2025 Acura MDX Type S - Bang & Olufsen Ultra 31-speaker Sound System Review

The Acura MDX is refreshed for 2025 and features an all-new 31-speaker audio system tuned by Bang & Olufsen. We don't think it's quite as good as the MDX's ELS Studio Signature system, but it's hard to say for sure without testing back-to-back.
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0:00 Infotainment, sound settings, inputs
6:39 Speaker locations
8:16 Electronic (Illuminate)
9:38 Lo-fi/Chill (ChillShop)
10:25 Classical (The Travelling Symphony)
12:09 Rock (Homeworld Collapse)
13:52 Bass (Redlips)
14:28 Electronic (Muffin)
15:31 Electronic (Aimless Lyrics)
16:34 Final thoughts
Graphics by Skyler Benn.
This video was filmed with in-ear, binaural microphones, so if you listen with headphones, it will sound like you're sitting in the driver's seat!
WAV uncompressed audio tracks used:
Muffin by Raven & Kreyn | • Raven & Kreyn - Muffin...
ChillShop and Redlips by Deoxys Beats | / deoxysbeats1
Homeworld Collapse by Arthur Vyncke | / arthurvost
Aimless Lyrics and Illuminate by Punch Deck | / punch-deck
The Travelling Symphony by Savfk | / savfkmusic
Twenty Nineteen Americana Instrumental by Wayne John Bradley | / ayneohnradley
Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
#caraudio #mdx #bangandolufsen #acura #music

[@deltajukejoint1561]

Yes, I woke up to this and I have been patiently waiting for this review. Thank You Charlie!

[@lobsterglizzy1237]

Makes me trust ur reviews a lot more. So many people fall for placebo that 31 speakers make it S tier. There’s no point of having over 14-18 speakers if it’s tuned properly

[@handleymacdonald5760]

Hell, no serious point in having over 8 or 9 with a sub… seriously a well tuned high end system with 8 good speakers will kill even a s class burmister

[@8799crosby]

7 speakers , 3 way front active and a sub ,will blow anything away , with tuning and time alignment

[@octaviodominguez7772]

@@handleymacdonald5760agree we’ll maybe if there is 3 rows it couldn’t hurt to have 12,13 with the subwoofer

[@regalgs51]

This is just my personal opinion, but it’s absolutely unacceptable that you cannot control the bass, treble, or midrange. Until I bought my 2021 Audi RS7 with the $4,900 optional Bang and Olufsen Advanced sound system, I had never experienced a vehicle stereo that did not have a midrange adjustment feature. I don’t understand why Bang and Olufsen doesn’t let the driver have more control and adjustability with the sounds settings in their stereos. Although my car stereo doesn’t have the Beosonic sound control that this Acura has, it does have bass and treble controls - but no midrange! I finally found that if you use Spotify premium, which has a built-in equalizer, it completely changes the sound quality of the stereo and really makes it shine. I now love the stereo in my RS7, as Spotify and its built-in equalizer transformed it into a completely different sounding system in my opinion.

[@v12-s65]

@@regalgs51 spotify premium is meh quality wise. I tried apple music lossless back to back and got around 15% better quality

[@MrSupernova111]

I had a similar experience with my '23 Acura. It does have a high, mid, and bass/low adjustment but that's not nearly enough to fine tune the sound the way I like it. I found out spotify, which I use to listen to all my music, has a built in equalizer. Huge difference. I believe manufacturers are doing this to hide imperfections in their sound systems. The way my Acura was configured I needed to turn up the sound very high to get a full sound immersion. On lower volumes it becomes clear the sound system is lacking in many aspects. But spotify did help a lot with the issues although its still not perfect.

[@gerrardwaite8526]

I was waiting for this.. right on time

[@Jia1337]

quality > quantity.

[@nanospace2389]

A bit excessive on the roof speakers in my opinion.

[@scapulartech9347]

It’s Bang&Olufsen lol it’s the best in the game. I’d love to hear how this stacks up to their flagship Audi system

[@scapulartech9347]

Because this is an actual Bang&Olufsen system with the proper made in Denmark Bang&Olufsen drivers. Not the “B&o” junk that for uses. That’s just ford drivers with a nice DSP and amp. Only the fully branded systems use their Denmark drivers. Acura, genesis, and Audi are the only 3 I know off the top of my head right now that get the full system. Aston used to have it and bmw has it for a short while

[@Savethemanuals94]

More quantity doesn’t always have to bad, smart person.

