| SOUND QUALITY | 9 |
| ERGONOMICS | 7 |
| NAVIGATION | 8 |
Key Features
* Best DVD-Audio sound available
* Also plays CD, CD-R/RW, MP3/WMA
* Nearly double the amount of power of the previous ELS system
* Increase in number of speakers but decrease in overall weight
* Rear surround speakers mounted high on the C-pillars
* Aux-in and adjacent 12-volt plug for easy iPod integration
* Bluetooth hands-free capability
* No rear-video option
* Bass skews rearward on lowest notes
* Confusing audio controls
Acura was first out of the gate with DVD-Audio when the company introduced the ELS Surround system as standard equipment on the '04 TL. Other manufacturers soon followed suit; and now the high-resolution, multi-channel format is found in many other luxury vehicles, even though DVD-Audio discs are almost nowhere to be found in record stores, which are also a dying breed. It's an interesting paradox: While audio is going high-end in high-dollar cars, the majority of mobile-music lovers are turning to iPods and other portable formats to bring their tunes on the road. So it's an interesting time for Acura to introduce its next-generation DVD-Audio system in the 2007 RDX crossover utility vehicle.
The RDX system is also the second generation of ELS Surround, named after Elliot "Els" Scheiner, the Grammy-winning producer of surround recordings by The Eagles, Foo Fighters, Steely Dan and others. But rather than simply lending his name, Scheiner also lends his in-studio expertise and was actively involved in the design and tuning of the system. Panasonic Automotive, meanwhile, supplies the hardware, which in this case has been significantly beefed up and simultaneously slimmed down.
For example, the RDX system includes 10 speakers as opposed to the TL's eight; and power has been bumped up from 225 watts in the TL to 410 watts in the RDX. The speaker array consists of a 6.7" midrange/woofer in each of the vehicle's four doors, a 1" soft-dome tweeter situated near each A-pillar, a 2.75" midrange for the center of the dash and two additional 2.75" mids positioned high on the C-pillars on either side of the tailgate as rear surrounds. An enclosure for an 8" subwoofer is hidden behind the passenger-side wall of the cargo area. Except for the subwoofer, all of the speakers use neodymium magnets to significantly reduce both their weight and mounting depth.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the TL's original ELS package and the updated one in the RDX is that the system is no longer standard equipment. It's part of a $3,500 Technology Package option that also includes Acura's HandsFreeLink for use with Bluetooth cell phones and the AcuraLink Satellite Communications System with navigation and XM NavTraffic service. A 7-speaker Acura Premium Sound system with a 6-disc CD changer and XM Satellite Radio now comes standard.