rxonmymind

That's in your opinion. What people point to a flaw in the ML system for lack of base they are confusing for a true sq sub that blends IN with the music rather than overpower it. Those that want in your chest thumpity thump, rear view mirror vibrating base that's not what ML is. If your looking for that then yes the B&O and Audi with their 7-8" mid woofers will do more for you.
Again there is no right or wrong system just a matter of preference. I'm just putting the finishing touches on my RX 350 this weekend by adding a JL audio 10Tw3 paired with the 3 piece Pioneer system. I can easily appreciate both as I hop between the two and they are night & day yet attain the same goals differently. The RX(Pioneer) is warm detailed & laid back. While the IS(ML) is clean, analytical and detailed. Love em both.

rxonmymind

Funny you mention Focal as I had put that system in my wife's Mazda 6 paired with an Alpine PDX amp. Wonderful sound and surprisingly you'd find that the Focal & the ML almost share the same qualities. Clean, analytical, precise, detailed and so forth. Both lack a warmth that say a Dynaudio system gives or the Pioneer in the 2009 Rx350. As for the tweeter material I agree most metal done tweets have a harshness to them and give ear fatigue quickly. But this was quickly rejected as I listened to the ML system. For a two hour drive to Monterey I had no want to turn off the audio. Metal tweeters.It all depends how you tune them. On the RX350 I have "plastic" tweeters that can be made overly harsh via the aftermarket head units equalizer as I found out trying to get it to my preferred hz. So it all depends

BAlbright

Hello all...after 4 months of waiting , my car has come in and I picked it up yesterday. Since I started this thread, I thought I'd report my personal opinion on the quality of the audio system. I took one of my favorite, dynamic CDs along (Doobie Brothers...Sibling Rivalry)when I went to pick the car up. I realized right away that I'd be very happy once it began playing. For optimum quality, you really need to play around with the settings...including the fader to take some of the edge off the front speakers. I consider myself a bit of an audio snob and once I had things set up, I was quite surprised at how good it sounded. I then tried out my USB stick and wasn't so happy. For those of you who do read the owners manual...be aware that each audio source has its own sound adjustments. I've never seen this in any other car. But once I adjusted things with the settings again, the USB stick sounded very good as well...not like the CD, but pretty darn good.
On another note, I must say that this car looks amazing. Pictures do not do it justice! I had not seen one when I ordered the car last November, so when I walked into the showroom and saw it sitting there in all it's ultrasonic blueness, my jaw dropped. Awesomeness!

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

B&O is a really expensive system over $6000 and in some cars near 10k. ML is under $1100

Ryanmcd

Ya for 1k I did it and had a chance to hear it in a RC350, I think it's the same. It sounded good and better then most stock systems that I have heard, if it was 3-5k+ I would do my own.

The only think is maybe looking into a 8-10 inch sub but I have to see how it's setup.

7No

iTrader: (1)

I've had my RC F for a week now. The audio system is MUCH better than the one in the 2010 IS-F I had, but still not quite as good as the B&O in the RS5. I will be happy with the current RC F system and not feel the need to modify it as I did in the IS F. There still is a volume disparity when changing between satellite and ipod and usb, etc. which the B&O system did not have. I like how the ML system can be controlled voice, especially since the trackpad requires removing eyes from road.