[@Orangematz]

Bang and Olufsen has never been class leading ever. ​@@scapulartech9347

[@Nickoncars]

I’m a little sad that they stoped els

[@5.0cs_Brandon]

I work at an Acura store, at first I was disappointed but that disappointment went away once I heard the 19 speaker B&O. Clarity is JUST as good, if not better. And it has noticeably more bass which is awesome. I haven’t heard the 31 yet but I can only imagine how much better it is.

[@jr1885]

Thanks for the review!! Like I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve never owned a car where the default sound settings sound the best. However this does give me some prospective of what to expect.

[@DailyMotorSound]

I agree! The problem is whatever sounds best to me might not sound best to you. Flat EQ is supposed to be what the trained professionals think sounds best, so that's usually what I try to go off of. However, for some vehicles I will make EQ recommendations if I really think it helps.

[@mgp9733]

Can you give us an Acura RLX Krell system review?

[@TYPICALTRYHARD_]

This the rlx's didn't sell well but they are absolutely underrated

[@StepTronic]

Will you test the new 2025 Genesis GV80 Bang and Olufsen system?

[@alexross4062]

I'd love it if you were able to get a slightly older RLX with the Krell audio!

[@saiberhinkle.]

Hey dm aound, ehats the sound system in the 2008-2014 T&C?

[@Kiloechonovember1]

Please share the file format and bit rate info. Do you know the system requirements or limitations? I know the previous ELS system was a bit picky.

[@joshuakarp2586]

So what do you think of this system compared to the BMW Bowers and Wilkins? I have a 2020 X5 with the Bowers and Wilkins system.

[@gianniclaud]

I think I prefer the previous ELS mids to this setup. Still not bad though!

[@Novilicious]

Miss the lights in the speaker grills in the type S model

[@The_Joker211]

Hi, could you test the tesla model 3 highland LR sound system ? Would be awesome! 🤘

[@atheer6685]

So do you think the ELS 3D was better or equivalent?

[@ShaiyanHossain]

can we get a proper comparison to a pre-facelift mdx-s with the ELS 3D? would be interesting to hear whats changed side by side. do you think it at least is an upgrade over the ELS in other acura products?

[@stayhumble3104]

Great review, I currently have a 22 Type S. I think the ELS is pretty good except for the bass quality. I had to add a sub and I think it sounds fantastic now. I would love to hear how the 25 Type S sounds in person

[@trb1589]

how hard is it to just add a sub? seems like a complicated system

[@stayhumble3104]

@trb1589 it's not hard, but you will get feedback from time to time, and it will go away after like 30sec. It be cause of the noise canceling system in the MDX.

[@MrSupernova111]

@@stayhumble3104 . Is there a way to disable noise cancelling? Is it worth disabling it if possible?

[@stayhumble3104]

@MrSupernova111 I think there is but it might take extensive work if the person have known about that type of system. I think the shop didn't want to play around too much with mine. The feedback is a bit annoying, but it certainly goes away, and you'll have great bass to listen to. I'd like to hear the new BO on 25 type S to compare

[@MrSupernova111]

@@stayhumble3104 . Good to know. Thanks!

[@user-ng8jg2ee3f]

Bang & Olufsen very nice！！

[@jenniferreed7853]

Great Review!!! Were you able to try out the 19 speaker setup, and if so how did that compare? Thanks

[@DailyMotorSound]

Did not yet, unfortunately. Will probably get it in the fall, but it's probably pretty comparable.

[@MoNoK15]

Would you be able to do a sound test for the 23/25 Honda Pilot Elite Bose system? Love your videos 😊

[@DailyMotorSound]

Thanks! I'm looking into that one, yes. Maybe by end of the year

[@AlexPyti]

У Вас лучшие обзоры! Спасибо!

[@kyron2092]

The 10 speaker ELS system from the previous gen MDX and TLX had very forward and prominent midrange. It's odd that Acura gave us more speakers but less midrange.

[@cristobalfernandosanchezma5409]

could You make a Review of the audio system of the Lincoln nautilus black label 2024 ? or the infiniti qx80 autograph 2025

[@DailyMotorSound]

Yes, def the QX80! Maybe not the Lincoln.

[@trb1589]

so wait, there’s literally no bass/treble/mid/sub adjustment? that’s absurd

[@TacklessNebula3]

Those are probably usb-c's for charging, the real one is hidden to the right of gear selector - push it and it will show usb-a and usb-c. Great video, nice music, tho I still miss ELS

[@DailyMotorSound]

I did try those plugs as well, in three different MDXs. Tried the same USB stick in a TLX and it worked fine

[@DrKrakus]

in my opinion , the sound of instruments in B&O is very natural , compared to B&W or Burmester

[@Leonfr_2022]

@15:41 a Cybertruck!! 😂 Can you tell I'm from the UK! It's cool but also meh at the same time!

