When comparing both the 6th and 7th generation sound systems (non Mark Levinson), which sounds better? I do realize this may be highly subjective. On my 2014 ES system I added an aftermarket sub in the trunk and it made the stock system sound much better. I'm debating on doing the same for the 2019.

 

What subwoofer did you get for the 2014?

Have you gotten a 2019 yet?

 

Well I now have an ML system in the new car and am able to compare it with the premium system I had in my 2013 Luxury edition Lexus ES 350. I can say that I'm disappointed in the sound quality and find the ML system little to no better than the previous Pioneer system. Maybe I was expecting too much, but honestly I find almost no difference between the two...
I did check the settings and the surround was on and the other settings i.e. bass, treble, fader, were set to neutral. The car is 5 days old...

 

The ML is very source dependent. A low quality source will sound worse on the ML than on a standard audio system (ie: XM). Also, was that a typo regarding having surround "on"? You definitely want that "off".

 

It was on when I got the car so I thought it should be. I'll turn it off...

 

 

I have found the opposite to be true. Before I ordered my 2019 ES I compared XM on both the standard Pioneer and the ML. XM sounded MUCH better on the ML system than the Pioneer. On the Pioneer XM sounded static-y (at some moments I thought I was listening to FM radio but I wasn't) but it sounded clear on the ML. The JBL system in my current 2011 Camry hybrid sounded much better than the Pioneer in the 2019 ES. It was the difference in XM between the Pioneer and ML systems that convinced me to pay the extra $1,080 to get the ML system. Probably 2/3 of what I listen to in the car is XM so it was worth it to me.

 

Center Stage is NOT a gimmick IMHO. Its the ML system that's in this car that is just CHEAP...I just went and test drove a Lincoln MKZ yesterday (I'm not trying to compare the 2 cars in anyway other than AUDIO) And was BLOWN AWAY by the incredible Revel Ultima sound system in there. Revel happens to be another Harman group company, and they utlilize the same technologies for surround, stage mode, etc.

I used the SAME flash drive, with the same songs I used before in ES350 with ML. But the quality of the audio was incredible in the MKZ! The highs were extremely clear, the mids were so full, and the Lows were beautiful and filled the cabin with pressure from the audio. With ZERO distortion. The Center Stage did a FANTASTIC job, while still hearing audio coming from everywhere in the cabin, front, back, sides. It had a perfect balance.

All I'm trying to say here is I honestly believe Lexus wasn't willing to pay Harman/ML enough for a good audio system. I don't think ML is incapable of making a brilliant system. It's Lexus here that messed it up for the sake of cost cutting....

 

 

Also listening in a showroom vs listening while driving really not a fair comparison.

 

 

I listened to both sound systems when the cars were standing still outside in an open lot. Both cars equalizer settings were set to the default (all neutral). I listened to both in default first. The I went from there to adjust them in the same way which I enjoy (bass and treble all the way to max, and mid in neutral) identically. No way to really judge volume since the scale is different with different systems. But it was about the same listening volume I always set my music to in any car.

I did all of that just to make sure its a fair comparison. But the difference was IMMENSE!! I'm not talking about oh it was a little nicer or better. Im talking about DAY AND NIGHT difference in audio quality between those 2 systems.

Now talking about the MKZ here is taking the thread out of topic. But again the whole point I was trying to make is that Lexus screwed up BIG time with this cheap system they put in the new ES. A good sound system WILL sound awesome regardless of what settings, source, volume, etc you have it set to. And as you tune, refine and make adjustments, it only improves from there. If you have musical ears you can tell the difference immediately once anything comes out of those speakers....And the ML system in the 2019 ES is not one of those systems...

 

Well, there's the issue. You're adding distortion. The ML is very transparent, so just like low res audio, it will be very obvious.

Judging by your settings, you need a more forgiving system that doesn't play flat across the frequency spectrum. Bose would be a good choice for that.

 

Sorry Sir, but thats TOTAL BS...And like I said I did listen to both in neutral. And that didn't help the ML system at ALL. The highs weren't as clear, and the mids weren't so full. That's not even mentioning the whole balancing thing...

And PLEASE for the love of Audio, dont ever mention Bose when we talk about Music....I have a Nissan Maxima with a Bose system. And that is the WORST audio experience I've ever had. Bose is a DISASTER in the world of audio.

 

This is the wrong thread to argue about the ML, since the OP is not looking for any advice on it. We'll just agree to disagree for now. We do, however, agree on your last point.