rwmnau

My 2007 ES350 (that I've had for a few weeks now) has the mark levinson stereo in it, but the sound quality is pretty poor overall and I'm wondering if others are happy with their stereo. This isn't coming from an audiophile by any means - I listen to talk radio and it took me two weeks to notice that the sound, something clearly not critical to me, wasn't what I expected from a premium stereo. If others love the stereo, then I know something is wrong with mine.

The front center speaker is tinny, and when I fade the sound to each corner of the car, the treble sounds muffled and week (though the bass is okay). When centered, the music sounds overwhelmingly like it's coming from the center of the dash and the other speakers don't seem to be contributing much at all.

It occurred to me that maybe the previous owner listened to music that blew out all the speakers, but I'm not sure how to confirm this. Or is something loose or not hooked up properly that could cause this? I need to get a trunk latch recall done, so thinking of just asking the dealer what's going on when I have it in there, but wondering what others think.

rwmnau

I did some other reading on the forums last night and it seems like something is definitely wrong with my stereo - others that have the ML love it and think it sounds like being at a concert. I'll ask the dealer if they have any idea what's going on when I take it in next.

rwmnau

Not to keep replying to my own post, but I'm wondering if this is what's happened to my speakers:


It looks to be a pretty common complaint that the foam baffle around the speakers separates from the mounting and the speaker sounds blown as a result. He replaces the entire foam surround in that video, but it sounds like if it's in good condition you can just glue the foam surround back in place. Has anybody else attempted this? I may pull off a door panel to see if this is what's happened to mine before I go about repairing them one at a time.

Robert_J

Technically, a blown speaker makes no sound. The voice coil has unwound or frozen in the gap.

99% of the time, if you have a foam issue it has deteriorated to the point that it will just fall apart if you touch it. Refoaming is simple. I've done it to 10 speakers over the past few years. I've also reconed 6 speakers and built 1 speaker from the ground up using spare parts.

BC93

You didn't say whether you tested the stereo with a music CD, DVD audio disk or DVD movie (not sure 2007 has this ability). I would try adjusting the fade and balance with a good source to test your speakers. If you have done this, well, you're pretty much left to taking it to the dealer, a stereo installer and/or checking the speakers and amplifier yourself.

I have a 2011 with Mark Levinson. The sound quality definitely depends on the source material, but overall, I think it sounds very good. With a DVD audio disk (I only have one freebie I got years ago), it sounds incredible.

It can appear tinny or "bright" with some sources which I think is because it is "factory tuned" for a high quality DVD audio source recorded in 5.1 stereo. I think it takes some sources (FM, AM etc.) and pushes them to the tweeters more than the midrange and unfortunately I don't think there's way to adjust that. That said, I prefer the 5.1 sound stage versus the stereo sound stage where the center channel is turned off.

I mainly listen to mp3s and FM music radio stations. Some stations sound better than others. I've found with mp3s, the quality is good regardless of bitrate, but volume mp3 to mp3 is not consistent (not a problem with the stereo so much as the mp3s and ipod/itunes software).

On my car, there is an option in the head unit to turn off surround sound which turns off the center channel. When I've tried that, and gone back to surround sound, I think the surround sound setting is better. Again, it's reliant on source material.

The center channel is the focus with the surround setting on, so it does change the sound somewhat with sources. It's similar to a 5.1 home theater setup where the dialog and main focus are in the center channel and the side and rear speakers are filler and provide a sense of depth and/or movement when a sound goes from the left speaker to the right. But, if all you're hearing is the center (which would make sense with talk radio) then something may be wrong with the side woofers, midranges, tweeters or amplifier.

I don't doubt with the age of your ES, the speaker baffling could be degraded. Also, I agree the previous owner could have blown out the speakers or another possibility, the Amplifier has a problem. But I would test it with a DVD audio disk or music CD first or dvd movie, if that's possible on the 2007.

rwmnau

I've just tested it with the FM radio (I mostly listen to talk radio, so I didn't even notice the sound quality until yesterday) and have plugged in my phone via the aux jack and listened to Spotify. I haven't tried with a CD to verify, but I will and I don't expect anything different. The quality I'm talking about isn't the difference between "great" and "mind-boggling", but is pretty obviously muffled and unimpressive. I'm thinking it's the speaker issue from the video I posted, but I'll ask the dealer what they think when I have it in there this weekend. Especially since I live in AZ where it's crazy hot in the summers, it wouldn't surprise me that adhesive others have had a problem with would break down here.

