I am a happy new owner of a 2012 RX 350, w/ prem/comf/NAV packages, that include 12 speaker sound system.

I wonder if anyone tried to upgrade this 12-speaker system, and how did you go about it.

Thanx

PS
I wanter ML system but I was told it would have to be built and include not only prem, but a luxury package as well, and I did not want to wait 2-3mo. and to payh extra 4K...Also no big price discount because it would not be an in-stock vehicle

 

I didn't upgrade mine but I had my speakers changed and added a sub and a couple of amps. Sound is really awesome and crystal clear highs with very clean bass.

 

m1964, congrats on your RX and welcome to CL.

ML is nice but it still lacks bass. You're not missing much. Changing the speakers and adding subwoofers is your best route. I did that and then some on my 330. But it can get pricey especially if it's a custom install.

Happy, can you share pictures of your setup? I'm curious where you put everything.

 

I have the ML system and by adding sound deadening material such as fatmat,dynamat, etc you can up the bass to an adequate level. I don't have my bass all the way up anymore and it sounds so much better. Quieted the tire pinging noise down too.

 

what's your source when you play music?
if you will listen to FM? mp3? or even satellite 90% of the time, don't expect much even if you change all the speakers and add an amplifier.
However, if you go with a CD, then that's when you'll see a dramatic difference.

it will also depend on what type of music you prefer to hear.. Hip Hop vs classical vs Pop.
i know it can be very subjective how we evaluate sound..
it's not just about the bass, but a balance of an adequate bass with the mids and the highs.

 

Happy, do you remember size of the speakers in the front doors?

Thank you.

Markrivers,

I like classical music, jazz-the tweeters in the front doors sound irritating to me, and the base is boomy w/o any power. I never listen to loud music, to me it is more about clarity and timbre then the loudness/power.

in my present set-up I reduced treble by 2 bars, increased mids by one, and reduced base by 1-2 bars.

Before buying RX I spoke to a sound shop manager who said he can add audio control box+aftermarket amp., and possibly change the speakers (I have nice 4-ch alpine amp., and some speakers from previous installs

 

I thought the 12-speaker system already had a subwoofer in the cargo area, or did you change your subwoofer out??

 

I find that the quality of sound for playing my iPod with the 12-speaker system in my 2010 RX sounds just as good as the CD Player. Now, on the satellite radio, I do agree that sounds the weakest.

 

The sound quality is dependent on the source: If your ipod has the wav files from the CD, then it's freq range is higher hence a bigger file. A compressed file like mp3, mp4 cuts out those ranges but if it's compressed to around 320kbps, on an earphone or car speakers, the sound is almost alike, but I still prefer CD audio quality. Try listening to the same song both as a CD wav file and in an mp3 320kbps to tell the difference, it'll take some good listening.

Now, just having a 12 speaker doesn't improve sound quality. It just multiplies or improves sound distribution.

Another factor for sound quality is how your player play those frequencies, hence the digitial sound processors like equalizers. AMPs just amplifies clarity.

No matter what type of music or genre you listen, you can always tell a good sound system from a mediocre one.

Another thing to listen to a good sound is how crisp the mids and highs, and how smooth the bass is as it gets lower, all without distortion.

I'm by no means claiming I'm absolute when it comes to sounds, I've just been an audiophile since I was in highschool and have been able to listen keenly to different sounds. I guess training your ears to sound differences to be able to distinguish different audio outputs.

Anita, I'll post some pics tomorrow. They're all pretty much right next to my spare.

m1964, if I can remember, the tweeters are 1", for the front door and back, the middle are 2.5" (it's rare to find aftermarkets for this) then a 6.5" for the bottom.

 

I think not everyone will hear the difference, and, depending on the material (talk show is one example) high-end sound system will not make big difference comparing to not so good system.

In my new RX I can hear sound coming seperately from Rt and Lt doors, not creating good imaging/soundstage, base is just poor.
Base alone probably can be dealt with by taking OEM SUB output into 1-ch. amp. that has speaker-level input, and by adding aftermarket SUB possibly into factory location.


Happy,

would you know the impedance of the speakers?

here is a 2.5" midrange, but it is 4 ohm speaker:
http://dls.se/en/car/prod.html?produkt=en_160

 

^My speakers are 4 ohm. So that's about right.

Here are the amps.



As for the clean sweep, it's placed near the factory amp on this pic. I didn't take a pic coz I have to take the tire out and I'm in the lazy mode.

 

I only had the 9 speaker option, no sub and here are the speakers. Cheaply made speakers.

 

I agreed, it's all about the source, playing a DTS cd sounds great.
The weakest is XM radio.

 

Happy, nice setup. I haven't looked under the cargo area in a while. I remember it's not as big as my 330. That had a perfectly sized area for a couple of amps without having to remove the plastic panels. The only plus for me if I went this route again, the battery is in the back right where you have the amps, LOL.

Thanks for posting the pictures.