Mark Levinson IS350 THE AUDITION...
11-17-07, 11:50 PM
#181
11-18-07, 01:15 AM
#182
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thought the ml won't play mp3 dvd was because it's burned onto dvd-/+rw or dvd-roms.. which the manual says won't play... am i wrong?
thought that was apple...
and?
and?
11-18-07, 10:24 AM
#183
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Hi folks,
I'm an audio engineer and have some Levinson gear in my home system.
I'm brand new here so will start out slowly, but I'm pretty much in agreement with Percy. I bought the car because of the sound system and imaging and sound stage is ultra important to me. The Levinson system images ok, but not great. Having a 5.1 architecture and a center channel speakers helps a bit, but I wish all three front speakers were in the dash, in the same plane.
I was debating between buying the IS-350 and a BMW. The sound system made the difference. I didn't like the BMW sound system very much. I found it very hard sounding compared to the Levinson.
Like I said, I could talk for pages about this stuff, but since I'm new here I'll keep it short for the time being.
Btw, I will add one more thing. Of course the ML system doesn't compare to my home system, but it does make many things sound good which are not so good. This has always been a paradox for me. Since I was involved in record production, I always wanted my sound system to be accurate. If there was a problem in the recording I needed to hear it so I could correct it.
Many folks who are not in the business don't care about accuracy and want their system to sound good regardless of the program material. That is fine for most folks but not me. OTOH, I actually like it in the car. I have many recordings, some which I recorded, which sound far better in the car than on the good system. I should add that my other vehicle is a Dodge Grand Caravan with an Infinity system and it also is very very good. In fact, I bought that vehicle because of the system back in 1997. But it also makes my bad recordings sound good.
I guess the average persojn would not dare complain about a system that makes bad recordings sound better than they are.
-- doug
I'm an audio engineer and have some Levinson gear in my home system.
I'm brand new here so will start out slowly, but I'm pretty much in agreement with Percy. I bought the car because of the sound system and imaging and sound stage is ultra important to me. The Levinson system images ok, but not great. Having a 5.1 architecture and a center channel speakers helps a bit, but I wish all three front speakers were in the dash, in the same plane.
I was debating between buying the IS-350 and a BMW. The sound system made the difference. I didn't like the BMW sound system very much. I found it very hard sounding compared to the Levinson.
Like I said, I could talk for pages about this stuff, but since I'm new here I'll keep it short for the time being.
Btw, I will add one more thing. Of course the ML system doesn't compare to my home system, but it does make many things sound good which are not so good. This has always been a paradox for me. Since I was involved in record production, I always wanted my sound system to be accurate. If there was a problem in the recording I needed to hear it so I could correct it.
Many folks who are not in the business don't care about accuracy and want their system to sound good regardless of the program material. That is fine for most folks but not me. OTOH, I actually like it in the car. I have many recordings, some which I recorded, which sound far better in the car than on the good system. I should add that my other vehicle is a Dodge Grand Caravan with an Infinity system and it also is very very good. In fact, I bought that vehicle because of the system back in 1997. But it also makes my bad recordings sound good.
I guess the average persojn would not dare complain about a system that makes bad recordings sound better than they are.
-- doug
11-18-07, 12:18 PM
#184
01-15-08, 08:18 AM
#186
Lexus Fanatic
Wow Rockville and Percy do know their stuff. Thanks guys for the input on the ML upgrade. The ML sounds amazing in the new LS. I jammed it at the Taste Of Lexus this past summer in Arlington Heights, IL. The front door drivers sound like subs similar to the old Bose systems in the 95-97 Maixma's and the Infiniti Gold in the old Jeeps. The ML topped them all as it should for being in the flagship vehicle. It is interesting that the ML in the GS is not as good as the IS. Maybe having that smaller cabin allows for better acoustics due to the relation of the speaker in proximity to the driver. I know BOSE obtains the vehicle shell for new models prior to deciding where the pseaker placement is. They do this at the Framingham, MA location. Factors such as leather and cloth interiors make a differance in acoustics as well.
02-23-08, 01:35 PM
#187
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02-23-08, 02:16 PM
#188
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03-30-08, 05:22 PM
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Last edited by Lex Law; 11-03-13 at 03:02 PM.
03-31-08, 07:28 PM
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Hi Bass Mech,
I only listened to the radio one time for about 15 seconds when I got my car on Feb 1, because I knew about this thread while waiting on my special order ML non-NAV. Right away, I heard the overpowering center dash speaker, and I did not want to hear it again. I've been driving around ever since with no music.
Upon listening to my stereo today, I really enjoyed cranking it up. It has WAAYYY more bass than any stereo I've previously had. What did I choose to listen to for the first ride to test it out? Rush: Moving Pictures. Now it sounds on the inside what those custom audio rides sound like from the outside, and that's from a non-hip hop music aficianado like me. There's alot of THUMP THUMP from the big bass drum.
The center speaker blends in very well now, and I can distinguish it only slightly from my listening position unless I lean in to it. At first I thought I might want a variable resister, but bass mech's recommendation is spot on.
It makes me wish every matched speaker pair was customizable, so a mod was not necessary. An equalizer would be nice too. My CD box slid in nicely in the glove box, next to the shelf for the owner's manual. Next, I'm going for iPod integration, so I don't have to bring my CDs. I'll report back on that audition in the iPod thread.
