[jlt1984]

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading the forums for a while as I have been doing my research to determine whether or not I will make my first Honda purchase in the form of the '13 Accord Sedan EX-L V6. Quite frankly, all of the threads regarding the ongoing radio problems which seem to be unresolved almost have me scared away to a Camry...

I have read some posts on various threads which say that the audio quality of the FM tuner is notably "worse" than all other input options - can anyone confirm if this is in fact an across the board "truth" and not just the imagination of a few posters?

Also, I realize it seems like an odd/nitpicky question....but it seems from the dealer pics I have seen that the radio only displays one word of the RDS message at a time? It seems like such a massive waste of real estate space on the screen....surely there is a display mode you can toggle to which allows you to view the entire message at once?

Thanks for any info....like I said, I know it seems nitpicky but it is just so damn hard to get rid of the OEM head units these days and honestly the radio is the biggest "holdback" I have that makes me want to reconsider the Accord.

 

[Flyboy]

Welcome to the forum. I have been a happy Honda customer since 1981 and am amazed at the engineering and reliability of their automobiles. I find the FM reception just fine. I think that the cars that have the navigation system may have HD FM, but since I don't have the navigation system I can't verify that. Yes, the RDS message does show only a couple of words at a time, but I don't really find that a problem. If I want to listen to music I either plug in my iPad or USB stick and I can listen to all my music that I can carry in very good digital quality. The car does come with Serious/XM which I am not sure is worth having. I will decide when my free trial period is over if I will continue with their service. Also, my iPad or an iPhone will hook up to the system through bluetooth and I can listen to the music of my choice from the iPad in the pocket behind the driver's seat. Plugging it into the USB port charges the device.

My suggestion is to take a long test drive and tune in your favorite FM stations and make the sound determination for yourself. Sound quality is an individual opinion.

 

[karfreek]

The FM reception is fine, the audio quality is horrid.

Yes, one line of RDS at a time.

Jay

 

[Flyboy]

The FM reception is fine, the audio quality is horrid.

Yes, one line of RDS at a time.

Jay

Audio quality is very subjective.

 

[COMMANDOE99]

Unaware of ANY radio problems with the 13's. IS it a hi end BOSE system , competition building stereo of course not... Is it good for most use and adequate yes. I think its "problems" have been exagerated abit. I find the pandora integration with my droid flawless, my XM through the audio plug very good.. I think the sound quality is good and loud enough. Could it be better sure.

The stereo is going to be the dealbreaker to buy a camry? really?

:banana:

 

[HondaBob]

The FM reception is fine, the audio quality is horrid.

Yes, one line of RDS at a time.

Jay

Wow, I think it's just the opposite with FM reception being less than adequate to very poor in fringe areas and the audio quality being adequate when you do get good reception.

 

[jlt1984]

Wow, I think it's just the opposite with FM reception being less than adequate to very poor in fringe areas and the audio quality being adequate when you do get good reception.

Apparently it is a fairly subjective topic....hopefully I can find a dealer who will leave me alone while I look at the vehicle so I can test out all options on the radio, etc...lol.

 

[KYBuckeye]

The FM reception is fine, the audio quality is horrid.

Yes, one line of RDS at a time.

Jay

Agreed. FM quality is just fine if you don't like bass...at all.

 

[zerophile]

Having used the Toyota 6.1inch system I prefer Honda's layout.
It actually displays everything quite simplistically.
Though usability for any touch screen system is subjective.

FM audio quality is borderline acceptable personally I think it's a marketing strategy/conspiracy by the supplier to get people to subscribe to XM.

Bugs... freezes every now and then. Still not sure what causes it and it is not consistently reproducible driving about 2 hours a day freezes about once a week.

 

[Flyboy]

Having used the Toyota 6.1inch system I prefer Honda's layout.
It actually displays everything quite simplistically.
Though usability for any touch screen system is subjective.

FM audio quality is borderline acceptable personally I think it's a marketing strategy/conspiracy by the supplier to get people to subscribe to XM.

You may have something there about XM instead of HD FM.

 

[HondaBob]

One thing about HD FM (if we have it or ever get it), it doesn't work well in fringe areas. The one I installed in my Odyssey (an Alpine head unit) can be set to switch into and out of HD depending on reception and availability of the digital signal. That is fairly disconcerting because there is a split-second time difference between the HD and the regular FM. HD really is almost CD quality if you are within easy range of the transmitter though.

 

[Flyboy]

One thing about HD FM (if we have it or ever get it), it doesn't work well in fringe areas. The one I installed in my Odyssey (an Alpine head unit) can be set to switch into and out of HD depending on reception and availability of the digital signal. That is fairly disconcerting because there is a split-second time difference between the HD and the regular FM. HD really is almost CD quality if you are within easy range of the transmitter though.

I have never listened to HD FM. Is the sound quality much better? Also, could you select non HD if you were havng difficulty recovering the HD signal?

 

[HondaBob]

I have never listened to HD FM. Is the sound quality much better? Also, could you select non HD if you were havng difficulty recovering the HD signal?

The quality is much better than regular FM. It's advertised as being CD quality and I can agree with that. On the unit I installed in my Odyssey (an Alpine;can't remember the model), I can select whether it automatically switches between HD and regular or stays on regular. I think the HD signal is digital so either you have it or you don't. The regular signal is analog and, like I said, when it switches back and forth there is the slightest time difference which when it is delayed makes it sound like there is an echo, and I guess you miss a split second switching back the other way. Bottom line is it's not totally good in fringe areas, but within closer range to the transmitter it's nice sound.

 

[Joshaccord]

How do I enable the RDS feature? We only receive regular FM where we live, but I am unable to read the names of channels, only the digits. I have the Navi car with the dual screens.