[@supremewhip]

Why did Acura move away from the Panasonic ELS system?

[@lixiaochen6]

We may never know unless Acura spill the beans. It could be brand recognition, bad blood, supply constraints, cost, main stream preference through market study etc.

[@ShaiyanHossain]

Panasonic is no longer making car audio systems

[@planetfabulous5833]

This makes me love the Bose system in the Porsche Macan even more than I already do. This 31-speaker system got the same score from Charlie as the 14-speaker Bose system in the Macan. Way to go Porsche!!! 😁

[@snakeeyes9246]

That only means the Burmester system is even better.

[@msmia6610]

Hello! Another great review!! Never find any TLX or RDX ELS 13 speaker (not the 3D something) review. Any thoughts?

[@DailyMotorSound]

Thanks! Yeah, they don't really want to show off their car if it's not equipped with their best packages. Unfortunately I haven't heard either of them.

[@alexandermaliy3515]

Acura, give ELS back please! Great review!!! Would be interesting to compare 2024 ELS with 2025 b&o

[@tedbritt2244]

At 6:13 you mentioned SXM. I don’t believe the 2025 MDX has SXM. Which is a big disappointment. I know you can CarPlay but you lose the ability to “channel surf” (go through the channels like radio).

[@AlKororo99]

Is this the best B&O system you have tested?

[@DailyMotorSound]

........ehhhhhhh maybe! I was about to say the Audi might be a bit better, but I remember the S8 being disappointing. It's probably on par with the SQ7

[@dwdrum11]

Needs those midrange drivers to be mounted further forward or up on the dash. I have active 3 way front and single 10 in the boot of my rs4 and I can absolutely guarantee in terms of sq it’ll destroy this on every level possible not on overall volume but it’s loud enough. A simple setup with a good install (midbass are in door enclosures) is way better than 31 average speakers with an average tune. We have a new q5 at home with b&o, for a factory fit it’s good but there’s zero comparison to my car system and I haven’t spent huge money on mine!

[@kyron2092]

Mids on the dash are such an easy way to get a great soundstage. I guess Acura doesn't do it for design purposes. The want you to see the metal speaker grilles. Luckily Acuras tend to stage high. The only downside is you have to increase the volume pretty high with their systems to achieve that height.

[@RCtennis3811]

I’d get so annoyed with how often the Blind Spot Monitor blinks rapidly while driving. Like just illuminate once and only blink rapidly if you have the turn signal in that direction like other car manufacturers - no need to induce a seizure every 20 seconds.

[@v12-s65]

30 speakers like for what when a Burmester with 13 does the same job

[@aceimperial8298]

Imagine the future repair costs down the line if someone gets this used and somehow none of the speakers work lol

[@Mister_5150]

Burmester has no bass though :/

[@v12-s65]

@@Mister_5150 well true for the older surround versions. The high ends always had a lot of rumble though

[@flamegaming760]

@@aceimperial8298 I wonder what would happen if you were to only repair the important speakers, maybe like 10 out of the 31.

[@aceimperial8298]

@flamegaming760 Wallet pain would happen, that's for sure. This also got me thinking about what this system would sound like without all the random extra speakers, but with the same overall tuning.

[@SRX2004]

Don't like these stuck on infotainment screens. The screen needs to be integrated into the dash. Lazy designers.

[@ShaiyanHossain]

it was further integrated into the dash before but it wasn't a touchscreen. people wanted a touchscreen so here we are

[@jeffmao850]

Lexus NX Mark Levinson sounds better than this.

[@MrSupernova111]

Doesn't that system require a $5k upgrade to add it to the car? Seems ridiculous.

[@markdschedler]

So, your market is a group of people who like artificial music at high volume. They’d be happy with the base unit with added speakers. Until you show a variety of music, mostly with real people’s voices and real instruments, from solo, small and large groups, and until you play speech, I don’t know what there is to learn about how good you can get a unit’s quality. This is just one kid playing for other kids….. none of whom can afford to buy the car.

[@wrinkleneckbass]

Hey Charlie, what file type are you using on that USB stick for the 5.1 tests? I downloaded the Immersive Audio file you use "IAA - Sonic Brand Visualizer 7.1.4.mp4", and it's obviously in MP4 format. The B&O in the Acura ZDX wouldn't read the file and I haven't tested it in an MDX yet. It does work on the ELS systems however. Are you using the MP4 format or did you convert it into something else? Thanks.