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You Need to Hear This: A Concert Quality Car Stereo, From Acura and Grammy Winner Elliot Scheiner

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Acura RDX car stereo system

The Acura RDX audio system. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Your car is the perfect place to listen to music, right? A premium car sound system should be just as perfect.

Elliot Scheiner was mixing an album for the Foo Fighters and needed the band to listen to the tracks he was working on. But he was on one side of LA and they were on the other. Trying to get everyone into the studio was proving to be a challenge.

So, he loaded the files onto a USB drive and sent it over in an Acura. Then, he asked them to listen to it. In the Acura.

Further reading: Meet the all new Acura RDX


A Car as Sound Studio? Elliot Thought it Was a Brilliant Idea, and He Wasn’t Alone

After all, what better environment: the placement of speakers, the hard and soft materials and being surrounded by sound. It can sound like the back up singers are behind you and the guitarist is right next to you.

16 years ago Elliot, a Grammy-winning music producer, suggested the idea to Panasonic, his production equipment partner. They loved it. So they started talking to car companies. Literally every one turned them away. Then, a year later, Elliot got a call from Panasonic: Acura wanted to hear the idea. In 2004 the ELS Surround Premium sound system was born and became the exclusive high end sound in Acura models.

Further reading: Some of our other favorite sound systems and the cars you find them in

Elliot Scheiner Acura Car stereo

Elliot Scheiner, right, with Dave Russell (left) and Roger Nichols (center) accepting a Grammy Award for work with Steely Dan. Photo: Scott Gries/Image Direct for SteelyDan.com

Meet Elliot Scheiner and His Gaggle of Grammys

What better master chef to have behind the sound in your car than the producer behind Grammy-award winning albums from Beyoncé, Eric Clapton and Steely Dan? As a producer who’s worked with Van Morrison, the Foo Fighters, the Eagles, Faith Hill and Aerosmith, Elliot appreciates the full range of artistry that a car buyers demand.

Elliot has won 8 Grammys and been nominated for 25 for his work producing music, from studio work to live albums to movie soundtracks. What he loves to do most is capture an artist’s true sound so the listener can feel what it’s like to be part of the music, right there with the artist as it’s happening.

As if Bonne Raitt is crooning her soulful strains just for you.

As if Van Morrison is plucking his guitar strings purely for your delight.

As if Marvin Gaye is right next to you, lifting your soul with his magical voice.

Achieving this in a car should be natural, but it’s not always executed well. But Elliot knew he could do it; after all, you’re surrounded by speakers in an enclosed space. By focusing on directing the quality of mechanics and the path of sounds through the car stereo, Elliot creates the perfect sounds and is immensely proud of the sound that Acuras can produce.

Further reading: Take the ELS Surround Premium sound system for a test drive in the Acura ILX

Acura RDX ELS Premium car stereo

Elliot Scheiner with the new Acura RDX. Photo: ELS Surround Premium Sound

This is Elliot’s Ideal Playlist

During our test drive of the Acura RDX we listened to a definitive playlist put together by Elliot. It represents the vast spectrum of musical genres and sounds that the ELS Surround Premium sound system produces, no matter your taste. This is just part of his list (our favorites, of course!).

What Does Elliot Listen to in the Car?

Whatever he’s working on now. Currently, he’s finishing a live album by Phish from their 13 day stint at Madison Square Garden. And then, it’ll be on to the next project.

The car, it turns out, is a favorite place for even the most accomplished musicians to listen to music, especially when it is perfectly reproduced. The Foo Fighters Dave Grohl agrees. After listening to the tracks Elliot sent over in the Acura, he approved so much so that he bought the car.

Acura RDX car stereo systemWin the ELS Premium Sound Experience with our “Stay Cool This Summer” Prize Pack!

We are giving away a pair of Panasonic wireless headphones and an ELS Acura water bottle, a prize valued at $100. Enter to win below; a winner will be drawn on August 6th, 2018.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest Rules:

Participants can enter to win an ELS Premium Sound prize pack of a pair of Panasonic wireless headphones and an ELS Acura water bottle by submitting qualifying entries via RaffleCopter before midnight, August 5, 2018. No purchase necessary to enter. A single prize of one pair of headphones and one water bottle will be given away. Prize has an approximate value of $100, is not exchangeable for cash or other items; the assignment of the prize is at the discretion of A Girls Guide to Cars. A single winner will be chosen at random from among valid entries. Contest open only to US residents 18 or older. Winner will be notified by email or direct message by August 15, 2018. If a chosen winner fails to respond to notification within seven (7) days that winner will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen. Winners must provide a valid US shipping address, not a PO Box, for prize shipment and may be asked to provide other information to verify qualification for this contest. Void where prohibited and subject to applicable law.

 

Scotty Reiss

Scotty Reiss

Journalist, entrepreneur and mom, Scotty likes to say the automotive business found her, she didn't pursue it. But recognizing the opportunity to give voice to powerful female consumers and create a voice to match their spending power, her mission became to empower women as car buyers and owners. A career-long journalist, she has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Adweek and co-authored the book Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.

