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Music is recorded in two channel stereo and audiophiles all use stereo setups, either a couple bookshelf speakers or floorstanders, no surround. Home theatre surround is for movies, seems you have become accustomed to using a surround setup for music and are now disappointed by the sound in the ES which is predominantly a stereo sound with the rears and sub only on fill duty and active noise cancellation. I am an audiophile and listen to music at home the proper way using a stereo setup, so I find the sound in the ES good, nothing outstanding, but not bad.
Yes, I'm aware. In my home theater the MLP is ~9' from the speakers, so the music fills the room as it would in a concert hall. The amp wasn't really sitting on the floor, and I have since built a matching mahogany pedastal for it:
In the car the left front speaker is very close, so overpowers all the others. After playing with the fader it sounds okay. Not really much better than my Expedition with the same music,, but not bad. Of course it will be better playing music with high dynamic range due to the lower noise floor, but it's a car after all. I'm not sure the upgrade is worth the extra cost.
Nice speakers OP! Are those Bowers & Wilkins 803 Diamond? Are those frames custom acoustics panels room treatment?
Not to be a *****, but the room in the pictures looks very reflective as is. I'm an audiophile rookie, so no disrespect. But I can't imagine getting those $30k full performance without a good in room sound absorption/diffusion treatment. Room acoustics have a significant impact on sound quality reproduction. I have a very reflective (not ideal almost square room) and once I setup my custom absorption/diffusion there was a day/night difference in image clarity and sound stage. Even on movies dialog was more intelligible
Also if you are playing those <= 192kbps MP3's on there I'll really recommend you try ripping 1-2 familiar songs to FLAC and try them out on the B&W.
Nice speakers OP! Are those Bowers & Wilkins 803 Diamond? Are those frames custom acoustics panels room treatment?
Not to be a *****, but the room in the pictures looks very reflective as is. I'm an audiophile rookie, so no disrespect. But I can't imagine getting those $30k full performance without a good in room sound absorption/diffusion treatment. Room acoustics have a significant impact on sound quality reproduction. I have a very reflective (not ideal almost square room) and once I setup my custom absorption/diffusion there was a day/night difference in image clarity and sound stage. Even on movies dialog was more intelligible
Also if you are playing those <= 192kbps MP3's on there I'll really recommend you try ripping 1-2 familiar songs to FLAC and try them out on the B&W.
No, those are 800D Series 2. They're top of the line, and the 803s are two steps down. And no, those aren't acoustic panels, they're some of my photographs. The room is 14'x21', so not square. It's a multi-purpose room, high end audio, home theater and photo gallery. And the sound reproduction is excellent, as I only play CDs when listening to music.
No, those are 800D Series 2. They're top of the line, and the 803s are two steps down. And no, those aren't acoustic panels, they're some of my photographs. The room is 14'x21', so not square. It's a multi-purpose room, high end audio, home theater and photo gallery. And the sound reproduction is excellent, as I only play CDs when listening to music.
I am impressed with your dedicated room and also your photographic skills. National parks photos look amazing.
I am impressed with your dedicated room and also your photographic skills. National parks photos look amazing.
Yes, the screen wall photos are from Bryce and Arches. I shot them with a Zone VI 4x5 view camera on Velvia 50. In person they're very impressive, tack sharp everywhere without a hint of grain.
Yes, the screen wall photos are from Bryce and Arches. I shot them with a Zone VI 4x5 view camera on Velvia 50. In person they're very impressive, tack sharp everywhere without a hint of grain.
I did all the National parks on North side also and every one is different with different rocks. I would highly recommend that vacation to anyone. We flew into Vegas and immediately got rental car and 1800 miles later spent 3 days in Vegas.
I did all the National parks on North side also and every one is different with different rocks. I would highly recommend that vacation to anyone. We flew into Vegas and immediately got rental car and 1800 miles later spent 3 days in Vegas.
We did Grand Canyon last year I have my sights set on Utah perhaps next time.
