Just got my new Sc and couldn't wait to here the ML. I am very disapointed with the sound out of the rear speakers. When I shift the fader to the rear it seems the sound goes flat. it is as if the bass turns off and the sound is in mono, realy flat. Is there anything i am missing besides Bass, Mid, and treble. I hope i am missing something or something is wrong. otherwise the bose system in the FX35 blows the ML away.

Please help
Mario

 

yeah mario i got your pm. i have no idea. i have never heard about the sound on the fx before, but i can only say that the system on my sc430 is far superior than anything else i have had before. only down side is the lack of bass on the sc430 ML setup, other than that it's great

maybe you can pm genearch about it. he has both the sc430 and the fx35

 

Regarding the rear speakers being flat. Has anyone noticed or can some members try fading the system to the rear and tell me if the bass turns off. It seems like the amp or sub turns off when the fader gets to the setting of Fader Rear 5 to 7 that means my amp or sub is only functioning on the front channel. Maybe I have a problem with the amp on thr rear channel? I mean the rear speakers sound like an old AM radio.

thanks,
mario

 

Mario, my rear speakers also sound like crap by themselves, so don't worry. They're 'tuned' to a specific frequency, and are supposed to be heard with the rest of the speakers. It's supposed to be heard with the fader in '0'.
I also wasn't impressed with the ML system when I bought my car (and I was coming off an '03 vette with a crappy bose). For what it costs, it should definitely be better. On the other hand, I understand it's rather difficult to have a nice sound system in a convertible, so I'm happy with it.

As a comparison, the standard sound system on the much cheaper Acura TL sounds just as good with regular CDs, but it blows the SC's ML away with a DVD audio.

Finally, I noticed the new GS, and even the new IS, have a much nicer ML sound systems, which I understand include DVD audio as well. Or at least much more speakers. Later.

JC

 

Yes, I had my neighbor in the car today and without me saying any thing he said it sounds like it is in mono and not stereo.

 

thats not hard to test just find a song that you know plays different sounds from right or left and go listen to it. You know how often times the beat shifts back and forth from right to left.

 

imo, it sounds like something is wrong with your ML. i have never once heard someone say it sounded like mono. it always sounds pretty good. in order of the models, the new GS ML has the best, followed closely by the SC;'s, and the the RX ML is a distant 3rd place (SUV cabins are much harder to get right than the tiny cabin in the SC).

 

if i have to rank 3gs, 2gs, sc430, ls430, it would be

3gs, ls430, sc430, 2gs

 

It just sounds muffled to me. There doesn't seem to be good sound seperation between instruments and even vocals and when you turn it up past 50 it starts to distort . It actually sounds better with the top off because it gets a boost to compensate for the outside noise. I will go by the dealer when i get a chance and listen to the one in the demo to make sure nothing is wrong with mine.

 

I'm not an expert when it comes to audio, but I do know there is something called a "crossover" that will cut out quite a bit of sound when you fade your car stereo totally to the rear speakers. The fader has to be close to the center position for all the sound to come through. That's not unusual, and I've noticed it in almost all of my cars. My former GS300 was probably the most noticeable.

Re: the SC430 sound system, I owned one a couple of years ago and I found the M-L system to be excellent. Interestingly enough, it was better with the top down than up. I guess the ASL puts it in a more "enhanced" mode to account for the noise.

I now own an FX35 w/ Bose and while I can see that the bass might have more punch I certainly remember the SC430 as having more clarity. I find the Bose 5.1 system in my M45 Sport w/ Bose 5.1 to be equivalent to the SC430 system, but not the system in the FX. You may want to have the dealer check it out.

 

Yes the ML does sound better with the top down. It sounds like the amp kicks in. The FX35 I had for 2 months just before I got the SC was a 2005 with the 11 speaker 300 watt Bose. maybe the older FX had a different version of the Bose?

What settings do you generally keep the bass, mid,and treble at? I know it depends on the music, but generally speaking. Oh also can you have different settings that are stored for cd and fm or will you change it for all sources?

Thanks guys,
Mario

 

hey I just noticed that the antenna goes up and down an additional 3 inches or so when the fm frequency goes above or below 96. Whats that about?

 

I must say that the ML in my 2002 SC430 is probably the best stereo I've heard in any car, and actually what persuaded my partner to get a 2005 LS430. Up to getting my SC430, the stereo (DSM or something similar which was an expensive upgrade) in his previous BMW 540i was the best I had heard. The bass in the BMW was incredible, but lacked the clarity of the Lexus plus the bass in the Lexus seems to be around you rather than coming from the trunk. The stereo on the LS430 is very good (abeit not as good as the SC430), but something seems not quite right with it. I'll have the dealer look at it the next time it's in for service.

As for settings, I change it depending on the type of music. The only odd thing I've noticed is that some people on morning talk shows come through too loud or "boomy" if the bass is turned up past one.

 

I have an `04 SC430, and I purposely fade (slightly) my music to the rear speakers. I don't experience the problem you identify; however, I had an `02 SC430 before the `04, and I definately had that problem in the `02. It turned out to be a bad amplifier. Ask your dealer to check it out.

 

for what it's worth, i set the base to max, and i believe the mid to 0, and the treb to 2 or 3