Just picked up my car today. I can honestly say the ML in the 3IS is very satisfying. Sound from CD and iPod is fantastic, from Pandora exellent and almost tolerable from Sirius!

 

Congrats on finally getting your car in. Happy to hear you're digging the sound system; it was definitely worth the wait!

 

Sorry to hijack the thread, but anyone experiencing volume issues w/ ML and bluetooth audio?
Volume is very low at first and when I go thru menu to do other stuff and when it suddenly gets loud and stay loud.

It's been only one day, but weird.

Thanks

 

I just thought of something. Would it be a good idea to by the Mark Levinson speakers from Sewell and replace the stock speakers?

http://is.sewellparts.com/oem-catalo...S250-2014.html

 

For some like me who is not an audiophile, the premium system is more than enough. I just finished setting up the system to my preference, and it is exceeding my expectation in every single aspect.

 

Is it pretty clear? Base decent? I dont need nothing big, ordered AWD UW/Roija Interior ML was not available, just basic stereo.

 

It came with my package. If I had to pay for it, I wouldn't. At least not in this IS. I've experienced ML in 2IS and LS (not a fair comparison), there is something not right with the acoustic in the 3IS cabin. The speakers are too front bias. Even if you've corrected that to your sitting position, the sound do not fill the cabin like it should. It's very obvious when you have the 2IS and 3IS side by side using the same audio source.

 

I like the sound of the ML. Very crisp. I added 12" JL W6 and now its perfect. Sounds great all around. AND i can still control everything thru the steering wheel and factory system, which is a plus.

 

Yea I've noticed when I sat in the back seats for testing the speakers, I can only hear very low sounds coming out. I've set the speakers to balance 50/50. I would say the front speakers are bias to 75% and back are 25%.

 

Coming from a car with a Bose system, the stock system sounds almost as good and I'm satisfied. But I've never been a huge audio guy. I just know when it sounds good.

 

I don’t know if there is much difference between the IS250/IS350 and the (European) IS300H, but the ML system in the IS300H isn’t as good as in my previous IS220D. The bass is routed to much to the front door speakers and not enough to the sub-woofer. Compared to the previous generation ML the sound isn’t so loud and when playing at a loud volume you can hear the material of the front doors resonating.

And the biggest disappointment: no support for DVD-A and DTS-CD anymore, see thread:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...ml#post8570404

Could you guys please check if the IS250/IS350 and GS300/GS450 supports the trick of renaming WAV etc… to MP3?

 

Good to hear! You just picked yours up yesterday right? How are you liking it? Getting the same package UW/Rioja middle of July.

 

My only regret about purchasing an IS is that I need a car right away and couldn't wait to special order the ML speaker package

 

Being an semi-audiophile myself, I only found the ML audio average. The $850 B&O option on the Audi sounds much more crisp and clear with flat settings. ML just slightly lacks midrange and clarity, but moving a notch above on the mid settings did help a bit.

I think acoustically the car's cabin is not perfect, either that or the speakers aren't adjusted properly. Audio in the back lacks midrange and especially lows. The front speakers sound decent, but has too much bias on it's side. Slightly move your head and the sound stage is not consistent, so you can almost hear each speaker individually (won't be noticeable unless you are listening for it).

The surround sound processing is also lacking in many ways. Rear passengers won't hear the $800 ML upgrade. Sound from the back is just tiny with Surround on. So you could be blasting it from the front, but your passengers won't get the same feel of the music you will.

I eventually turned off Surround to get a more accurate sound instead of a "fuller" sound.
Some people will recommend leaving the bass flat in the middle, since anything more is just boosting bass. I haven't confirmed this yet, but a notch or two up didn't affect the Mids at all.

OVERALL: Get the ML because the stock one sucks *****. It's definitely better than most speaker systems on the market. Most of the time I'm enjoying the sound the ML provides even though it didn't meet my expectations.

 

I'm not an audiophile, per se, but certainly feel that the ML is worth the price. Sounds very much like, if not slightly better than, the ELS audio offered by Acura. I do agree with Celledral's comment on the B&O system in Audis - I had one on my A4 and it sounded pretty good. If a few hundred bucks aren't big deal for you, just go for the ML. You can't go wrong.