We did Grand Canyon last year I have my sights set on Utah perhaps next time.
Our experience there is that rocks are rocks. We stayed three days in Williams, AZ - neat little town - but could have taken in all of the Grand Canyon in two days and been satisfied. We could then have driven to see Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park for a day each, giving us more time in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. IMHO that's the most beautiful part of the country.
Yes, I'm aware. In my home theater the MLP is ~9' from the speakers, so the music fills the room as it would in a concert hall. The amp wasn't really sitting on the floor, and I have since built a matching mahogany pedastal for it:
In the car the left front speaker is very close, so overpowers all the others. After playing with the fader it sounds okay. Not really much better than my Expedition with the same music,, but not bad. Of course it will be better playing music with high dynamic range due to the lower noise floor, but it's a car after all. I'm not sure the upgrade is worth the extra cost.
Now I see what the problem is with Lexus ML system... it doesn't cost enough.
Took delivery of a new 2024 ES300h this afternoon. Anybody else think the 17-speaker Mark Levinson system sucks? Specifically the Fader. With the dot in the middle, very little sound comes from the rear, and what does is tinny. In order to get immersive sound I have to put the button halfway between the middle and the bottom. My Expedition Max XLT with the base sound system sounds better, as does my 25 year-old BMW 528i. I have a >$30K audio system in my home theater, and this Mark Levinson is the worst system I've heard, especially given the cost.
The cost ? The screen/tech/ML upgrade on my 2024 was $2110....The sound upgrade in my 992 911 was $6k and it's marginally better than the ML...my wife's Range Rover sound system was almost a $10k premium. The ML cost is not that much, and it's a very decent system. I'm fine with mine and for the cost I think it's a bargain.
The cost ? The screen/tech/ML upgrade on my 2024 was $2110....The sound upgrade in my 992 911 was $6k and it's marginally better than the ML...my wife's Range Rover sound system was almost a $10k premium. The ML cost is not that much, and it's a very decent system. I'm fine with mine and for the cost I think it's a bargain.
Mine was the same, $2110. But I've never heard the base system on the ES. The ML sounds about as good as the base system in my Expedition Max XLT. Now that I've dialed in the fader it sounds more than good enough.
I don't usually pay for upgraded car audio systems as the ambient noise in a moving car is loud enough to obscure any nuances that the upgraded systems may offer.
Land Rover vehicles consistently rank at or near the bottom in Consumer Reports rankings, in fact, the Evoque and Discovery Sport tied for last in the Luxury Compact SUV category. Their target demographic isn't price sensitive, valuing exclusivity and prestige over function and value. So it's not surprising that Land Rover charges a $10K premium for their upgraded sound system.
I'm confident Lexus isn't losing money on the screen/ML/tech upgrade, just as I'm confident that Land Rover's profit margin on their upgrade is substantially higher than on the vehicle as a whole.
I believe that adding the ML audio to an existing 12.3 inch screen option only adds $1080 to the price. So, it's not really an expensive audio option, relatively speaking.
Paddler, looks like some nice work printing from Velvia. I imagine it is still better than digital for large prints.
OP: Did you try to disable the surround setting on the ML? IMO that should help with the fader issue.
BTW, as others have noted, very nice in room pro pictures/skills.
Yes, I did. I need to play with it more to decide whether I prefer Surround on or off.
Thanks for the kind words. It was a project, as I did all the finish carpentry and cabinetry myself from raw lumber. Including the door casings. It's all solid mahogany except for the cabinet carcasses. I designed and built the mantel from a photo in a design magazine. It's a very nice room to hang out in for movies and high end audio. Very quiet as it's in my basement and has total light control.
03-20-24, 06:07 PM
I have my sights set on Utah perhaps next time.
The screen/tech/ML upgrade on my 2024 was $2110....The sound upgrade in my 992 911 was $6k and it's marginally better than the ML...my wife's Range Rover sound system was almost a $10k premium. The ML cost is not that much, and it's a very decent system. I'm fine with mine and for the cost I think it's a bargain.
