JCochranUS

Hi everyone. I'm brand new to the forum, and I've been reading a lot of the posts for the last few weeks...as I'm about to buy an LS460.

I've heard the Mark Levinson in the 2002 LS430 model and it was SERIOUS. It really sounded great, if you ask me.

I'm now looking to buy a 2008 LS460, but I can barely find any of them in my area that come with the Mark Levinson. The ones I do find, are significantly more expensive.

My question...is the "Lexus Ultra Premium Sound" package really all that bad? I'm not wanting something that will completely blow me away or rattle of my eardrums, but I do want LOUD and reasonably clear sound. I've been driving a 2003 Acura 3.5RL with the Bose sound system in it, and I was fairly happy with it. Does the standard LS460 sound system sound better than that?

The Mark Levinson is really becoming a deciding factor on buying now or waiting around for one to pop up that has the ML...and I'm getting ancy

Also, how easy and costly is it to replace the lexus standard sound system with some aftermarket speakers and make it sound even better than Mark Levinson? Any ideas how much it will cost to replace all the standard system speakers and how good would it sound?

Thanks in advance for all your help, everyone!

cheez80

iTrader: (1)

the levinson (imo) is really good for a stock setup, but a well tuned and thoughtfully installed and selected aftermarket system will blow it out the water. imaging on the levinson isn't as good as a few other cars with well tuned aftermarket setups i've heard, and i feel the car needs a little bit more sound deadener in a few places

JFNash

To answer the first part of your post, you either go with the good or the way way way better. So it's up to you to decide. To me, it's a no-brainer decision: The way way way better i.e. Mark Levinson.

More expensive? It's a one-time investment. Difficult to find the one? Well, I bet you would spend more time on shopping, consulting, installing, troubleshooting ... etc the alternative than the time you would wait till you find the one.

ML isn't negotiable.

As for the second part of your question, it's been discussed here before. Use the search engine to find the old posts. But my blurry memory says the alternative costs around $3.5K - $4K. I don't trust my memory tho.

Good luck, and welcome to the club!

I8ABMR

I am a huge audiophile, I used to DJ, and have a 900 watt system in one of my older cars and the ML system in my LS is still amazing. The fidelity, clarity, and depth of bass is truly amazing. Also you really feel that the designers did an amazing job to integrate the system into the car with no vibrations or rattles no matter how loud you go. I have never been in a car that had a stock stereo even close to this. Its amazing. The first month I had the car it impressed me every day.....still does

cmasten

ML is very good, for factory one of the best for what they charge.

Premium and 2k worth of improvements and you have as good or better

premium and 3k and up and you have excellent.

I took a premium and put just over 3k in it but most would find the ML to be more than satisfactory.

Shibumi1

I'm an audiophile as well. A certified MECP installer for 22yrs and a 15 yr IASCA (International AutoSound Challenge Association) member. The imaging and soundstage are spot on perfect. Speaker placement alone on the ML makes it worthwhile(play MJ's Thriller & listen w your eyes closed u can actually hear him walk across the dash board)... sound quality is top notch (a little boomy for my taste) but all things being equal its one of if not the best factory system i've heard yet. Lastly i've spent somewhere in the area of 20k to get DTS & Dolby Digital in my home, to get it in a car for a 3k upgrade....WELL WORTH IT!!!!!!!!

bsl888

On the March issue of Motor Trend, there is a comparo of luxury sedans. The LS460's ML system was chosen as the best sounding over the Jag's Bowers and Wilkins system. The other systems on Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche, and Hyundai don't even come close.

OBRon

Here's the link to that article:

Entry-Level Fullsize Luxury Sedan Comparison - Motor Trend

highroler

JC

I just went from a '01 LS430 ML to a '09 LS460 ML with 5000 miles...

The sound difference was a huge improvement...no question...the bass is extremely rich.

With sound so good, I find I dont listen to the new ML system as loud as before

My hobby is building six figure dedicated home theater systems for myself, family and friends in the hood...it takes a ton of money to replicate the sound and acoustics of a ML system for home theaters.

By virtue of the fact you are asking the question...which one do I purchase...tells me you have a critical ear and WON'T be satisfied with anything but the ML.

As far as finding a car...check out the south Florida market...owners there seem to have enough money to drive multiple cars thereby putting less mileage on the cars. I found my 2 year old 460 with 5K miles in Melborne, FL and due to the weather, the paint was perfect. For a $100 bucks I flew from Atlanta and drove it home the same day.

ML is the only way to go vs risking aftermarket expense and potentially messing with warranty....remember a ton more electronics and technology vs the '02 LS430 you listened to...

ML = one of the best parts of the car!

Mike in ATL

WhitBaby

I hate to be a stick-in-the-mud, BUT, while I do notice 'a difference' between the two systems when the car is stopped and no other ambient noise around, to me, it isn't worth the extra $$.

I've found 'Sound quality' is pretty subjective from listener to listener, as you notice on these postings.

The only way to find out if it's 'worth it' to you is to take your favorite CD, and play it in the stock system then the ML system...while you're rolling, which would be the case 90% of the time.

Only then will YOU know if it's worth it to YOU.

Whit

cmasten

There are some great points here, if your not handy on aftermarket systems, just get the ML. As someone that did upgrade I can tell you, the electrical system in the car is complicated and touchy. It does also void your warranty if you were to have issues in that area.

With that said, the early ML amps are prone to die, but if your covered under warranty no issues. I chose to get a non ML so i could put in aftermarket, as I didn't care about watching movies etc in my car i just wanted high quality amps and drivers and it really was more of a challenge, it was significant effort but the results were excellent using Focal components.

Most people that i know with an LS are very pleased with the ML system and i have one in my SC430, but my wife has now asked me to upgrade her system after hearing mine ;-)

Member

It's not just the sound quality difference, you can play DVD and rip music directly into HDD with ML, which you can't with the stock system.

sgmorton

Hmm I must need help setting mine up. I've been less than impressed so far. Only listening to XM mostly.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

just to clarify that's only for 07-09 iirc

cmasten

XM is not going to give you a very good experience, although watercolors ch71 is about as good as its going to get. You will want to take a sample of styles of CDs that you enjoy and then go in to the Sound and DSP settings and adjust it to your taste, the ML system will stand out more pronounced with good source material, as all systems are only as good as the source. This becomes more critical the more accurate your system is as it tends to now not only bring out the good in music, but also the bad.

as a point of reference also for myself, I have been a recording engineer for over 25 years and audio is one of my passions, I also have a background in acoustic and electrical engineering. I picked the LS actually just for its environment to build a system on within the budget that I had set for myself. Mercedes and BMW were ok, but the Lexus is my favorite sounding system to date.