do you think Acura is making this switch in the first place? Is it because of brand recognition? Is it because of a change in Panasonic's business model as they shift from consumer products to business products?
I was wondering the same thing. I think there is more distinction with having ELS vs B&O. I mean Ford has B&O. Panasonic has been fading from the consumer side for a while so who knows.
I still want an Accord Type-R. Such a pity not getting that.
I would've liked if Acura went with Kef they are in lotus vehicles right now and it would've been cool to see Acura use a brand that's not in a lot a of cars right now also Bower's and Wilkins would've been cool to
I have Burmester in my Porsche 718 T. It cost over $4000 extra. It was sooo worth it. Sometimes it is a great option to get top top. My Burmester has no practical volume limits.
My wife has a 2019 RDX Advance, and I have a 22 MDX Type S Advance. They both are a great sound system for a car. I primarily use flac audio (lossless) via USB. My ONLY complaint about the system is the inability to use Android Auto or Apple Car Play concurrently with USB. This was not an issue with the Kenwood aftermarket system I put in my previous car. I don't mind the trackpad. There are some other oddities, like the system "forgetting" what I was listening to via USB, i.e. several albums from one artist, sometimes the system does not select the next song in the queue, and dumps me out to the to the root of the filesystem.
I love the els system. Gonna miss it.
The first generation TL has tweeters on the ceiling on both sides of the front overhead lamp.
Have to turn the sound up to 11!
Audio performance for cars is the result of good sound deadening, proper acoustic treatment, tires used, and sound proof windows. I've never sat in a Bentley but i bet that thing is like an anechoic chamber on wheels. Add a 1500 watt RMS amp and 15 speakers, now you got a nice sounding system.
Hopefully they will support .flac files on usb. I found it tricky to get high quality audio files on my 2019 TLX
Els already made a statement and stated “Just to clarify, we will be riding with several Acura models for many more vears.” On one of there blogs
Yep. Every current model will keep ELS from my understanding. Every redesign going forward BnO
@@KirkKreifels acura just need to make sure they get rid of that touchpad!!!
@@JayJay-he9bkThey already started that process, starting with Integra
@@Blank00 the integra has Els
@@JayJay-he9bk but no touchpad
Honestly the only sound I care about in my car is the exhaust.
Els branded Panasonic supplier is leaps better than the bang Olufsen harmon kardon embrella junk.
No way it'll be as good as the bespoke Panasonic. The harmon kardon owned companies are all the same tier across the board.
The meridian, bowers & Wilkins, kef, sonus faber, krell, dynaudio, and accuton out perform harmon kardon systems.
Duuude I couldn’t agree more. The other systems all sound the same. They Lack the Depth from Music. Harmons for the most part sound a little Flat to me
@@ZAR.E.O flat is a good thing, it's just all the systems by Harmon don't Excel at anything compared to the competition and just slap the vender name on it.
Good point, in the end it was probably a deal done to reduce R&D costs
It's also possible Elliott Schneider is retiring from the biz and did not want to continue. He is in his 70s after all.
I was told hes not retiring.
I get it wanting the next level of stereo volume. I like to wear my music sometimes.
I can tell you having 19 speakers in my A5 Sportback, you can get ear piercing sound with crazy bass.
I’m honestly shocked that they’re ditching one of the Main reasons why you would buy an Acura for the price. The ELS ranks better than other systems in its class and to replace it with the same system that other brands use ; Which to be honest , Don’t even compete with ELS. It is just mind boggling to me that they would consider B&O . The Q5 has B&O and it doesn’t even compare with the RDX ELS
It depends on the partnership and frequency response. So far I haven’t found an audio system that is comparable to my home speaker setup. Hell, even IEMs nowadays have a more coherent signature than shoving random dynamic drivers all over the vehicle.
