Has anyone done a comparison of sound quality on ordinary CD's, Satellite, and FM?

I have ML in my 06 and feel it's not worth the money. Boomy base, bright mids and highs...even worse on FM. I've adjusted mids and highs every way possible to ease the brightness, but my wife's 4 year old mini-van still sounds better on FM. I don't own any DVD-A's and don't intend to build a collection to suit an audio system, and never watch movies while parked in my Lexus.

For the next car, I'm considering leaving ML off, but haven't heard the OEM system. For those of you without ML, are you pleased with the audio?

Thanks for your input.

 

It depends on your ear.

Some people can differentiate the nuances between the two.

If you're a music afficianado, I definately recommend the ML system.

Otherwise, if you just like simple listening, or if you play your music extra loud, or if you never play classical music and the such, the stock system will suffice.

 

Standard stereos good enough for me!!
My GX470 came with ML but I can't tell the difference...

 

The previous post was correct.
Depends on your ear and listening skills.
ML is far better system with sound reproduction then the stock OEM system (which is pretty good too for an average person).

 

At least the boomy bass can be addressed quite effectively. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=272881
If I figure out how to tame the midrage honk (certain female vocals really light it up), I'll let you know!

 

From reading the Audio section it seems like the ML system on the GS is not much better than the OEM system. The ML on the LS and the IS seems to be much better. Maybe better acoustics in those vehicles but from reading on the ML system it seems the electronics are really not up to par with the high end aftermarket systems. The only problem with the aftermarket systems is the integration with the NAv. Best thing is go listen to the two different systems make a decision based on your listening test. I guess not all ML systems are created the same.

 

I think the non-ML is sufficient for regular listeners.

As for me, I used to modify my audio system and the factory just does not have enough... but, I am going to stay stock because this is a $50K vehicle and it takes courage to mess with it.

 

What big differences are there between the standard 10 spkr and ML audio?

Can you really tell much difference, or are they pretty close for most CD's?

I need to know what to listen for when I go to the showroom.

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=283599

 

I had a 2007 gs350 with the standard radio. It was good. Then i just got a new 2007 gs350 with ML. There is a big difference in sound. The bass is much better, the only thing i dont like is it dosent sound like surround sound. It seems that it is more directed at the driver and it sounds like most of the music comes out of the center dash speaker

 

Bring a cd you consider to be of excellent quality on your current equipment,
turn off surround sound on the ML, and evaluate. Some of us think there is a big difference, others do not. Let us know which camp you fall in to.

 

I have yet to find a vehicle where the default settings for balance and fader favor the driver's seat. I have m/l and found that I need different fader settings for DSP and non-DSP listening. It's makes a huge difference - I no longer can "point" to where the vocals or dominant lead instrument is coming from.

BTW: I had a non-m/l 2006 GS300 loaner for 4 days last summer and really liked its ability to memorize a variety of fader/balance settings - can't do that with the m/l.

-michael

 

yeah. maybe a mod can merge.

 

Can you let us know the setting you use for comparison to our own?

 

With ML you can make and play CDs that contain up to 250 songs burned in an MP3 format. You can burn DVDs too but CDs are better because the song title shows. The song title will show on the NAV screen as the song is playing. I find that the sound is great and am happy I bought the ML audio system.