PhantomLex

Hey everyone,

I've been lurking these forums for months, doing research and homework. I put a deposit down for a 2023 Lexus ES 300h with all the fixins the first week of January after my car was totaled in an accident. The car is arriving today but the caveat is that there is no ML premium audio because of the shortage on the parts. The premium audio was a major selling point for me because I love listening to music when I drive more than anything else.

Is the Mark Levinson premium system worth waiting until the next allocation with hopes it will include the ML premium audio? May it be best to take the car as is and pay for a shop to upgrade the sound system with high quality parts like Focal? Has anyone done the latter through a shop? If so, how much did that cost?

P.S. I do not have the skills to upgrade the sound system myself. Please do not suggest this.

dezymond

If the ML is a major plus for you, why settle? I know it's disappointing this build doesn't have it, but if that was a major selling point for myself, I wouldn't settle.

Mine doesn't have ML and the stock system is ok. I'm no audiophile, but it's obvious the stock system is lacking. Compared to the premium audio, I think it's still ML, in the 2013 GS we have, the GS audio sounds better.

If there are ways to improve the sound on the base system, I'd be curious to hear any suggestions as well.

PhantomLex

Damn. Premium audio in your 2013 GS sounding better than base audio on your newer ES is extremely damning to me. The reason why I'd settle is because I've been without a car since the accident and miss driving but it's looking like I'll just have to deal with being a pedestrian for another 2-3 months, at best.

F3Woody

Welcome and congratulations!
Audio is so subjective, you'll get ten opinions from ten different people. I've seen people laud the ML system, while others say it's subpar for a "premium" label. A couple common complaints with the ES systems are the way the amplifiers are programmed, not enough power to the rear speakers - and of course the subwoofer's lackluster power supply and open-back design make for an under performing setup.
But aftermarket always has far superior options to anything that comes from an auto manufacturer. Depending on your budget, the sky's the limit.

dezymond

If I were in your position and the only reason I'd hesitate to get this car is due to the audio, I'd pay a visit to the dealership. Ask to listen to an ML audio ES, if they have in stock, and then compare to base. Again, I'm no audiophile, but I can tell the difference between low to high quality speakers when I hear them. When I was looking, none of the ones I looked at had ML, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me. Again, the system sounds ok, good for a base system, but knowing the ML is available and spending that much on a car, yeah I was a bit annoyed none were available at the time.

I have entertained the idea of speaker upgrades but haven't taken a deep dive into it. My estimate is most likely wrong as I've done no research, but I figure if I wanted to I'd need about $2k set aside for this little project as I wouldn't DIY it either.

mikemu30

My opinion, it's no deal breaker. I have ML in my ES, base system in my wife's RX.

PhantomLex

Thank you! This is another major consideration. Given my desire to own this car for a very long time and have a truly premium audio experience, after market upgrades may be/are likely in the cards anyway. So paying less upfront to not have the ML system and upgrading aftermarket, after doing more research on the cost to upgrade the base amplifier, subwoofer and speakers, might be a silver lining. I think I'm willing to spend $3-$5k for all the upgrades.

UTChE96

Im in the same boat. I decided to live with it as the car had everything else I wanted. It was an acceptable compromise. I am not an audiophile but I do like good sound.

PhantomLex

This is exactly what I'm going to do. I don't think I can call it without hearing and comparing it for myself. I'm in the same boat as you on considering aftermarket upgrades. In which case, paying less upfront is a benefit.

dezymond

The ML package is an $1100 option, iirc. Good value for the money, but I'm sure the aftermarket options can provide better sound quality. If you happen to do more research on the topic of aftermarket upgrades, I'd be interested to see what you find as I may still upgrade. It's just not a priority for me.

alextv

When you go to listen to difference carry a usb stick with you with the highest quality audio file you can of a song you like. The ML really does shine when source is high quality. These cars cost a lot of money and you should be able to get what you want. With my sirius xm a lot of times I will listen to the app on phone set to high quality using android auto and it is a lot better than the satellite but still not the best it can be.

bc6152

I would think that an aftermarket upgrade - and disassembling your dash - would be a very expensive proposition. A cost of $1100.00 for factory installed system vs. who knows what cost and what equipment, is no mystery for me... GOOD LUCK with whatever you decide...

BlainePDX

I got my 300h in October, and (for no particular reason) have been watching my local dealer's inventory of 300h's since then. Nearly all are sold before they reach the dealer, so if I had wanted to hear an ML system it would have been unlikely (unless a used model had one). There have been very few with the ML system (and not a single one with the color combo I wanted).

If you're considering waiting for one with an ML system, you should talk to your dealer to see how long you're going to have to wait for it.

F3Woody

Oh man, even the low end of that range, $3K will get you an amazing, true premium, blow-the-doors-off system.
When I talked to a local shop about it, he gave me a ballpark of $1500-2000 for a "far superior full car makeover", speakers, subs & amps. If you're going to own the car a long time, like me, and are okay with that budget, that's a no brainer. Plus, it's SO much fun to shop for!

dezymond

2022 F sport 300h models didn't even offer ML audio package, even though the press cars and list of options before release showed ML. However, that was the beginning of the chip shortage, so I'm sure Lexus opted to omit the ML package as an option for the F Sport trim at least. Pretty disappointing.