It is much easier to create a cleaner, more rich sounding experience in a quiet isolated place like your home. Try in a vehicle with all the road/ wind noise and it can be a challenge. That being said , Kirk mentions that other systems can be Sound Louder and not Better; which is a key thing to remember when talking about ELS. The audio Quality and immersive that it offers
@@ZAR.E.O Indeed, which is why I’ve stopped caring about audio systems in vehicles.
Wow Bang & Olufsen, BMW, Audi and Aston use their systems.
Acura see Mazda,Kia,Hyundai and Genesis making moves
So Panasonic to Samsung. My 20 RDX has ELS it's so good it really just depends on when your putting throught it. As an example yesterday I was playing a new song by Kool and the Gang titled "we bring the party" on TH-cam music it sounded like garbage ecspecially on the highs even after retuning it just for that song. So I then played it on Spotify and it sounded slightly better possibly due to the higher encoding they use. The system usally sounds brilliant 98% of the time. So I'm hoping B&O can bring better sound processing if anything because it seams to me the speaker hardware is practically perfect , something just got lost in how the audio was processed.
TH-cam Music might use a different master than Spotify and may use variable bit rate over fixed bit rate. I always test these audio systems with flac files.
Any speaker manufacturer can make great sound systems. JBL for example has super cheap systems but they also have over the top speakers that would put to shame any other brand. If you put in enough time with modeling the sound and building the car with proper materials, you’ll get a great sound system. Sound output can be increased by using more efficient speakers or increasing the power or increasing sound deadening. Often times we perceive distortion as being loud. That’s not necessarily the case. You can easily have high output controlled sound if you throw enough power at a speaker specifically designed to handle the extra power.
JBL and B&O are under the same parent conpany
Honda should be bold just like they were with 10th gen civic and Accord by introducing the turbos and especially the accord 2.0t which was a masterpiece. I feel like Honda’s last generation was the best.
Whether it’s B&O, Levinson, Bose, ELS, etc it’s 90% name badging. They will have these brands put in their tuning input but actual manufacturing and implementation is utterly a different story.
Really curious on why theyre making this change. Someone saying Panasonic moving away from consumer goods is a good reason. I also think it’s the name recognition. No one knows what ELS is outside Acura people.
I'm hoping that Panasonic's business model change is the reason. If it was because of brand recognition, then it's a sign of Acura following the crowd and losing identity
I think ELS was a better partner, them, Mark Levinson, and B&W were the only partners that deliver exceptional sound at all price points. Bose, B&O, and Harman Kardon are all tarnished by the fact that in cheaper vehicles with these systems they rarely sound better than, and sometimes sound worse than stock/unbranded systems. There are good implementations of those partners, but nowhere near the care and attention that the higher tier brands put into their engineering.
Not all B&O's are created equal. Case in point, the ones found in some Ford products like the Explorer sucks. However, if it sounds anything like the ones in Audi, then they've made the right decision.
The ELS is good but still is Panasonic, can’t compare to Lexus with M Levinson or Genesis have Lexicon. The very last RLX had Krell audio and it’s fantastic however it is expensive. Hopefully Acura will have again on the MDX type S soon
To all complaining about dropping ELS, try to explain it to the regular customer who ELS is. Can they buy an ELS system for their home? Headphones? Portable? Might as well stated Acura Premium audio because I bet the surveys customers sent back showed the majority did not know who or what ELS is. B&O will do fine, they can copy the specs from ELS, it was nothing proprietary and Panasonic went on record stating they did 90% of the tuning and ELS did the last 10%
I'm not sure this is an upgrade actually. The B & O systems can be very cheap sounding in some brands. My currently Tlx Type-s ELS is still a good system, but my previous TLX Elite had a better stereo so I'm not convinced ELS is improving either.....granted the mdx system is far better. I don't know, we shall see.
In those famous words "Give me Yamaha or Sony, or give me Death!"
B&O is just another HarmonAudio brand in its herd of at one time standalone audio companies. For example, Mark Levinson Audio, well the real Mr Mark Levinson has not ben associated with the company for decades. Today, most of the audio brands are just for marketing perception.
