6th Generation Sound system vs 7th Generation
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
6th Generation Sound system vs 7th Generation
When comparing both the 6th and 7th generation sound systems (non Mark Levinson), which sounds better? I do realize this may be highly subjective. On my 2014 ES system I added an aftermarket sub in the trunk and it made the stock system sound much better. I'm debating on doing the same for the 2019.
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Detuna (01-25-19)
#3
Lead Lap
Well I now have an ML system in the new car and am able to compare it with the premium system I had in my 2013 Luxury edition Lexus ES 350. I can say that I'm disappointed in the sound quality and find the ML system little to no better than the previous Pioneer system. Maybe I was expecting too much, but honestly I find almost no difference between the two...
I did check the settings and the surround was on and the other settings i.e. bass, treble, fader, were set to neutral. The car is 5 days old...
I did check the settings and the surround was on and the other settings i.e. bass, treble, fader, were set to neutral. The car is 5 days old...
#4
Well I now have an ML system in the new car and am able to compare it with the premium system I had in my 2013 Luxury edition Lexus ES 350. I can say that I'm disappointed in the sound quality and find the ML system little to no better than the previous Pioneer system. Maybe I was expecting too much, but honestly I find almost no difference between the two...
I did check the settings and the surround was on and the other settings i.e. bass, treble, fader, were set to neutral. The car is 5 days old...
I did check the settings and the surround was on and the other settings i.e. bass, treble, fader, were set to neutral. The car is 5 days old...
#5
Lead Lap
It was on when I got the car so I thought it should be. I'll turn it off...
#6
Driver School Candidate
Well I now have an ML system in the new car and am able to compare it with the premium system I had in my 2013 Luxury edition Lexus ES 350. I can say that I'm disappointed in the sound quality and find the ML system little to no better than the previous Pioneer system. Maybe I was expecting too much, but honestly I find almost no difference between the two...
I did check the settings and the surround was on and the other settings i.e. bass, treble, fader, were set to neutral. The car is 5 days old...
I did check the settings and the surround was on and the other settings i.e. bass, treble, fader, were set to neutral. The car is 5 days old...
#7
I have found the opposite to be true. Before I ordered my 2019 ES I compared XM on both the standard Pioneer and the ML. XM sounded MUCH better on the ML system than the Pioneer. On the Pioneer XM sounded static-y (at some moments I thought I was listening to FM radio but I wasn't) but it sounded clear on the ML. The JBL system in my current 2011 Camry hybrid sounded much better than the Pioneer in the 2019 ES. It was the difference in XM between the Pioneer and ML systems that convinced me to pay the extra $1,080 to get the ML system. Probably 2/3 of what I listen to in the car is XM so it was worth it to me.
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#8
The ML is disappointing to anyone who knows good car audio. The quality is sharp and clear, but the sound is incredibly empty. The mids and lows are almost nonexistent. And the system unbalanced due to front/center bias (“center stage” gimmick). Lots of people on here over the years have talked themselves into liking ML because they’re stuck with it.
I used the SAME flash drive, with the same songs I used before in ES350 with ML. But the quality of the audio was incredible in the MKZ! The highs were extremely clear, the mids were so full, and the Lows were beautiful and filled the cabin with pressure from the audio. With ZERO distortion. The Center Stage did a FANTASTIC job, while still hearing audio coming from everywhere in the cabin, front, back, sides. It had a perfect balance.
All I'm trying to say here is I honestly believe Lexus wasn't willing to pay Harman/ML enough for a good audio system. I don't think ML is incapable of making a brilliant system. It's Lexus here that messed it up for the sake of cost cutting....
Last edited by SuperMido; 12-11-18 at 07:30 AM.
#9
Did everyone make sure that all the sound adjustments/ treble / mid / bass are on neutral when comparing say an ES to an MKZ ( or any other car for that matter).
Whenever I check out any car at a showroom I find that the equalizer has been adjusted dramatically.
Whenever I check out any car at a showroom I find that the equalizer has been adjusted dramatically.
#10
Lexus Test Driver
Also listening in a showroom vs listening while driving really not a fair comparison.
#11
I forgot to mention that it is also very important to listen to both systems at exactly the same volume. Any source you listen to even slightly louder is immediately perceived as better!
#12
I did all of that just to make sure its a fair comparison. But the difference was IMMENSE!! I'm not talking about oh it was a little nicer or better. Im talking about DAY AND NIGHT difference in audio quality between those 2 systems.
Now talking about the MKZ here is taking the thread out of topic. But again the whole point I was trying to make is that Lexus screwed up BIG time with this cheap system they put in the new ES. A good sound system WILL sound awesome regardless of what settings, source, volume, etc you have it set to. And as you tune, refine and make adjustments, it only improves from there. If you have musical ears you can tell the difference immediately once anything comes out of those speakers....And the ML system in the 2019 ES is not one of those systems...
#13
I listened to both sound systems when the cars were standing still outside in an open lot. Both cars equalizer settings were set to the default (all neutral). I listened to both in default first. The I went from there to adjust them in the same way which I enjoy (bass and treble all the way to max, ...
Judging by your settings, you need a more forgiving system that doesn't play flat across the frequency spectrum. Bose would be a good choice for that.
#14
Well, there's the issue. You're adding distortion. The ML is very transparent, so just like low res audio, it will be very obvious.
Judging by your settings, you need a more forgiving system that doesn't play flat across the frequency spectrum. Bose would be a good choice for that.
Judging by your settings, you need a more forgiving system that doesn't play flat across the frequency spectrum. Bose would be a good choice for that.
And PLEASE for the love of Audio, dont ever mention Bose when we talk about Music....I have a Nissan Maxima with a Bose system. And that is the WORST audio experience I've ever had. Bose is a DISASTER in the world of audio.
#15
Sorry Sir, but thats TOTAL BS...And like I said I did listen to both in neutral. And that didn't help the ML system at ALL. The highs weren't as clear, and the mids weren't so full. That's not even mentioning the whole balancing thing...
And PLEASE for the love of Audio, dont ever mention Bose when we talk about Music....I have a Nissan Maxima with a Bose system. And that is the WORST audio experience I've ever had. Bose is a DISASTER in the world of audio.
And PLEASE for the love of Audio, dont ever mention Bose when we talk about Music....I have a Nissan Maxima with a Bose system. And that is the WORST audio experience I've ever had. Bose is a DISASTER in the world of audio.