Originally Posted by DRKNESS

Sometimes in car audio circles, the wisest thing is to buy a basic system and redo it with the gear that suits your needs.

Originally Posted by andyville

I've been trying differences sources and different settings, and unfortunately I have to say I am still very disappointed in the overall sound of this system. CDs and DVDs do indeed sound better than Sirius/XM or MP3s from a USB. However, even with that the major complaint I have about this system is the incredibly poor balance of sound among all the speakers. Why does a system need 19 speakers if all you can hear is one? (the center dash speaker).

The marketing hype about the ML system is how it is finely tuned and balanced to match the interior design of the car. Well, to me that should mean that when the fader and balancer are set to the center settings, the balance should be close to optimum. It is FAR from it.

To get the system to the point where you can hear any speaker other than the center dash speaker, it's necessary to move the fader FOUR notches to the rear. Also it's necessary to turn Surround OFF. With Surround ON, it appears to focus even MORE sound to the center dash speaker which is quite counter intuitive.

Overall, the stock system in my M5 simply blew this system away in terms of surrounding you with a rich balanced sound. I took it back to the dealer and we compared the system in an identical car they had on the lot, and it was exactly the same, so it doesn't appear to be anything malfunctioning in my system - it's simply not very good.

Originally Posted by phoenix888

After reading this thread and posting, I went back to play with Audio Settings. I grew up with music (Taught at an early age by my grandfather), played music throughout school, played in a Metal Band, and later became a school Drum instructor because Music is still a passion. My little brother took his musicianship all the way to College and has developed a better ear than me for balance.

The reason I state all this is that yesterday, after adjusting the settings, he was surprised at how deep and how much FULLER the sound was and asked in the one week of ownership if I've added a Sub in the back. The answer is NO, just have to update your settings a LITTLE bit.

After you adjust your Settings for Bass/Treb/Mids (This is to personal Taste, but take your treb just over HALF then bump the Bass to one two notch beyond the Treb and keep the Mids right in the MIDDLE) you simply move the Sound Point.

Instead of aiming the Sound right in the MIDDLE of the car as it shows in the default, just move that sound point to the console where you rest your arm. Right in the middle between you and your passenger. Aim it where your Elbow rests, because this is where Ear is typically aligned.

This is what made the WORLD of difference. Instead of hearing the music just behind you, and getting the acoustics bounced around the cabin and losing all that impact. The music is aimed where you are sitting 1st before being bounced around the Cabin. Just this morning I was smiling at how much more I can FEEL the music with this setup at Lvl40 vs being 50+ and still not being fully immersed.

Hope this helps anyone looking to maximize the sound from there ML system.


Cheers!

Originally Posted by Mcb345

I don't have the ML surround in my '15 GS 350 but I noticed it too pushes too much sound through the front center speaker with surround mode ON and offers absolutely no adjustment to the center speaker. My 2012 Acura TL with the basic sound system offered adjustments to the center speaker volume, even with surround mode off. On the TL, I actually turned the center volume UP a few notches so comparing Acura's sound system to the Lexus systems, you can tell someone in the Lexus audio department seems to think they don't need that adjustment feature on their cars or believes their sound engineering expertise entitles them to choose for the consumer and not give them the option but they obviously aren't quite in touch with the consumers feelings on that subject!