Just thought I'd throw this out there in the event that someone cares to offer an opinion.

I'm in the midst of mulling the purchase of a 2010 Lexus HS 250h. The only rub is that, for whatever stupid reason, Lexus is not sending any cars to the US with the Mark Levinson premium stereo option. (Which is bizarre since the car is loaded with every other technogizmo imaginable).

I'm leaning toward special ordering the car with Levinson. Just curious if any technophiles out there would like to sing the praises of the Mark Levinson system (thereby justfying the special order and resultant delayed gratification), or say the stock system is really good and you'd not notice much difference with the ML (meaning I could drive the car off the lot today).

For the sake of this discussion, I'm interested in the quality of the system and not concerned about the additional price.

 

I don't have a Levinson nor did I test drive a car with an ML system, so I cannot comment on the improved audio quality. In addition I was too impatient to wait for delivery of a ML equipped car once I made the decision to buy a Lexus. (and a bunch of other options I missed out on by not waiting)

However, you really have to consider the DVD aspect of the ML system. Although you can only watch the DVD when the car is not in motion, you can buy a third party override. I would think adding the override is way easier than adding the ML after the purchase of the vehicle.

So how important is DVD to you? And I can't answer this with any certainty, but with the third party override is there an input for your phone giving you the ability to show music videos and movies from your phone in the car??

Tough decision...good luck.

 

Thanks DunWkg - you make some good points. I'm moderately interested in the DVD stuff. I also have a number of DVD-audio discs from a previous car, so I would be able to listen to them as well. I've seen the 3rd party over-ride which I plan to install no matter which system I get because it gives you back access to the Nav system while in motion. I'm just simply pathetic with delayed gratification, so I'm struggling between wanting it now and wanting it equipped just as I specify...

 

YES IT IS!!!!!! My girlfriend has it on her 3rd gen gs and that think sounds amazing even on surround sound mode. Blows Bose and anything else ive ever heard out of the water. The only thing gay is the dvd player cant be used while driving you can hear it but the system wont display it unless your parked and have ebrake on.

 

Actually, there is a 3rd-party work-around for this: http://www.prestigioussociety.com/

 

i have ML in my 3GS and i have had a few different loaner cars from the Lexus dealer and i actually think the stereo in the ES was much better than my GS with ML. Only benifit i like with the ML is the dvd option.

 

for the price, i personally don't think its worth it.

 

I like the Mark Levinson system for it's sound quality when new.

I am not however too impressed with the reliability of the system. I have had a 2001 LS430 with ML, 2007 IS350 with ML, and test drove a 2003 SC430 also with ML. My 2001 LS430 the front speakers blew twice and right before I sold it the sub was starting to crackle, my IS350's ML system always sounded a bit off to me(lacked in the high frequency area), and the SC430 that I test drove before deciding on my current car had blown front door speakers.

Maybe I've just had a bad run with the Mark Levinson system, but when I decide to replace my car I will look for one without it and the price Lexus charges for it new is pretty ridiculous.

Had the Nakamichi setup in my current SC400 and it sounded decent, but to me there is nothing better than a nice set of aftermarket speakers for long-term reliability and sound quality.

Just my two cents.

 

ML is way over rated and over hyped in terms of sound quality. The sound quality in the older LS430 was the only thing that impressed me, but that's when the first ML system came out for that model. Different models (ES, GS, etc), even though they say "Mark Levinson" definitely had different sound qualities, or lack thereof.

I find the staging to be very congested and narrow, some model cars are much worse than others. DSP switched on or off doesn't help any, nor did changing any of the settings.

In terms of build and sound quality (there's that word again - but ML doesn't seem to apply it well!), they are definitely lacking and are relying too much are marketing hype and flashy ads.

The internal construction of their amps is a joke. You have plenty of thermals there to cause heat related failures. Also, the choice of components inside the amp are made to the lowest bidder. The only thing noteworthy about the internal of the amp is the Analog Devices SHARC DSP processor. The rest is junk.

Now go to the speakers. Scotty6486 - you're NOT alone with all the problems. I've heard MANY complaints and feedback about the speakers blowing. This is with the subs, the mids and the tweeters. If it's not the voice coil blown, then it's the surround material separating after a short term. Sure, some may say "oh, mine is still fine", but more than likely it will happen.

Forget all of the flowery reviews and market hype. The real deal is that they (lexus) put in a fancy market name, splashed the "$100,000 home system" comment to make you think the same components were being used in the car. They aren't - FAR FROM IT.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...inson-amp.html

Scotty - switch out your speakers for Dynaudio gear. I've had mine for over 12 years now and they still are exceptional. VERY tough to blow out a dynaudio speaker.

 

Bummer, looks like I'll be making some changes to the ML in my RX450h when it gets here. At minimum I was thinking about adding subs and new amp. Are the speakers that bad? I changed them and added amps, subs, and clean sweep in my 04 RX, non-ML. I was hoping not to go there again.

 

I have to agree with Percy, the build quality of the ML speakers is sub par. Foam and paper may be a good combination of materials for a home audio setup, but not in a car. Foam can degrade really quickly and also stiffen up over time.

I've installed a couple sets of Dynaudio speakers in the past, they sound great, are very sensitive, but are a bit too rich for my blood at the moment.

 

So compared with others OEM audio sets on Audi, BMW, Acura or Infinity, how would Lexus audio ranked ?

 

Depends on which ML system, that is, model of car and year. They differ.

Probably THE system to beat would be the Dynaudio system - Bugatti. But then the Dyn system used in Volvo definitely was not a slouch.

 

How can I tell if a GS 350 has ML....Where is the Logo located?

 

The logo is on the center stack somewhere. It looks like this:
http://greatcarsgreatprices.files.wo...1/p1030107.jpg