This will be my first car that has an AUX jack, and I'd like to think car audio (especially in a premium brand like Lexus) has come a long way in the last 8 years, where I routinely blew the stock speakers in my 2002 Maxima (not because I was cranking it unreasonably, but apparently as a side effect of custom-made CDs which might have taken frequency and amplitude outside of store-bought CD ranges). I dont think that car was engineered with custom CDs in mind.

Does the standard system in the IS250 use audio compression / limiting to ensure that you can't accidentally plug in an iPod turned up full blast while your volume setting on the stereo is high (or that you can but it won't allow volume to levels that would damage speakers)? I would think this is a must have in a system with AUX jack?

 

Honestly, I have my iPod turned up almost full blast when I have it plugged into the AUX jack. When playing from a third-party media player the volume is very low through the stereo for some reason (it is common in all IS's). Even with my iPod plugged in and the volume all the way up on my iPod, I have the volume on the stereo up about 3/5 of max for normal listening (the max is 62 and normal listening for me is upper 30s / low 40s when driving down the road; as compared to when listening to the radio it is about mid 20s.

So, sorry, but I don't have a direct answer to your question. You'll definitely have the volume turned way up on your media player and the stereo just for your normal listening, so it won't be a big deal in blowing them out - just going from the radio and hitting AUX you'll hardly be able to hear anything anyway - just keep the same volume on your iPod all the time and change volume through the stereo ****. I do have to say though, to me, the stock (non-upgraded package) stereo in the IS is better than in any other vehicle I have heard.

 

IMO the aux jack is kind of ghetto for a lexus. I used to use the aux jack in my old honda civic with a portable cd player, back in the days.

I'm surprise Lexus didn't have a hard drive based stereo to store mp3s. I recommend getting an ipod integration kit as an alternative, so you can control everything on your stereo/steering wheel and keep your eyes on the road. A lot of people ask me if it's satellite radio, I just tell them to look in the glove compartment.

 

I see your point to a certain extent, but in my case I want to use the recording feature of my satellite portable in my car, mainly because I don't want to just listen to whatevers currently playing, I like skipping tracks until I find something I like, so the AUX jack should work for this.

For everything else, I think I can play data CDs that I burn MP3s to, is that correct? If so, with a 6 disc changer I can put quite a large # of songs in the jukebox as they say.

 

What kind of integration kit did you buy and where?

 

This post is 8 year old...

 

My guess is that it was one of the VAIS Technology products, as those were pretty much the only option that allowed both steering wheel control and displayed track titles back in those early days.