If it ends up being the baffling, I'll try to post an update once I have it resolved.

xanderES

iTrader: (8)

I highly doubt your problem is going to be as the same as the video you posted. The video you posted was of a LS430 not an ES.
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Unfortunately, the ML is just is not that impressive in the ES. This coupled with the terrible bit rate both from music streaming apps and the radio are bound to make it a less than impressive experience.

garsarno

I have the standard issue Lexus sound system on my 2011. Had the ML on my 2007 Ultra. Like night and day. Wish I had opted for the Ultra version on my 2011 as I miss the ML system. Was especially good on CDs and probably very good with USB stick.

Lexample

I have the ML in my 2007. I would also consider myself an audiophile as I am an Audio Technician by trade. That being said, I LOVE the sound system. I've also only had my vehicle a few weeks, but I had a custom built system in my last vehicle and have opted not to install that system in my ES. I'd advise you to find some local with a ML system and do a side-by-side comparison.

rwmnau

I did some fiddling around with my settings and found that the stereo sounds worlds better with "Surround" set off - turning it on moves the sound around in an awkward way and seems like it pulls treble to the front and muffles the rear speakers. It's almost like it's trying to put the singer on a stage on my dash, but I think it sounds terrible - turning it off enhanced the overall quality of my sound significantly. I'm still not getting my socks blown off, but I'm no longer disappointed - turning up the volume now gives some great immersion that was (ironically) missing when Surround was enabled.

I had it into the dealer yesterday and they ran diagnostics and listened to it as well, saying it was working properly and there were no codes. I think I just have poor FM reception for some reason, which manifests as poor quality when I'm playing something from the radio. Jazz off a CD now does sound pretty solid

leftcoast

I have a new 2017 GS 350 F Sport. I am new here and would like to discuss the ML system. Not happy at all with it. Most XM stations are horrible. It sounds like everything is coming from the front center in mono. I took it to the tech at the dealer. We listened in a different vehicle and it sounded the same. The poor guy gave me some tips but seemed to agree.
Surround sound switch doesn't seem to do anything. Would appreciate any input.
Thanks

ryans78

Leftcoast,
I have a new 2017 IS 350 FSport with ML and it sounds horrible too. Please see my posts. Dealer recognizes that the sound is bad, but are trying to find another 2017 IS 350 Fsport with ML to run a side/side comparison. My luck..there are no other IS 350 Fsports with ML in dealer inventory for over 500 miles as I was told that no one really buys ML anymore.

leftcoast

That's interesting because I have the GS350 F Sport and ALL of them have the ML. Did you ever resolve the issue with the dealer? When I went we listened to another similar model which sounded the same. The poor tech guy seemed to agree but said there was nothing he could do. It's tough because sound quality is so subjective.

ryans78

After working through Lexus Corporate, they are sending two regional systems/audio techs to my Dealer next week to spend the day with it and see what issues can be resolved. Supposedly they will have a 2017 350 with ML to do a side/side comparison to narrow down the problems. I'd say Lexus Corporate has been really good to deal with and has expressed their regrets that the system is not working like it should; that said, its been frustrating how long this process has taken. I do consider myself somewhat of an audiophile and not being able to listen to music has been painful. I'll let you know whatever comes of this...my hope is they are able to resolve the issue.

As a sidenote, I've been so frustrated I was actually shopping for another car this past weekend. For reference, my ~$50K IS bought 5/1 has depreciated to only $38K with only 4K miles. Ouch.

RosieBoy

I have a 2009 UL ES350. The ML sound system is absolutely amazing. I also had the ML system in the LX we sold a few years ago. The sound is great when it works but it limits upgrade options for aftermarket stuff.