Bass Mech, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Anyone with ML audio would be far better off modding their center speaker. By the way, that resistor is not common at all. RadioShack did not have it. Neither did Parts Express. I googled and got it from the only real hit that came up. That's one big ceramic resistor body. Hope everyone enjoys the pics! And don't bother with the plastic clips that come with the resistor. They did not do a good job of cutting through the insulation, and I got no sound until I soldered it.
One more thing: whenever you pull off those side covers, the single snap that holds it down snaps off. I had to glue it back together. I took the left one off just to see what was underneath.
I only listened to the radio one time for about 15 seconds when I got my car on Feb 1, because I knew about this thread while waiting on my special order ML non-NAV. Right away, I heard the overpowering center dash speaker, and I did not want to hear it again. I've been driving around ever since with no music.
Upon listening to my stereo today, I really enjoyed cranking it up. It has WAAYYY more bass than any stereo I've previously had. What did I choose to listen to for the first ride to test it out? Rush: Moving Pictures. Now it sounds on the inside what those custom audio rides sound like from the outside, and that's from a non-hip hop music aficianado like me. There's alot of THUMP THUMP from the big bass drum.
The center speaker blends in very well now, and I can distinguish it only slightly from my listening position unless I lean in to it. At first I thought I might want a variable resister, but bass mech's recommendation is spot on.
It makes me wish every matched speaker pair was customizable, so a mod was not necessary. An equalizer would be nice too. My CD box slid in nicely in the glove box, next to the shelf for the owner's manual. Next, I'm going for iPod integration, so I don't have to bring my CDs. I'll report back on that audition in the iPod thread.
Bass Mech, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Anyone with ML audio would be far better off modding their center speaker. By the way, that resistor is not common at all. RadioShack did not have it. Neither did Parts Express. I googled and got it from the only real hit that came up. That's one big ceramic resistor body. Hope everyone enjoys the pics! And don't bother with the plastic clips that come with the resistor. They did not do a good job of cutting through the insulation, and I got no sound until I soldered it.
One more thing: whenever you pull off those side covers, the single snap that holds it down snaps off. I had to glue it back together. I took the left one off just to see what was underneath.
Last edited by Lex Law; 05-25-08 at 12:21 PM.
07-24-08, 03:06 PM
#193
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hi everyone!
you are right, the center speaker plays too loud. this makes the sound nasal. i'll soon make the "upgrade". hint for those who are unsure if they want to make the upgrade: i put a small towel on the center speaker. of course this is not the same because you cut off the high frequencies first, but you get an impression of what it will sound like afterwards.
one thing that is astonishing to me: the loud center speaker is one of the less important things to me unless the system plays so much resonances:
-) there is no damping on the body of the IS; one of the first things a professional car hifi dealer would fix (noise damping in the doors)
-) the subwoofer plays much too loud on lower frequencies, when you hear current music which works with bass synthesizers etc. you get just a boomy, boomy sound. when playing a little bit louder ("42"), the sub makes big distortions
the system doesn't play harmonic, e.g. when playing songs that are a little bit older, you have not a lot of bass (unless you play loud) - but too much bass on newer recordings. Any good home audio system can manage this, the problem seems to be that the frequency-response isn't flat at all, so the "bass-parts" of many older recordings play in a "frequency-hole" while newer recordings often activate the sub that plays too loud - and it has no high-pass-filter.
for people who don't believe it:
take some current recordings and make an MP3 with a low-pass-filter at about 100Hz and listen to all the distortions. Make a second one with a high-pass-filter at about 50Hz and compare it to the original recording. The "tuned" recording will sound much cleaner and not so strained.
so: has anyone ever cared about tuning the subwoofer of the ML?
another question to the car audio experts: as we read in this thread, the ML-amplifier is not of good quality. does anyone know if the DSP is inside the amp and if it would be possible to replace it with a better amp? (use the ML just as pre-amplifier or something?)
linn
ps: sorry for my bad english
you are right, the center speaker plays too loud. this makes the sound nasal. i'll soon make the "upgrade". hint for those who are unsure if they want to make the upgrade: i put a small towel on the center speaker. of course this is not the same because you cut off the high frequencies first, but you get an impression of what it will sound like afterwards.
one thing that is astonishing to me: the loud center speaker is one of the less important things to me unless the system plays so much resonances:
-) there is no damping on the body of the IS; one of the first things a professional car hifi dealer would fix (noise damping in the doors)
-) the subwoofer plays much too loud on lower frequencies, when you hear current music which works with bass synthesizers etc. you get just a boomy, boomy sound. when playing a little bit louder ("42"), the sub makes big distortions
the system doesn't play harmonic, e.g. when playing songs that are a little bit older, you have not a lot of bass (unless you play loud) - but too much bass on newer recordings. Any good home audio system can manage this, the problem seems to be that the frequency-response isn't flat at all, so the "bass-parts" of many older recordings play in a "frequency-hole" while newer recordings often activate the sub that plays too loud - and it has no high-pass-filter.
for people who don't believe it:
take some current recordings and make an MP3 with a low-pass-filter at about 100Hz and listen to all the distortions. Make a second one with a high-pass-filter at about 50Hz and compare it to the original recording. The "tuned" recording will sound much cleaner and not so strained.
so: has anyone ever cared about tuning the subwoofer of the ML?
another question to the car audio experts: as we read in this thread, the ML-amplifier is not of good quality. does anyone know if the DSP is inside the amp and if it would be possible to replace it with a better amp? (use the ML just as pre-amplifier or something?)
linn
ps: sorry for my bad english
