Hey one thing that came to mind today while I was tooling around cranking the 3 Doobie Brothers tunes the radio station played back to back. Kaius is right....crank it up to 30 and it rocks....well relatively speaking.
Have you checked your settings? Mine were all hempted up from the factory. They had the speakers in the front position which basically cuts out the rear speakers. And the T & B were too low. Just setting it to the all position made a world of difference.
This ad is not displayed to registered members. Register your free account today and become a member on Club Lexus!
Question for you....do you find that the volume output drops by about 5 clicks when you go from FM to CD? I have to jack up the volume from like 25 to 30 (or more depending on the CD quality) just to keep the volume where I like it.
I've noticed that once, since I rarely listen to the radio...I think it's the ASL system since cd's are usually better than the radio, so it drops the volume when you play cd's...I think. For me, I just turned off the ASL.
Today, I finally got some time to crank up the audio system on a long drive. And you're right Macklin, it sounds better after a nice breaking in. Plus I adjusted all of the audio settings, my bass level is at 2 right now.
Channel separation is night and day difference between the ML and Lexus premium.
Although I've never personally listened to the premium stereo in the ES to offer a valid comparison, I will say that the front staging on the ML is really good, as far as OEM factory stereo systems go...although I would also have to agree w/ Kaius88 in that the ML sound quality really starts to shine when the volume is cranked to at least roughly halfway (ML volume in ES 350 maxes out at 63--it doesn't actually display 63 but I assume that it is 63 since the next "notch" after 62 is "MAX").
I don't claim to be an audiophile, but to me the suround setting kills the sound in anything but a dvd. When I first got the car I could not believe the radio sounded so bad. Then I switched off the suround and it came to life. As I checked other sound system features, (mp3, tape, cd, etc) I found the suround was usually set to "on". It appears to me that you have to check the suround as well as bass, mid, & treble settings in each mode that you use. Once set, it seems to retain your selection.
...bass, mid, & treble settings in each mode that you use. Once set, it seems to retain your selection.
Pete
LOL--I hadn't noticed firsthand until recently that each sound source (e.g., FM, AM/SAT, CD, DVD) can retain sound settings independent of the settings for each of the other sound sources. Dunno if it's only available in the ML, but still a neat audio feature. I dunno if there are separate settings for AM and SAT since I don't have XM in my car to test it out, but one would hope that each of those two sources have distinct audio settings instead of sharing one setting.
I'm not an audiophile either, and most of the music I listen to is mp3 or wma. Having said that, I am very pleased with the standard audio system in my PP with Nav. I also notice the position settings make a big difference, as does the ASL switch (sometimes sounds better, sometimes worse, depending on what's playing).
I didn't realize the separate sources all retained settings distinctly. Will have to check that out. Moreover, I wish that each CD would retain the spot that it was last left at when cued up again (after switching to/from another disc). The fact that my audiobooks always start up again at the beginning of the disc after listening to music on another disc drives me nuts. I've stopped listening to audiobooks entirely now...
IMoreover, I wish that each CD would retain the spot that it was last left at when cued up again (after switching to/from another disc). The fact that my audiobooks always start up again at the beginning of the disc after listening to music on another disc drives me nuts. I've stopped listening to audiobooks entirely now...
It's not entirely impossible to implement such a feature, but one can only speculate as to why Lexus chose not to implement it in the CD player.
ES gains a lot more speakers over the standard, for the IS the ML only gains 1 speaker over standard so the upgrade might not be as drastic, its going to be much more noticable upgrade in an ES
__________________
06 IS350 Crystal White/Black + Sport + Mark Levinson
Hello sk72,
Thanks for you information about your ES330 audio system. How are you liking the Pioneer system? For me, I usually listen to vocals and the occassional upbeat bass thumping music (depending on my mood ). The thing that I find with standard car audio systems is they have weak bass. I hope the Pioneer system in Lexus ES have decent bass response!
Hey Bud.. sorry for the late reply..
Like you I did not like the BASS output on my 06 ES330 Premium Audio but I was happy with the overall sound system.. the only mod I did was put in a single 10" sub in my trunck and powered it with a Kicker Amp.. now my Bass rocks.. I took the signal for my kicker amp from the existing factory sub wires and disabled the factory sub.
.... I am in the mid of retro fitting from Non Nav to Nav soon.. just ordered all factory parts from lexusaudio.. this guy is awesome. It is scheduled to arrive on this weekend and boy.. I am excited for this upgrade..
__________________
~08' ES350 Pebble Beach Ed
35% Bronze Tint, SoundLinQ2 (SL2Vi) - iPod Video Interface Adapter. ~07' IS250 AWD Blk Sapphire
35% Tint, 5" Windshield Tint, LED Driving Light
~06' ES330 Blk Diamond Ed **SOLD**
I am in the mid of retro fitting from Non Nav to Nav soon.. just ordered all factory parts from lexusaudio.. this guy is awesome. It is scheduled to arrive on this weekend and boy.. I am excited for this upgrade..
Wow! Upgrading to factory Nav on your own? That's an impressive project to take on. Please keep us posted on that.
). The thing that I find with standard car audio systems is they have weak bass. I hope the Pioneer system in Lexus ES have decent bass response!
Linear Mode
