Luxury Car Premium Stereo - High-End Audio

Sound OffAverage scoreAudio: 6.7Ergonomics: 6.5Navigation: 7.8

Chris YatoAcura is known for offering the "best bang for the buck" in the world of luxury cars, and the new MDX is no exception. Acura loads up the MDX with many audio and entertainment features uncommon at its price point. After listening to some of my musical test tracks, it was immediately apparent that the audio system, while pleasant, is not the strong point of the MDX. The 8" subwoofer does not provide enough output to keep up with the rest of the system. While the DVD-Audio tracks sounded the best, regular two-channel sources were a little hit-and-miss. The navigation system is intuitive to use but has a drawback in that it doesn't allow touchscreen input; rather, you must use the "interface dial." Although I had a couple nits to pick with the audio and ergonomics, I have to say that overall the new MDX is a dream come true for the technologically advanced family on the go.

Eric HoldawayWhat a confusing, complicated and hard-to-use audio system! The controller interface makes the experience an aggravating time at best. The saving grace of this system is that it does sound pretty decent for a factory system. It has the typical problems of all factory audio systems that I have ever listened to. It doesn't go down very low and it doesn't go up and make the really nice highs. It also has the OEM crutch of cutting the bass in loudness as you turn up the volume, giving the system an odd feeling - a very annoying trait in my opinion. Given all of that, I still liked the way the MDX sounded; as a matter of fact, I thought it was the best sounding of the three systems we looked at. I really liked the fact that the system uses real 5.1 surround playback. It can add so much to the listening experience over regular stereo. The system gave a nice sense of space and the imaging and staging were good with the center image at the center of the dash and not skewed over in front of the listener.

Casey ThorsonApparently, ease of use was not a high priority for the folks at Acura. From the second I sat in the MDX I couldn't get over the number of buttons and knobs on the center console stack. Intimidating, to say the least. Moreover, the buttons are too small and difficult to read. I found it confusing that the large interface dial at the bottom of the stack controls several vehicle functions along with half of the audio system, while the remaining audio control is done through two specific dials and surrounding buttons. Then there is the "Rear Speaker Power" button that, when illuminated, actually shuts the rear speakers off along with the sub when using the rear entertainment system. Replace the word "Power" with "Defeat" and it starts to make sense. My initial thoughts were that the ELS system was pretty good sounding. Tonally it was nicely balanced and it imaged fairly well. But staging was a different issue - there was no left. I felt that the soundstage started directly in front of the driver's position and went far right. Vocals recorded in the right channel were too often sucked down to the door. This right bias was aggravating, but the lethargic bass emitted from the rear sometimes overshadowed it. The sub performance was lacking in bass definition. To make matters worse, the sub level adjustment on the radio doesn't allow for sufficient gain from this speaker. The system wouldn't allow Dolby PLII to be selected on certain CDs and the DVD player doesn't permit use from the front console. Also, the audio screen doesn't match the aesthetics of the other displays in the dash. However, it does play 5.1-audio and had impressive tonal balance with PLII on or off.

The vehicle is mechanically top-notch, but, of course, the electronics in the passenger compartment were what really caught our attention. The top of the line model with the Technology, Entertainment and Sport packages comes with almost everything you could ask for. The Acura navigation system with voice recognition and traffic information (via AcuraLink which uses XM's NavTraffic) displays mapping on an 8-inch screen, which pairs up with a backup camera. The housing for the camera on the trunk door is bulbous and on the unsightly side, but functions well enough. Overhead, a 9-inch monitor flips down to play DVDs from a player in the front console, though you can give rear passengers full control. They can listen via the entire system or the included wireless headphones. Obviously we recommend you take full advantage of the 410-watt Acura/ELS Surround Premium Sound System that provides discrete 5.1-audio through 10 new lightweight speakers in the cabin. You get CD/DVD-Audio/DTS playback, AM/FM, XM Satellite Radio and Acura's iPod link, not to mention the in-dash 6-disc changer. And finally, you also have the Bluetooth mobile phone interface for hands-free talking. In its price range, a little under $50,000, Acura just may have the best overall technology vehicle on the market.

In terms of features you can hardly complain about the total package here. But there are some drawbacks. The center console stack is not very ergonomic. We imagine that some users will be confused by the array of buttons. In contrast, the dial controller itself is actually easy to use. It will quickly and efficiently allow you to input navigation directives and access other aspects of the system, such as the sound controls. But overall on the console, there's just way too much going on. A touchscreen might have helped. The fact that Acura provides true 5.1-audio with DVD-A/DTS playback should inspire applause from music fans who have embraced the "new" format. The company really thought ahead by including it in the Acura line of vehicles. Moreover, the people at Panasonic really pushed the envelope by persuading Acura to allow them to place the rear speakers at a much more optimal level for surround sound. It works great for front passengers but less so for rear passengers. The daring Acura showed by including DVD-A playback and using more optimal speaker placement is counteracted to some degree by the sound quality of the system. It lacks power and dynamics. In other words: It's a bit bland or "safe," as though Acura/Panasonic didn't want to offend anyone. The system sounds better when listening to DVD-As than when playing regular CDs, but considering that many of us still have most of our music collections in the latter form, we would want an audio system that excelled with both formats. For albums that we had in stereo and 5.1 it was amazing to hear the differences. Donald Fagen's The Nightfly disc in surround sound offered a much richer audio experience. It was like listening to a new work. But when you compare the reproduction of a stereo disc in the various cars, the ELS was almost tame by comparison. Still, the wealth of features in the MDX is not something to easily dismiss. When you consider what you get for the price, this has to be the best vehicle in its class overall.

