Using FLAC on USB stick so the source isn't the problem. Our X5 had a much bigger soundstage and the bass was just so much louder while cleaner without even adjusting the EQ. The tweeters also didn't sound muddy like the ML. Boosting the EQ on the ML just makes the bass muddy/boomy and tweeters harsh/fatiguing.

Tried multiple genres from classical to rock to pop.

I also tried out a TX350 Lux at the dealer to make sure ours wasn't bad and it sounded the same. The TX's ML system should be the base system.

It's my wife's car and she's content with it, but I would not accept it as is if it was my own ride.

Nothing like the ML systems I've heard in the past like the LS500 or the 2018 GS350 ML system that my sister has. Like all manufacturers, Lexus is cost cutting.

 

Not my experience at all. The ML sound system in my 2025 TX550h+ is definitely not muddy. It has excellent clarity. I do not enable the surround sound as that just makes things weird.

Concerning bass, I think it has a very flat response. So the bass is properly balanced. However, I do realize there are people that like a lot of bass, and perhaps the ML system doesn't produce as much as they would like. But I'm not going to fault a sound system for being accurate.

I'm sure listening level is a factor. I prefer a comfortable listening level. I don't crank it up s so loud the cars around me can hear me. I'm not making the doors rattle etc. So, I can't comment on what it sounds like if someone is running it loud.

 

I'm sure the volume is a factor as I like it loud and our TX starts to distort even at mid volumes. Have you ever demoed a B&W diamond tweeter system in a BMW or Volvo before? One of the best factory systems you can buy. I just expected a higher wattage 1800 watt Mark Levinson system in our TX's with the same number of speakers would at least match or exceed the 1500 watt B&W 21 speaker system our X5 had. I know car manufacturer's watts usually don't mean much but I expected both systems to be close and not so far apart in performance.

 

Exactly, the B&W system in my V60 makes the TX ML system sound awful in comparison.

 

I feel the absolute same way! Rip off!

 

I watched a Youtube video yesterday of a guy doing a review of the ML. He said much the same thing, if you just have the volume up enough to hear it, you will think it is ok. If you go louder, you will not.

 

It's a seriously underpowered system. With a supposed 1800 watts of power it should be able to get loud and still sound clean. It does neither.

 

"Loud" is relative to your expectations. The system is certainly fine for my needs, though I do wish ALL new sound systems had a "Loudness Contour" setting to compensate for lack of bass response in the human ear at lower volumes, the way they used to. VERY useful setting, IMO.

Biasing the system sound center in the TX more towards the 2nd row and adjusting bass, midrange and treble on the 3-band EQ really helps as does setting the EQ controls on the driving device (phone) if available. The system also supports a direct plug-in USB memory stick, which I find handy.

But its not a "boomer" or "shaker" system. Just a decent and balanced sound system that also doubles as an active noise cancellation device (and engine sound enhancer, if you set it that way). This is pretty much in sync with the Lexus/Toyota mainstream philosophy of understated elegance rather than "in your face" performance.

Quoted sound system power output is sheer fantasy these days and is largely meaningless, as it has been in the entire sound industry since the government stopped regulating how sound system power ratings are quoted. Oh, for the days of the required "RMS Power" metric and preconditioning requirement!

Nothing special in the Toyota/Lexus sound systems, though. Just decent. Same as in my 2023 RX350 (ML) and 2010 RX350 (I THINK, ML).

 

Try the ML system in the LS500, that to me is how a ML system should sound. The TX has a tinny sounding system and I'm not in the minority.

 

Reading all over the place about it, this appears to be an accurate statement.

 

Understood. Sound is very personal. I build most of my own home sound systems and prefer the loudness compensatedvapproach of the '70's and 80's.

That said, either something has changed in the 2026 TX or the sound balance from source through speakers is set differently in mine, because its definitely not "tinny". In fact the front door woofers give my left arm a pretty good vibrating massage and the rear subwoofer, which I'm careful not to block, comes thrpugh clearly. But then, I'm not trying to bring the house down with it.

As I said, the TX ( and RX) ML sound system is OK IMO, but nothing special.

All the best!

 

If you look a little further up the thread, you'll find that Lexus addressed this issue in 2025.

That said - the ML system is almost perfectly "balanced/flat" as it comes from the factory, which is the current fad in audiophile sound. Not my cup of tea. As I said above, I prefer the "Loudness Contour" equalization approach that compensates for the human ear's lack of response at low frequencies and low volume levels - look it up. Very popular in the 1970'd and 1980's, not so today, where "pure" the THE standard for audiophiles. My ears are NOT pure.

So ... In my 2026 Lexus TX 500h SPL with the ML sound system, I bias the sound distribution towards the 2nd row, adjust the 3-band EQ in the system to have a bass tilt and do the same in the source device (often my Galaxy phone) and it sounds just fine at any volume level. Not incredible - just fine. In fact, it sounds exactly the same as my 2023 Lexus RX350 Luxury (with ML) and far better than my 2010 Lexus RX350 Platinum.

For those who want massive bass, a 3rd party solution is the way to go, as it always is. As I said above - "sound" is very personal, and the right sound is how YOU like it.

Regarding the accuracy of postings - first, take them in context, especially regarding recent vs. past events. This sound issue HAS been addressed in 2025 by Lexus as noted in the above thread, but the fallout from early issues will be posted on the web forever - and some owners never had their ML systems updated. Mine (2026 TX) came with the updates. Second - take everything on-line with a (large) "grain of salt", including MY postings. They are potential indicators only

When I went to buy a TX 500h I was VERY concerned about the gas tank only having 11-12 gallons of usable capacity due to widespread online reports of this. Imagine my (very nice) surprise when I was routinely able to put in 16-16.8 gallons and drive over 400 highway miles on trips. Whew! Disaster avoided! Or, rather, no disaster at all, in the first place. And no, the car never "fell down dead" from "overfilling" the tank, which I never do, anyway.

So - try it yourself (the ML system in the TX) - and remember the need to set system EQ properly AND bias the balance somewhat towards the 2nd row. THEN let us know what you think. In the RX350 ML or TX. They're pretty much the exact same system as far as I can tell between mine.

All the best!

 

I have a 2025, if this is "fixed" how bad were the 2024s?

 

Don't know. The TX "problem" was "fixed" mid 2025 by replacing an amp module near or on the subwoofer in the back. But my 2023 RX350 sounds pretty similar to my 2026 TX, so not sure exactly what changed other than a part number.

I suggest you backtrack to previous posts on this thread for more details.

 

I have the newer amp, I have read the thread and have been following this on Reddit as well.