the mark levinson upgrade sound was definitely on my short list of options, and it was a must-have. since it was packaged w/ the nav (and luckily the sports package), i bit the bullet and got both. IMO in order to take advantage of the ML system, you should also get the nav.

 

I skipped the nav because I had no interest in watching movies while driving (apart from that requiring me to splice up my wiring to get anyway), and a $300 garmin has considerably better functionality than the lexus nav that cost 10x as much... now, I have a buddy with a dvd video system in every vehicle he drives who watches movies on any drive longer than 15 minutes, he'd go the other way on that.

I would've liked to have been able to listen to the handful of things actually released on DVD-A, but I wasn't willing to drop an extra $3000 to listen to maybe a couple dozen albums.

 

There is a thread on here where someone did a comparison of ML vs. stock and I found it to be very informative. You can check it out here:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=mark+levinson

When I ordered my car, Nav was a must have for me since I can't tell left from right but I also decided to throw in ML from everything I've heard about it. I'm sure glad that I got ML because the sound is phenomenal. I'm no audio guru but surely there is definitely a good reason why the ML costs so much more.

On another note, in order to get the best music experience, you should really try an audio DVD with either DTS, 5.1 or Dolby formats. A regular music CD won't really give you the real ML experience.

 

I listened to the stock and ML before I bought mine and I could tell a difference. With the ML, the bass seemed a lot sharper. I also really noticed a difference using DVD-Audio because of the multi-channel sound.

http://www.marklevinsonlexus.com/overview.asp?model=is

 

The DVD-A is useless, from the handful of disc available there is not a one that is worth listening to.

As far as comparing the OEM nav to any portable nav, not so. I have both and I can tell you the OEM nav is way better. Yes the portables have some extra features but can't compare to even the speed of the OEM.

Koz

 

I envy people that can't hear a difference. They can sure save themselves a lot of money. ML was a must-have when I ordered my car. It was worth waiting 4 1/2 months for it.

 

I'll take an extra 0.5 seconds to calculate a route in exchange for the hour I can save avoiding traffic jams thanks to the realtime traffic data the aftermarket unit provides.

Plus the $2800 savings. (or $2200 without ML)

Plus the $225 I save every time I want to update the maps.

Plus being able to plan routes and POIs for long/complex trips while at home on my PC then just uploading them to the nav.

and so on

 

Tell me about it...$6,000 dollars later on a home theater system. ugh!

Should have waited for the ML. What can I say? Hindsight has 20/20

 

Yeah, I wouln't admit that.

Not the best sound source to judge accurate musical reporduction.

 

I know this...but it was the only thing I had readily avaiable...

Now excuse me while I slip under the desk in shame.

 

Since there are two 08 IS350s in my garage, one with ML, the other without, I can add a shed of light to this thread.

ML: Exceptional sound quality, minimal distortion, enhanced across the spectrum, particularly the mids and base. Rating 9/10

non-ML: Very good sound quality, minimal distortion, would satisfy probably 70 to 80% of buyers. Rating 7.5/10

to both.

 

I , 100% agree with you on that.....You really have to know your audiophile componets to "really appriciate " the higher end units and what to "hear" for in the difference. It can only start from being aware of your brands you set up at home. If you love Bose...onkyo...denon....boston... units then the stock system is more then enough for you...... But when you get into Krell...B&W..."Mark Levinson" then and only then will your "ears" understand the difference. There is another level of sound you miss when you have lesser brands....That is also the difference in cost...when you "get into the audiophile level of manufactors" You can get blown away of the value....of these systems... If a few thousand bucks can get you introduced to a Levinson system. Then is it a bargain.... yes a bargain compared to what his systems can cost for home use.... It's like goin from a Geo metro to Lexus 460L.

 

Just curious if one has to pay a monthly fee for the realtime traffic data service??

 

There's a few ways to get it, TMC FM, Satellite, MSN, etc... MSN is neat because it'll also find you the cheapest gas price near your location, current weather, nearby movie times, nearby local events etc...

There's a fee for each, but it depends on what you do-

XM is $3.99/mo if you have XM radio service

TMC FM is free for 3 months, then $60 per year to renew

MSN also includes a free 1 year of service with Garmin units, then I think it's $50/yr after that.

Given the number of hours you can save with it, pretty well worth it if you live in any kinda decent sized city... and given how much Lexus gets for map updates even the yearly cost with traffic remains way way lower than the OEM system that can't even do it.

 

another reason to match the ML w/ the nav...

the vaistech ipod integration system works very well w/ the nav screen. of course, getting the nav hack done so you can browse through your MP3 playlists makes it all the more functional.

oh, and it's all neatly integrated into one screen.

that's not to say that standalone aftermarket GPS solutions are worse than the lexus factory one. from a personal standpoint, i like what i have, and if i had the same choice again i'd choose the same.