wmogolov

Not meaning to “beat a dead horse”, but here are a few more thoughts that I have on the Mark Levinson audio system.

I’ve had my 2019 ES 300H now for almost two months now and, needless to say, it’s the absolute best car I’ve ever owned. That being said, I’ve come to a few conclusions (my opinion) about the Mark Levinson audio system. They’re only my thoughts and I’m sure others may differ while others may agree. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to judging the sound quality. It’s almost totally subjective.

It seems to me (and my ears) that certain genres of music sound better with the ML than others. In my opinion, if you want to really hear what the ML system can do, I definitely wouldn’t do it with AM or FM radio…or even Sirius radio for that matter.. I originally did that and I was very disappointed I would do your sampling with streaming music or cd. As far as streaming music goes, I’ve tried Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music and I’ve found (IMO) that Apple Music and cd's seem to be the better of the bunch. While the others sound good, Apple Music and cd's seem to be crisper and have more spatial separation than the others.

For some reason, and to my ears, Jazz and Classical seem to sound the best. I’m not sure why. It may be that they are my favorite genres and that it’s just “in my head”. But I really don’t think so.

Here are a few album samples that, I think, really demo what the ML system can do. If you have streaming capability with Apple Music, listen to them there. The same goes for CD’s, IMO. Disregard whether you like the genre or not. Just listen to the quality and spatial separation of the sound.

The Dark Knight (soundtrack)-by Hans Zimmer-specifically Always a Catch and other cuts

Chase-Quadrophonic-all cuts but specifically Woman of The Dark-great spatial separation.

Jazz In The New Harmonics-David Chesky

Summer Horns-Gerald Albright

Ricochet-Richard Elliot

Now some of you can get into a great debate about the technical aspects of various audio sources and how one is better than the other. This post isn’t about that. It’s only a personal opinion about what my ears perceive. Plain and simple. And while different sets of ears can hear totally different things, again, it’s really subjective.

Nonetheless, check out some of the samples here and see what you think.

yardie876

And make sure if you're listening through a streaming app (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.), you have the high quality streaming option on!

jimv1983

I tried both the standard and the ML system before I ordered my car. In my experience it was XM where I noticed the biggest difference. On the standard Pioneer system XM sounded static-y. The JBL system in my Camry sounded better. With the ML system XM sounded very clear. Obviously it wasn't CD quality but it was a little better than XM on my Camry's JBL system which is already enough to be enjoyable for me. The background static of XM on the Pioneer system drove me crazy.

High bit rate MP3s sounded very good.

AM and FM radio were about what I would expect.

I didn't test CDs because I didn't have any with me and I don't carry CDs anyways.

wmogolov

One more suggestion....music played through the ML system sounds best at higher volumes. You don't need to risk damaging your eardrums but around 40 will give you a pretty good idea of what the optimal sound will be like.

jshap4321

jstagn

Mike728

I recently spent some time in an XT4. I can say without a doubt that the ML is far superior to the Blose system in the Caddy. I do, however, prefer the ELS system in the RDX over the ML.

jfz219

bc6152

This creates a dilemma for me. One of the primary reasons I'm searching for the right UL ES 350 is the ML system. Along with some other features of the Ultra Lux level. If I forego the ML sound system I might as well buy a Lux level ES 350 and save some money. I don't care about the suspension, pano roof, or noise reducing wheels. I would like to have the trunk foot sensor and the upgraded leather seats though. If the ML system is really not worth the price - as some members are posting - I'll just have to decide between the levels...

Mike728

I tested my parent's ML in their ES last week. It sounds great, as long as you're not expecting the sound bias you had in your 70's era pony car with a couple 6x9's in the rear deck. I actually prefer it to my 2013 ML. The sound is more front orientated, like it is in your living room. The only issue I can think of is rear seat passengers not being fully immersed in the experience. Your best bet would be to listen to it for yourself at your dealer, but be sure to bring a high quality source. Someone said XM sound was improved in the 2019 ML. I did not notice any improvement. It's still muddy and the lack of frequency response evident. 320kbps MP3's on a flash drive would be a good source test, or a CD.

My only issue is with the USB media socket, which I'm sure is the same with all audio options in the ES. The socket is on the center counsel, covered with a flimsy plastic tethered cap. I installed the lowest profile flash drive available. Maybe a 1/4" in height. Once installed, there is no way to close the cover. On my 2013, it's in the console, under the arm rest. Totally out of sight. They should fire that guy. I'm guessing that same person thought not having covers for the cup holders was a good idea.

jshap4321

95bat

I wonder how much of that has to do with last year's purchase. With Samsung purchasing Haman International Industries last year, the new ML system is technically Samsung owned.

ES63

Mike728

The issue with highly compressed material on the ML, is the fact that each speaker is filtered/tuned to only play a specific frequency range. With XM, some of the speakers have nothing in their range but noise. I suppose they could have them turn off in cases like that, but then people would be complaining of no audio coming out of some speakers. Bottom line, if you want to play highly compressed audio, on any audio system, save your money just buy mainstream.

1BAD4DR