Comments

  2. Premium sound matters because I’m in my car for most of the day. It’s part of my job & it makes the day go by faster.

    Reply

  9. A premium sound in my car matters to me because life is too short to listen to bad stereo systems. Plus I am a driver to my kids and all their activities.

    Reply

  11. It’s hard to drive long distances with poor sound quality. I enjoy listening to music in the car, so a great sound system means a lot to me.

    Reply

  12. Sounds like an AWESOME sound system. It makes sense to go in with a music producer! Also commenting for Brinno Peephole Security Camera!

    Reply

  16. I love listening to good music in my car so I’m going to have to check out Acuras sound system! The Panasonic wireless headphones (with bluetooth) look awesome as well!

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  17. Premium sound is important for long trips in the middle of the night , because it would allow me to hear the music and not have to play it as loud. Then during the day I can’t imagine how great the sound would be !

    Reply

  18. I always have to listen to music in my car. It keeps me alert and entertained. Panasoinc wireless headphones are a terrific gift too.

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  26. Premium sound does not matter to me. sorry, I can get by with inferior sound & have for decades

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  28. My husband is into all things audio. All of our cars are fully equipped with a good radio, great speakers and at fully tuned.
    Thank you for this post I’m sharing it with him.

    Reply

  33. I have premium audio in my car and I can tell a huge difference when I ride in someone else’s car that has a standard radio and speakers.

    Reply

  38. Premium sound in my car matters to me because I want to listen to my music and I want the quality of the sound to be good!

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  41. I love music so a great sound system is important. It makes the music so much nicer to listen to. Thank you so much for sharing this

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  47. premium sound in my car is very important to me because i love to jam out when i am driving. especially when i have a long drive by myself.

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  48. I’m a big music fan and I’m on the road constantly because of my job so a good sound sytem really comes in handy! Thanks so much for the chance!

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  50. I love to listen to music and podcasts in the car. It doesn’t matter if it is a commute to work or road trip. Having poor sound quality dampens the experience.

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  51. Premius sound is important because I can actually hear the lyrics and the music sounds so much better!

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  53. I always have music on in my car…and am in my car often running errands, dropping off kids, etc!

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  55. Premium sound is especially important bc my car and area gets spotty signal so I plug in our amazon music in the car with adapt.

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  58. I would love to have this. One of my favorite things to do is drive and listen to my music. I always wish I had a better sound system.

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  60. What beautiful sound. If I ever got the money that is the car for me. O would I count my blessings … and count my blessings. He really knows music doesnt he? I love that I always wanted to be a producer.

    Reply

  65. I love listening to music in my car, it keeps me awake and focused. A great sound system is imperative as I like clarity and the music sounds much better.

    Reply

  68. This is my first time on the blog and i really in enjoy it! Definitely subscribed look forward to seeing more. Also the quality of it just sounds great I bet it sounds way better in person. From music to podcasts.

    Reply

  79. The sound in my car is so important to me with my 1 hour commute. So that is an area where I escape on my drive to and from work and get lost in music.

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  80. Premium sound is important to me, especially in my car as it helps to calm me during rush hour. 🙂 Thank you.

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  84. “Nick of Time” – Bonnie Raitt is my fave and premium sound is important – no, VITAL – to me, because I used to be an audio engineer and even if I’m in my car, every little sound has meaning.

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  88. Nothing is worse than a terrible sound system… especially when traveling in the car long distances. Music always makes traveling or being stuck in traffic better.

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  90. Sometimes driving in my car is my only alone time so I love to listen to my tunes. Having great sound makes a better whole experience.

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  93. I am a bookkeeper and I spend a lot of time in my car driving to clients. it is my zone out time and I need the music to be perfect.

    Reply

  96. A quality sound system is important to our family because we spend alot of time in our vehicles. We love to travel and we just like to drive in the country listening to music too.

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  99. Premium sound is a must for a car, my radio needs to be replaced, I like this system, I will check into it for my Jeep

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  104. Radio and other noise, especially premium sound, is a distraction to the driver much like a cell phone. I would not install it.

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  109. I am so passionate about music so of course when listening to music I want it to sound its best, even in the car going grocery shopping.

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  116. My car and the shower are my escapes from the world. I want to be enveloped in music in the car, without static and other noise.

    Reply

  119. Premium sound is important because we spend a lot of time in the car and we all love listening to music. Premium sound makes the whole experience so much better.

    Reply

  124. It matters to me because I need music and sound when I drive, it makes me calm down, less anxiety behind the wheel.

    Reply

  129. Premium sound matters to me because I love listening to music when I’m driving & it makes me more relaxed behind the wheel.

    Reply

  134. I am on the road a lot so premium sound is important to me. Good quality and clear sounding music!

    Reply

  137. I have always liked Peg by Steely Dan, once heard a great version of it by doc severson on the tonight show.

    Reply

  138. I, too, find that I do most my music listening while driving, so a great in-car sound system is vital!

    Reply

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