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Mark Levinson on LS vs. LX

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Old 06-15-09, 06:10 AM
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lex
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Default Mark Levinson on LS vs. LX

Can somebody who has heard both say how they compare? Is there a HUGE difference?

LS460, LS460L, LS600h vs LX570
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Old 06-15-09, 10:42 AM
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rominl
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i'd love to hear comments from those who have heard both too. i had ls460l and the ml system was inside, totally blow away any other normal ml system

given both these cars have ml reference systems, i think/hope the lx570 performs similarly
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Old 06-15-09, 10:49 AM
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IS350jet
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^^ Yes, the ML in the LS is world class, state of the art. Second to no other factory system. Although, I hear the Lexicon system in the new Genesis comes close. Haven't heard the LX, unfortunately.
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Old 06-15-09, 11:19 AM
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The G Man
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I have heard the Mark Levinson system in the LS, its pretty good. I think the new audio standard right now for a car under 100k is Audi's Bang & Olufsen system in the A8. You really have to listen to this system to appreciate it, words cannot do it justice, so I wouldnt try.
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Old 06-16-09, 04:30 AM
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IS350jet
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Originally Posted by The G Man
I have heard the Mark Levinson system in the LS, its pretty good. I think the new audio standard right now for a car under 100k is Audi's Bang & Olufsen system in the A8. You really have to listen to this system to appreciate it, words cannot do it justice, so I wouldnt try.
I must have a listen to the Audi. Traditionally speaking, though, The name Mark Levinson is legendary in the high end audio world. They build state of the art amps, DACS, pre-amps, and processors. Their least expensive amp is $6,250 (it's a mono amp, so you need two to do stereo) and they go up to 25k for a single mono amp that weighs 140 lbs. (again, you need two.) How about a cd player for $6k, and it's only a transport (no digital outs)

I don't want to take anything away from B&O but traditionally, they have never catered to the high end world. Their specialty has always been in "lifestyle" systems. Futuristic looking, wall mounted, sliding door CD drawers and such. Pretty to look at and use, but sound quality always took a back seat to aesthetics. I would still love to hear the system in the Audi, though, just to compare.
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Old 06-16-09, 07:10 PM
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encore888
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For basic OEM comparo data here are some links:

http://marklevinsonlexus.com/overview.asp?model=lx
http://marklevinsonlexus.com/overview.asp?model=ls

The two are both 19-speaker Reference Surround Sound systems, seem pretty equal.

The Lexus Mark Levinson Reference system has done really well in reviews. It's been declared the standard in car audio by Edmunds, and won comparos over rival systems from Acura/ELS, Audi/B&O, BMW, etc. as linked:

Edmunds
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do.../pageId=103459

Car Audio & Electronics
http://www.caraudiomag.com/features/...reo/index.html

MSN Autos
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/artic...umentid=435807
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Old 06-16-09, 07:49 PM
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mmarshall
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The LS460 Mark Levinson stereo I reviewed had what was unquestionably the finest factory car stereo I'd ever encountered....that unit was INSANELY good. I don't see why the LX's unit would be any different, except for maybe small differences in interior acoustics from the LX's somewhat larger and more box-shaped interior.

And, just wait till you hear AC/DC and KISS on a Mark Levinson. That's living.



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Old 06-16-09, 10:56 PM
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bad co
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfUze623vLY

the bang and olufsen system is very impressive. I have yet to experiance the mark levinson system. I am a happy camper with my bose and my alpine type r sub in my clk and my harmon kardon system in my ml
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Old 06-17-09, 02:32 AM
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lex
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So I guess it's looking pretty good.
I just read this, which is very encouraging:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/3569074-post6.html
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