I have had 2 Lexi with all having the Mark Levinson Sound system. I am looking at upgrading to a 2004-2006 LS430. I don't particularly want the NAV system. However, I just about made a mistake and I need help with my ignorance. Do all LS430's have the Mark Levinson sound system? Do I have to get the NAV to get Mark Levinson? Do any LS430's without the NAV have the Mark Levinson sound system. When I look on Auto Trader the pics are generally too small to enlarge and see his signature on the radio portion. Thanks!

 

The following is correct for the '05, and I am pretty sure for all '04 to '06 -
Mark Levinson was included with the Modern Luxury package (as well as Custom Luxury and Ultra Luxury).
Only the Base (rarely if ever sold in the USA) and Premium models did not have it.
Modern Luxury included Nav as well as Mark Levinson, so they are not separable for the US market.
There was a conjecture that some LS430s sold in Hawaii (or perhaps Canada) had Mark Levinson but not Nav, however I am not able to confirm this.

 

Thanks, Gene. So if I am looking to buy a 2004-2006 LS430 and I want Mark Levinson sound, I need to get one with the NAV, correct?

 

Correct.
You will probably not be able to find a Base model, so you would have to avoid the Premium package.
That leaves the Modern Luxury, Custom Luxury, or Ultra Luxury which have the Mark Levinson system.
Unfortunately, many sellers (including dealers) do not know which package they have (every car is described as "premium". So, you have to learn to identify from photographs, which is not always possible.
In the stickies, there is a link to a thread about identifying a UL which can also be used as a guide to the other packages. If I remember, my post was #84 which had pictures of all the visible differences.

 

Two versions of LS430 audio system - Mark Levinson system (designed and supplied by Harmon International) whish is the high end more expensive system and the LS Premium option system (designed and supplied by Pioneer). The ML system is part of option package that includes the DVD based Lexus NAV system. So no ML system available without the Lexus NAV in the US.

For my money the pioneer supplied system in Premium option LS sounds very good playing CDs and playing music via line level IPOD adapter (where it really shines). Playing AM/FM radio on the Pioneer system sounds like its stuffed full of tube socks...fortunately I don't listen to music on the radio as it is highly compressed signal garbage these days. Analogue FM radio signal these days is compressed into a 6k hertz bandwidth so the resultant audio output is like an icepick in the ear.

 

Models sold in Hawaii have ML without the nav.

 

Makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing that info.

 

lvLS430 - Thanks for the information!

 

EXCELLENT INFO !!!
thanks

 

gebo,

Well, I thought my former '05 LS430 was a base model. But reading some of these posts I'm beginning to think it was not. I had no NAV, but did have Mark Levinson sound.

The only Lexus I have with what used to be the preferred audio (Nakamichi) is my '93 SC400.

I was told the '06 I have now is Modern Lux., but now I'm going to have to do more research...

 

If it were a Modern Luxury, it would have both Mark Levinson system and Nav (with a few exceptions such as Hawaii and perhaps Canada models).
Note that the Mark Levinson system has his name on the bezel, while the non-ML says "Premium" (if I remember right).
Some owners thought that their "premium" system was the (upgrade) Mark Levinson..

 

Here's the closest pic I have of the center stack in my (now totaled) '05. I was pretty certain I remembered seeing "Mark Levinson" stamped on the face plate, but you guys try zooming in to take a look and see what you think. This is the car I figured was just a base model due to its 7-spoke 17" wheels and lack of NAV.

 

Yep, I zoomed in and the Mark Levinson writing is present. I had forgotten what these looked like without the NAV!

 

In that case, perhaps mine was not a "base" model after all...

 

It does look like there is a "Mark Levinson" logo to the right of the "Lexus" brand. I can't be quite certain from the picture on my computer screen.
Also, the base model did not have cooled front seats, and your seat temp ***** definitely have the blue (cooling) arcs. The red arcs are not visible on my screen (low contrast with the dark background), but I think it is a safe assumption that they are present.
However, you can find out "for sure" by calling Lexus corporate, and they will e-mail you the sales codes for your VIN.