I only need myself a good Pioneer sound system.👍
Acura should’ve had an RDX Type S in like 2010. Competition is needed, SQ5 has been out for over a decade!
These stereo systems for cars are not actually made by the name brand. It is just renting their name, with some approval by the brand owning firm. Most car systems have evolved to too many speakers, which drives up the cost. The amount of echoes and reflections caused by the curved surfaces in a car makes it very hard to make accurate sound. People are idiots about speaker systems. I wish the car designers would optimize for sound system, as for me it is the 2nd most important aspect of comfort in a car after the seats.
Awesome
My ELS is bombastic enough for driving, at 40% volume. I might go louder at a party or at home, but I don't want to get too immersed in the music and/or distracted while navigating the roadways. People do this and end up in a ditch or a head-on collision. A lack of situational awareness on the road makes one a prime candidate for the annual "Darwin Awards".
Future cars are getting more similar personally don’t think branding for speakers sells no one know what mark levenson and it’s top tier
I hope they sound better than the ELS then and they dont get the bottom of the barrel systems from B and O because they arent a European brand
Having Harmon, or B&O branding means almost nothing. They will put their label on high end systems just as quickly as they will on garbage. At least it seemed like ELS had standards.
$66k USD for the Nismo Z... Have you seen that from Japan yet? 9,200,400 Yen
B&O were in my mustang in 2019 and it didn’t meant sh@t unfortunately. They really aren’t what they used to be and have been sticking there name on anything for a good while now.
Samsung owns Harman, who licenses the B&O name for automotive audio systems. Samsung doesn't own Bang & Olufsen.
I used to love my various Acura vehicles back in the late 80's to early 2000's (& various Honda Si like the CRX & Prelude), but I hate all their current styling, turbo engines & such now. That stupid, tacky basketball-sized front Acura grill emblem alone is even enough to make me walk in the other direction. So, neither Acura or Honda is even on my list anymore when I'm shopping for a new vehicle. They managed to lose a lifelong customer that drove nothing but Honda/Acura (all manual) from 1982 until 2010.
B&O doesn’t have nearly the brand cachet anymore that certain business brains seem to think it does. They’ve had ten+ years making overpriced also-ran Bluetooth speakers and headphones and slapping their branding on things like HP computers. Nobody thinks a $600 HP Pavilion is “premium” because it has a little B&O logo on it. Acura may as well be advertising a Polaroid branded sound system.
Much ado about nothing. Changing sound systems is only news when the rest is lacking. They have put some real effort into the MDX Type S and the new Intergra Type S is really nice, but I don't see anything else exciting coming from the on the ICE side of the house. It's time for Acura to finally put forth a true luxury product, but at this point it needs to be an EV. The TLX Type S and the PMC version is really nice too, but Acura just doesn't compare to the leaders in the luxury car space.
Never felt impressed with els when I had my 07 TL type S
I'd rather ELS to keep it JDM
Only problem it has it’s over priced. The amount of weight that it carries per performance. It just doesn’t do it for us again I speak for the masses. Trust me when I tell you if you really wanna know what people want you need to just ask me and I’ll tell you.
This is worst than ELS. As a sound guy, everyone rips B/O systems out of Fords and Audis. It’s total garbage.
bo still will be lower in qa
This is an example of how Acuras really stepping up their game. They’re really trying hard to compete with the best in the segment. Hats off to them
It’s not hard to compete with the best they have been doin g that in different. Ways. It’s the marketing. ELS was named the best in car audio by several publications. Elliot Shiner is a legend
@@rahimi4762 agreed. Some brands simply can’t compete with the best.
I hope Acura get's rid of the ancient trackpad and the mess of a incoherent center stack. I don't this will change soon because Honda is pouring billions into EV batteries and vehicles.
They started that process eith the integr
What a shame. The Acura and Hondas of early 2000s had awesome stock sound and you didn’t have to pay extra. What a shame.