goldengame

I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile. I listened to the non-ML audio system once. In my opinion, it was pretty bad compared to the ML system. The ML definitely has a different level of detail and clarity. To me it's totally worth the upgrade.

I have the ML system in my IS350. Here are my thoughts:

- Frequency response is decent. It sounds fairly flat, but not boring to listen to.
- It's fairly accurate and smooth in many frequencies
- Bass is just the right amount to me. It's pretty controlled. You may want more depending on your taste.
- Soundstage could be better. Even with the virtual "surround" turned on, it doesn't do a great job at separating sounds. This disappointed me the most because my Sennheiser HD598s have a much better soundstage than this. However, I haven't really heard any car that was particularly good at this.
- Detail is good, but you could get better detail with mid to high-end headphones. I feel like the speakers are capable of more detail than I'm hearing, but it's hard to pick everything out because the soundstage isn't very wide so you have a lot of sound coming from a small spot. Also, there's lots of other sources of noise (wind, road, etc.) that cover some of the details. I don't think you can avoid this in any car.

Overall, I give it an 8/10 for what it is. I think that it could be better, but there has to be some difference between the IS sound system and a GS/LS one

azmojo

I owned a 2014 IS350 and now have a 2015 IS350, both with ML.
I have to say that the ML in the 2015 is significantly better than the 2014. I don't know if I had a bad one or if they made improvements, but keep in mind that some opinions may have heard the 2014 system. I was actually disappointed with the 2014, but I am happy with the 2015. As always, I wish it had just a bit more bass.

Glashub

ELS in Acura is generally regarded as the best overall. Separation is excellent. Lexicon in Genesis was a let down for me after ELS. ML is between the 2 imo.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-technolog...sound-off.html

Bigjon3475

iTrader: (2)

It's fine. If you like music that vibrates your car apart then you need to be be choosing your own stereo system anyways. Most of us are fine with a system that will degrade your hearing in 1 hour at full volume.

Go ahead baller, throw 4 15's in there...

Paulf1

I actually test drove a TLX today with the ELS, it sounded very good. Seems the ML systems are very rare in the IS 350's.

Megaman

Im absolutely not an audiophile, but I own an ML equipped 350 and love it.

Working for Lexus, I am in more non ML cars, and I can tell you there is a significant enough difference.

I absolutely love driving with my windows down enjoying my ML system turned up.

dstopsie

I owned a 2014 IS 350 fsport with ML

I traded it in two months ago for an RC 350 F sport with ML. The ML in the RC 350 is much better than it was in my 2014 IS

I read that there were some tweaks to the ML system for 2015 as they added clarify audio to it. The 2014 ML did not have this. At first I thought I was just imagining improvement because the difference in the acoustics of an RC 350

I did read that there were improvements to the 2015 ML when they added that clarify audio and I think it sounds much better and I'm very happy with it in fact I wouldn't buy a car without it after having it in 2 cars.

Spencerfg

I am something of an audiophile and have the ML in my 2001 GS430. It's a very good car audio system. It's clean sounding and full spectrum. It will not satisfy you if you want to blast HipHop music with your windows wide open but for reasonable listening while driving, it's as good a car system as I've ever heard.

Also, keep in mind that if you put any kind of aftermarket system in your new car, you will affect resale value negatively (even if you spend $10,000 on it).

Good luck with your decision.

alvitdk

Just to give my 2 cents, and I have no idea about the ML system, but in comparison to the base audio I had in my 370Z, the standard audio in the IS350 sounds unbelievable good. I would stick with the standard sound, and upgrade yourself to your liking, I am sure there a better system out there, in quality and price.

BostonIS

Just to give my initial input since getting the 2014 IS350 with ML is that its a big upgrade to the normal audio I hear in most stock systems. Although this is my first nice "luxury" car and I am comparing the sound systems to alot cheaper cars. The sound quality is great and the bass is clear but not mind thumping numb. I would say go with the ML upgrade when getting this car.

Celledral

*Everyone who comments here should mention the type of connection they use to connect to the ML system*

I am a semi-audiophile. After getting my 3IS, the ML system was severely lacking after listening to the B&O from my Audi A4. The soundstage was bad, mids weren't that great, and only some music sounded good, while others felt a little muddy. So after reading this post, I had a thought, what if it's not the speakers but the sound processor in the car.

After a few test I can 100% confirm that the onboard ML system does not process USB drive music at it's full potential. It feels limited to 128kps, at least to my ears. After testing it with several devices and drives I can confirm you'll get better music through USB with an iPhone/ipod since the iPhone process the music instead of the ML unit before sending to the speakers.


Test it out yourself. I was able to hear a slightly wider soundstage and a little more clarity. Since all ears are different you might not be able to differentiate much, but at least you "know" you are getting the best possible sound from the system.

Now to buy a DAC and test it again.

TL;DR DON'T USE A USB DRIVE if you want the best audio quality. Hardwire your audio player to the USB port.

BostonIS

I agree with the what Celledral said about what source you're playing from. Radio music sounds okay but if you play music from bluetooth on your phone it sounds 100x better than radio music. I'll have to test out the USB method to see if it sounds better and I haven't even tried using an AUX cord since those seem outdated to me. Haha

zeyger

Semi-audiophile here.

I've learned a few things about sound through my research both with my ears and with my eyes (reading about high-end audio). My consensus is this: although it's likely that most will agree that the ML is going to be an upgrade, what you ears hear is exactly that, what your ears hear.

I say you go and check out the audio yourself and make a decision based on how you feel about the sound, rather than taking someone else's opinion. Although I agree that ELS is a great system, I've had it in both a TL and and TSX and would not want to own a car with it again. To me, the definition was there, but the sound stage was overly processed and the quality of the components (more so the amps) were sub par. At higher volumes there were gobs of distortion. After 6 months of owning the car, the entire left side stopped working in the TL with a similar speaker issue in the TSX.

I haven't had the pleasure of listening to the ML system in any Lexus, but my dads current IS250 with a base system is fairly disappointing, as it was in the previous model (although now slightly better). I like clarity and very, very tight sound and the IS3 lacks both IMO.

jcheng

Coming from a 2014 ML to a 2015 non-ML, they both have their differences in my ears.

The ML lacks midbass punch and low end. The highs are nice and crisp with great tonals. The staging sucks and I try to bring the soundstage up front and to the driver but that ends up muddling up the sound quality. I end up leaving it 2 notches up from center.

For the non-ML, it's almost the complete opposite. Great midbass and lows but lacks clear highs and very muddy midrange. The staging sounds a tad better IMO. I left the staging the same, 2 notches up from center.

Paulf1

It appears no dealers around have any 2015 IS 350's w the ML System so I guess I will just go with the standard system. The only way I can get the color combo I want along w the ML is to wait and order a 2016.
Pay pretty close to MSRP for a 2016 w ML or get a great deal on a 2015 wo....I choose the latter.