What's wrong with the 01-02 sound system?
 

I am thinking of buy an 02 SC and Consumer Reports shows excellent frequency of repair on everything other than the sound system. It shows a big black dot. The worst rating. I do know that the right front 6X9 is rattling and the dealer has agreed to replace it. what else is going on?

The other 6 X 9, the 2 in the back and the sub-woofer.
Instead of putting the stock speakers back in, get some cash out of the dealer, and put some better stuff in.

The front lower door speakers both have a history of blowing out. They are expensive, and if you replace them, all you have is another "not so good" speaker that still has a history of blowing out. Although the car has a subwoofer, you have to limit the bass to guard against blowing out the speakers. CD's and my iPod sound noticeably better than the radio, so don't necessarily use the radio as an indication of the overall system.

What's surprising about the Levinson system is that it's supposed to be sooo great (from everything you read), but "great" is not how I would describe it. At best, I'd say it's a little above average when all the speakers are working. If all the speakers are NOT working, it's a downright bad system and an insult to Lexus.

I just wrote on another thread that I recently traded in a Chrysler 300C that had an upgraded factory Boston Acoustics system in it. Now THAT car had a great sound system in it. It was the best system I have ever heard and I'm very picky about the sound system. One would think that Lexus could compete in the sound area with a company like Chrysler, but that appears not to be the case.

It's irritating that they talk up the ML system so much when it's really not that great. All it does is cause me not to trust what Lexus says when they do that.

I've got an '02 and the stereo sounds great. To each his own I guess...

Maybe mine has been babied through it's life, who knows....

I agree. What "sounds" good is a very subjective thing. I think the biggest difference is the simply the audible level, or how loud the music needs to be before it sounds the best. That is going to be different for everyone. I know if I'm buy myself, I want it pretty loud, and there's a point where you can "feel" the bass. That's where I like it, but for others, that would be way too loud.

So the system might be fine for those whose listening requirements aren't as demanding, but not satisfactory at all for others. Historically, the system doesn't have the ability to consistently provide that certain listening level some require without blowing speakers. Blown speakers are a known problem with the car, especially the lower fronts.

Agreed! Perfect way to say it, TooCoolSC...

I have to agree that the ML system in our SC430s are lousy. My two front speakers are blown and the subwoofer sounds horrible. I didnt own this car new so I can vouch for how it sounded new.

Anyhow, I have also owned 06 GS with ML system and i can say IT IS THE BEST SYSTEM out of the dealership. The surround sound and center channel are perfect. The subwoofer is awesome when watching movies in the car. I admit I do miss the sounds from my GS.

Stop the bashing and get educated!
 

To all who pan the 02 ML system:
Spend some time reading the excellent post about upgrading your speakers and adding a new subwoofer and amp. ZGone did a really nice job detailing the steps involved.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...all-sc430.html

Comparing an 02 system to an 06 system regardless of make is a typical example of not understanding that life cycles in electronics are measured in months, not years! 4 years would be about 6-7 generations of electronics...... Check out your phone for example....

Spend some time and effort. Get educated. If the stereo is the only thing that gets less than stellar reviews for an 8 year old car (designed 9+ years ago) then it just shows how far ahead the Lexus engineers were.

Replaced the front door speakers yesterday
 

Thanks to ZGone for all of the effort and detail. I used the instructions and replaced the front door speakers with 6.5" - 8 Ohm woofers from Parts Express http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=297-305 For $110 and some work (3.5 hours) they sound so much better than stock it is incredible! I took his advice and also used EDead on the doors. What a difference!

Don't bother with the stock speakers. Replace them with upgraded new ones. Yeah it's work but so worth it!

I will now have to do the back speakers and subwoofer since I have the bug and the front speakers sound so good.