Eric Holdaway< br/>This system is good, much better than most factory systems, but it is still behind what a true audiophile system should be, especially for the money it costs to get this upgrade. The vocals were where this system really excelled. Diana Krall, Tracy Chapman, Sting - all sounded wonderful to me on this system, very natural, but with odd imaging and stage placement of the lead vocal and even the bass instrument playback location. Dual mono-imaging appears to be en vogue these days. The lead singer imaged directly in front of the listener and not the center of the dash. Now many would think this is a good thing, but for me it creates a huge asymmetry in the stage. The left side of the stage starts at the left A-pillar and the lead-singer is just to the right of that in front of the driver, then the rest of the stage stretches all the way across the rest of the expansive dash to the far A-pillar. So most of the staging is compressed to one side and I just don't like that lopsided feeling in the staging. The bass instrument positioning was skewed too. The normally centered bass line on Usher's "YEAH!" was over the driver's left shoulder or over the passenger's right shoulder and not centered in the vehicle. Now, at low volumes the Audi almost had enough bass to be exciting. Unfortunately, as soon as you push the listening level, the subwoofer amp tapers the output and the driver falters in clarity. The high-frequency reproduction is the weakest part of the system for me. There is no shimmer or real nice extension in the upper sounds.

Just as impressive as the Levinson system is the electronics' interface. Its command center is a large touchscreen monitor at the top of the center stack that's adorned by big, legible buttons for quick access to main audio/navigation/climate menus as well as Bluetooth functions. Many of the main functions are duplicated on the steering wheel. They are well laid out and intuitive to learn. To simplify things even more, Lexus allows several functions (mostly navigation) to be managed through voice command - a system that actually worked impressively. Controls for navigation are straightforward, but screen menus are plentiful and often overwhelming. Fortunately, the large screen makes for easy viewing, especially when driving. Well-timed voice prompts help you to your destination while our so equipped LS with NavTraffic helped reroute us miles before we were stuck in downtown Phoenix traffic.

Aside from its primary use as a control center and nav screen, the monitor also serves other purposes. As a backup assist, a small camera in the trunk lid provides overriding visuals to the monitor once the "reverse" gear select is chosen. This same camera is also instrumental with the Advanced Parking Guidance System. It shows the spot where you will be backing into and allows you to adjust accordingly. Cool? Yes, but it can take just as long to get right as it does to park the car yourself.

Lexus did a praiseworthy job in regards to the ergonomics of this car, especially considering the amount of technology involved. With everything in easy reach and of a large format, concentration can be focused on the road. And then there's the audio system. It's the best performing OEM offering I've heard to date and is worth much more than its asking price. One thing's for sure, with Mark Levinson in your Lexus, you won't mind being stuck in traffic.

Casey ThorsonIf any car is deserving of a high-end audio system, it's the magnificent S8. Apparently, Audi had already given that some thought. The optional B&O system is simply a piece of work - acoustic lens tweeters, speakers behind stunning aluminum grilles and the "Multi Media Interface" (MMI) display that motorizes out of the center dash are just plain cool (although the MMI display is a bit clunky in action). Audi's rotary knob controller is much like BMW's iDrive, but is much more intuitive to use, largely because of the menu access buttons surrounding the knob and fewer sub menus. I found it trying at times to navigate through, but really likeable when it came to menu selections such as satellite radio. There is no DVD player for the surround sound, just a 6-disc CD changer and an iPod connection oddly placed in the glove box. One really needs to play around with the system settings to get the best overall balance. I found that the B&O DSP was best set in the "All" position with the surround turned down a couple notches. But, that couldn't overcome its deficiencies. Certain vocals, such as those of Rebecca Pidgeon, were played back with so much midrange cone breakup that it was unlistenable, even at a low volume. I can't help think that those awesome looking aluminum grilles were too confining, thus creating the problem here. The system's soundstage wasn't very deep but had good consistent width. Images were generally distinguished above the dash with the exception of hard left/right midrange information that pulled to the door locations - the relatively smooth tweeters were the only saving grace here. Bass was played back with good definition and integrity, but the sub had a tendency to run out of energy before the rest of the system. In the end, the S8's B&O system has about as many pros as it does cons related to its musical performance, but its clever design is certain to make for a conversation piece at the country club.