i have an 07 GS350 with navigation. it is non ML stereo system. the stereo system is pretty weak IMHO. it's not nearly as good as the stock non ML stereo i had in my 07 IS250. what kind of upgrades should i be looking at that will not affect the way my existing stereo works through my navi screen? sorry if this has been asked and answered a million times i'm a NEWBIE.....

 

I have been considering the same for myself (07 GS350 AWD/Navi). In my previous car (05 TL) I had installed the following, which was a pretty sweet system:

Retained OEM Navi Headunit
Sub: Image Dynamics iD10D4v.3
Amp: Alpine PDX-5
Sound Processor: Rockford Fosgate 3SIXTY.2
Front Speakers: Polk/Momo Component Speakers
Rear Speakers: Polk/Momo 3-way Speakers


I have a subscription to TIS, so I am going to pull the wiring diagrams for the 07 GS, and I'll be able to see how to integrate the sound processor into the OEM Headunit/Navigation. My only fear is that the Bluetooth Handsfree System uses the Factory/OEM Amp ... Once I will read the diagrams, I will have a better idea on if this car can be fully integrated with an aftermarket audio system.

--Antonio

 

Are you kidding me?!?! Everytime I get an 07-09 ISx loaner, it sounds horrible in comparison. The IS stereo sounds flatter and distorts at a lower volume than the GS. Both being non-ML.

 

+1.... GS stereo > IS stereo anytime, anyday.... SURE the IS SOUNDS like it has a louder system... but listen carefully, i mean REALLY carefully... and then consider how balanced out the GS is compared to the IS? i went from the GS to the IS, and just because of the IS's sound system i appreciated my Non-ML system sooo much more.... i'll be upgrading soon though, to be honest... for a base unit.... it sound pretty damn balanced for what it is!

 

to retain the stock head unit you will need a line out converter or processor. not certain the setup for non ML, but for my ML, everything is controlled by the head unit - bluetooth, climate, ect. i plan on using the RF360.2 unless a better option presents itself when i am ready to do my swap.

 

I find the pioneer audio system in the GS pretty awesome for a base model stereo. Easily the best in any car I've ever owned, but that's not saying much considering I've never bought a luxury brand before this.

Did they change anything about the stereo in the later years of production? I suppose it's possible that they cut some corners later on to keep the price of the overall car down while they upgraded other things.

 

Bumping this ancient thread to see if anyone can answer this question now. I just test-drove a 2007 GS350 with the base audio system and it sounded quite good, and I'm pretty picky about sound. It only faded at very high volume. Even though it's the base model, it still has an amp in the right side of the trunk and a speaker in the center of the dash near the windshield. The bass was substantial for me. Depending on the track I ended up happy with tone controls with mids one tick higher than the treble, and the bass even or one tick higher as well.

Can anyone speak to the 08 & 09 sound system vs the 07? Did they cheapen it up?

 

I just completed a stereo in my 2011 gs. I kept the stock stereo, and amplifier to be able to retain all the bluetooth functions. I took the sub output, and the front speaker outputs (from the stock Pioneer amp), and fed them in to my processor using the line level inputs (My jbl ms8 allows for this). I then wired to two six channel amps to feed the replacement speakers in the stock, factory locations (except the sub). I removed the stock sub, and installed a 15 inch sub in an IB config; mounted to the factory "ski hole" between the rear seats.

 

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