bclexus

That's it! When talking on the phone using the car's Bluetooth you should always talk to the rearview mirror because the microphone is up there on the roof console...

yardie876

My guess would be ambient noise. Since I have a cat-back, there’s quite a ruckus in the cabin with the windows down and that’s when I hear the volume increase the most.

bclexus

There's a good chance that it is based on both ambient cabin noise and also speed - that before any volume adjustment is made based on ambient cabin noise the car must also be traveling [say] 35 mph...

bb700092

Whether the volume is adjusted based on ambient noise or not is very easy to test. Drive on the highway at 60+ mph for a few minutes and make sure that the volume is loud enough for you to clearly listen to the audio (song, speech, etc.). Then open the windows and see if you can still clearly listen to the audio. If yes, the volume has increased to adjust to the wind noise due to the open windows. If you cannot hear the audio clearly, the volume has not adjusted, at least not enough. I tried this experiment yesterday. When I opened the windows, I could not hear almost any audio due to wind noise. When I closed the windows again, the audio was clearly audible. This shows, in my GS, the volume does not adjust to ambient noise. I do not have ML.

Whether the volume adjusts to speed or not is not so easy to test. This will require the kind of experiment that bclexus suggested.

drgrant

I've never found these systems to work really well in any car, of any make or model. They always are either too aggressive, or too limpwristed, (you either get too much of a change, or far too little to be noticeable), and don't offer the user enough controls to actually try to tun the system. It's easier to just turn the volume up and down as needed....

-Mike

bclexus

I agree...that it's easier to just turn the volume up and down as needed... It's not like it's difficult or time consuming to do.

However, I have to admit the car does **** me off that I have to go through the hassle of opening and closing the car door, putting on my own seat belt, pushing the Start button, then going through all the rigmarole of putting it in gear, mashing the gas pedal, applying the brakes and turning the steering wheel. Whew...

MustangSal

Lol

10101010

bb700092

It is even easier to have active noise cancellation based on ambient noise in a vehicle. For hardware, only speakers (which is there in all vehicles) and a microphone (which is there in all vehicles with handsfree phone capability) are needed. Noise cancellation algorithms are plenty; they do a very good job and have efficient software implementations. The vehicle just needs to "hear" the ambient noise through the microphone and play the cancellation noise through the speakers -- all the time the vehicle's engine is running. If nothing else, this type of noise cancellation will help to get rid of pounds of sound deadening material, thereby making the car lighter and improving handling and fuel efficiency.

It seems Lexus finally has the active noise control in the 2018 LS500: http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdriver...etails/ART2430

Slash300zx

Mine works and you can notice the difference pretty well but I don't like it. I feel it raises the volume too much when moving like say in the highway... it just gets too loud so I rather just control it manually if I need to

bb700092

To those of you claiming to have the volume increase with speed or ambient noise:
1. Do you have ML?
2. Do you have the "Automatic Sound Levelizer" and "Surround" on? These are under DSP under Sound Settings.
3. Do you have any dedicated "ASC" button anywhere around/below your steering wheel as shown in the IS 300h in this article: http://blog.lexus.co.uk/lexus-and-the-art-of-noise/ , or in the RC 200t in this article: https://www.cars.com/articles/what-d...1420684960970/ , or in the GS-F pictured below?

For anyone interested, here is Lexus sound generator for IS-F:

MustangSal

ML? Yes. ASL and Surround on? Yes. ASC? No.

Slash300zx

I have ML on mine and both ASC and Surround on but I don't think I have the button, at least I haven't noticed it. I've only had this new GS for about two weeks but I know my old one (2015) definitely didn't have the ASC button and it worked pretty much the same as this one... also my old one was without ML