When people think of high-end audio systems in cars, the brands that tend to spring to mind include Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, or perhaps Burmester. They are all well-known names in premium audio in general, but ELS Studio is one of the few high-end audio brands developed exclusively to have its systems fitted into cars as a factory-installed option. And they're specifically – at least so far – developed for Acura.ELS stands for Engineered by Elliot Scheiner, and Scheiner's is a name worth knowing here, as he's a renowned sound engineer with eight Grammy Awards who has worked with globally renowned bands as far back as the Eagles and as far forward as the Foo Fighters.In fact, when I met Scheiner at an Acura event, he talked about how the Foo Fighters gave him the nod on the final mix for their album at the time after listening to it through the Acura ELS Studio 3D system. I learned this after spending some quality time with the system, and fell in love with it. Scheiner has been working on the ELS System since 2004, and told us the goal was to get "studio sound in the car".With the newer ELS Studio 3D system, he and Acura got close to achieving that goal. Studio Sound In A Car Acura It's worth examining what "studio sound in the car" means. Scheiner is looking for audio accuracy, rather than the sound coloring you'll find in many sound systems, like the bass-heavy Bose systems or the concert hall sound from a Bowers & Wilkins system in a Volvo. Other sound systems strive for consistency through genres, but Scheiner isn't hunting for that, or the raw studio mix sound. He's striving for a sound system that reveals the mix, so you can pick out not just each instrument and vocal, but where they are in the space and the textures they generate.That would be quite a project for a home audio system, but a car is an incredibly hard place to create great sound. There are angled windows that bounce sound around, soft materials that absorb sound, then there's noise generated by the car, and nobody sits center in a car. That means a sound system of worth must be designed into the car, to a certain degree.That focus on a car audio system is a large part of the reason why the ELS Studio 3D system is so stunning – it matches or exceeds some high-end sound systems in sound-optimized rooms in homes that I've heard. It doesn't matter what you throw at the sound system, as long as the mix is high quality and the sound file isn't overly compressed, the music sounds fantastic. Whatever your genre, whether its old-school rock, modern EDM, folk, country, jazz, pop music, classical, or even Scandinavian death metal, the ELS Studio system will showcase the musicians, singers, and engineers that put the music together. The Tech Specs Acura The ELS 3D Studio system has numbers, but they're not as important as the tuning. Much in the same way that you could have a 1,000-hp car, but it'll be useless on a track if the chassis isn't tuned for cornering, and you'll be lapped over and over by someone in a Porsche GT3 with 500 hp. But, numbers do matter to a degree. The current specification is 16 speakers, with four in the headliner, and "up to 710 watts of power."The ELS Studio 3D Signature Edition cranks things up to 1,000 watts with 25 speakers, and it's stunning, but only available on the MDX Type S Advance Package, which we'll get to. It cures a problem some people have with the standard ELS Studio 3D system, which is that the sound thins out at its highest volumes. It's also the most stunning version of the 3D system in how it places the listener in the center of the music and exposes everything down to the texture of a heavy bassline or the reed in a wind instrument. Now That We've Sold You The ELS 3D Sound System... Acura This isn't meant to be a sales pitch, but it's hard not to sound like one when we can't find a fault in the product beyond price and availability. It's not available on every model, and when it is, it's generally available through packages. For example, the current Acura MDX's option is a Bang & Olufsen system. But you can get the ELS Studio system through the Technology, A-Spec, Advance, A-Spec Advance Packages on the RDX, and with the Integra with the A-Spec with Technology package and the Type S Package.But, we're looking for value here, and the best value is found in used cars. You can pick up the ELS Studio system in older, higher-trim and packaged Acura models, and it's great, but the big upgrade is the ELS Studio 3D. Going Used For An ELS Studio 3D System Acura The 2022 Acura RDX with the Advance package gets the ELS Studio 3D, which is an often overlooked SUV and spec. It takes a little searching to find them as a standalone package without the A-Spec trim, but they're out there and can be had at under 30,000 miles for around $35,000. However, because this is Acura we're talking about, and assuming that the maintenance schedule has been adhered to, we wouldn't be afraid of a model with 70,000 miles for $28,000. If you want the A-Spec appearance package with the ELS Studio 3D system, a 2019 model with around 70,000 miles goes for around the same money.If you want a sedan with the ELS Studio 3D, the 2023 Acura Integra debuted and included the system with the Technology package. And it's roughly the same story in terms of mileage and prices as the RDX with the Advance package. But, once you add some miles, an Acura Integra with the Advanced package and just over 65,000 miles can be had for just under $25,000. Which looks like bargain territory as it's a great premium take on the Honda Civic and has a wickedly good sound system.If you want a bump in price and an MDX, the 2022 Acura MDX Type S features the ELS Studio 3D Signature Edition, advertised as the "apex of Acura's audio offerings." With some shopping around, you can get a lovely large SUV with around 50,000 miles on the clock, and an upgrade to a sound system that goes toe-to-toe with the highest-end Mercedes model's Burmeister systems, for around $40,000. A Final Thought On High-End Audio BMW If you look around the comments sections, you'll see a lot of varying opinions about how a sound system actually sounds, and how it compares with other sound systems. All of this is to be taken with a large pinch of salt. If someone doesn't like a sound system, the question is whether they use a high-quality sound source or, say, Spotify for their listening. Some sound systems are great at flavoring music to cover up highly compressed audio, but higher-end systems looking for that studio quality will expose a low-quality music file. As they say, garbage in, garbage out.When it comes to comparisons, the same applies. But if someone goes from, say, the Bang & Olufsen system in their car they've been enjoying for a year, then jumps into their friend's car with a Harman Kardon system for 10 minutes, it's going to sound very different. And, their friend may have played with EQ settings to suit their taste or, even worse, to make up for hearing issues they may have. An example there is how the older you get, the harder it gets to hear higher frequencies.If you're looking at a car with a sound system in mind, the best way to test it is to create a short playlist of high-quality files of the most varied tracks you know well. Preferably, connect to the system with the input device wired rather than using Bluetooth. The key, though, is to go into the sound settings first and zero any equalizer or sound profile settings so you can get a baseline of how it was tuned or hear if something is wrong, like a blown speaker.
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