Jeffrimerm

I have an is250 with what must be the basic stereo. Sound quality is horrible. I went online to look up the radio adapter for a single din aftermarket radio and it's $291. That's ridiculous. Anyone know if a cheaper one?

Icy350

iTrader: (18)

Sound quality seems superior to me compared to other Japanese brands. Are you sure all your speakers work and are not blown?

Unless you are one of those people with an extreme deeper appreciation when it comes to quality then yes, I doubt you will find quality in any standard vehicle offered today.

vapid2323

The radio should not have anywhere near the power to blow a component.

With that said, what do you mean sound quality is horrible? Are you talking about radio reception or that when you play a CD you do not like the output?

I do agree with ICY on on point though, while these cars might not have the 'best' sound system they are far from the worst

Noeh

iTrader: (3)

Do you hear a lot of static? Might be an antenna issue...

darkdream

Describe your sound quality. Is your car pre-owned? Are you an audiophile? Are you the type of person that listens to their music at ridiculously loud volumes?

Jeffrimerm

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I noticed the reception is the worst of any radio I have had. Most stations are fine, but a couple that should be easy seem to have some static. I burned a CD and it sounds muffled but I'll try a non burned CD to compare. It's never crisp and clean. I'm definitely not an audiophile. Just sold a 3 series with the stock Harmon Kardon system and it blew the is250 away, but that's Harmon Kardon. My Prius blew it away, but it has the stock Bose system plus I put a JVC HU that had digital receiver built in. It really is the worst sounding system I've had in a long time. It is a pre owned car ,but nothing sounds blown. I know what blown speakers sound like. I'm just in shock it's $291 just for the plastic piece to swap out the stock radio

kennyD

Hmm... I seem to have a different take. I feel that 250 is very balanced. Albeit, I supplemented the music with a 10" subwoofer. But in all, it sounds great to me. (Compared to my gf's TL Tech Pkg, mom's MDX Tech Pkg). The only one that I felt sounded better was my brother's BMW 550i. Check your settings maybe?

Jeffrimerm

I will Kenny thanks. Maybe there is something wrong with a speaker or two. Maybe not blown and semi functioning, but totally not functioning. I'll put my ear up against each one. It's not the high end model so I think I have 8 speakers.

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

Our car actually have high end Pioneer speaker set up that is on par with quality aftermarket audio set up. I believe there is another thread on the FAQ confirming this. The bass is definitely lacking though so what i do is adding a JL Audio 500/1 amplifier together with JL Audio w3 10 inch subwoofer with a bass control ****. I have been running this set up since first day i got the car and the sound quality is just damn good.

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

Harmon Kardon doesn't blow our IS250 away. Our Lexus also have Mark Levinson which is i believe a brand inside Harmon Kardon. I have both cars one with Mark Levinson and one with stock Pioneer. The Mark Levinson is better in term of surround sound and nice high and mid but the stock ones are not that far worse.

Jeffrimerm

There is definitely a lot more speakers as I counted them just now so an amp would probably be great. I just wish there was a way to pop a HU in with built in blue tooth, ipod control, and hd radio

Jump2man3

iTrader: (7)

^ Yea I would take a look into the speakers there may be underlying issues with them...I changed my whole audio set-up but was happy with factory equip.

bruins678

Our sound systems are pretty decent, not the worst stock systems out there by a long shot. Although, it does sound horrible on flat audio settings, I keep my Bass Mid Treble set to like 3 -1- 4. On all 0's it sounds like crap.

codenko

iTrader: (8)

look into the flyaudio head unit. Might be a worthy upgrade for you.

00bolt

I hate to hijack someone else's thread there... but I hate to start another one also... So I appoligize in advance. Anyway, I just bought my is250 and I think the sound system is decent. No real complaints other than the real lack of bass. I dont want a big thumping system, but I would like to at least hear/feel a LITTLE... without adding a big woofer in my trunk and taking up the little space I have.... do you think just adding an amp would help? Any advice on which one or what would be good? I really know nothing about sound systems.