lbrck02

My new 2020 300h is just today a week old. I noticed a buzzing in the subwoofer almost immediately and returned to the dealer to get a fix. The technician suggested turning down the bass and volume. Heck - the Mark Levinson upgraded audio is one reason that I sprung the $1000+! He took me to some other new ES300's and I plugged in my memory stick with the hyper-bass songs that I like. Tech was correct. They buzzed on the new vehicles also.

So I searched Google and subscribed to this thread to find that there are numerous comments on repairing and/or replacing the rear subwoofer. I can play the songs on my home stereo w/o the buzz albeit with a 12" subwoofer. I also have a 2018 Lincoln that doesn't buzz, but the rest of the sound system isn't as good as the Mark Levinson.

So is there any way that I can upgrade the subwoofer on my Mark Levinson system? Or do I just need to live with the suggestions and reduce my bass/volume??

bc6152

There's probably at least 300 posts on this subject going back to 2013. Some think the ML system is fabulous and some think it's poor. Some members have altered it and think it sounds better and most just leave it alone and enjoy the premium sound. There was a TSB recently issued for the BASE sound system where the amp was replaced. No changes are suggested for the ML audio system to my knowledge. Depending on how important this issue is to you, you could contact an audio specialist and see if it can be changed to your satisfaction.
Otherwise, to this point in time Lexus has ignored the many complaints and made no changes to the ML system as far as I am aware.

GOOD LUCK!

kalel2127

I pushed the ML system pretty hard before installing my aftermarket subs and never heard a buzz. My assumption is that the stock sub is being pushed to its limit (clipping) and that is why you hear a buzz. What type of hyper-bass songs are you playing? Also, I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest you purchase an aftermarket system since you have a memory stick with hyper-bass songs.

chrisdabos

Lol what volume you have yours on OP?

lbrck02

Well, I do like the sound of the ML premium system. But it seems strange that the default with all tones centered is the best setting. The default does provide good bass. It's only when I push the system to the right of center that I get the buzzing. FYI the memory stick that I use for my test is:

• Ace of Base "The Sign"
• Eric Clapton "Going Down Slow" (and others) from the album "Pilgrim"

I guess I'll simply keep the adjustments centered and try not to experiment by increasing bass.

Barryabko

I might suggest that instead of increasing the bass, you decrease the mid and treble down from the center positions leaving the bass at the center position. This will effectively produce a greater proportion of bass. Do so one increment at a time on the midrange and treble until you feel you've gone too far and then come back up one position. The amount of decrease will be your personal preference and may be different for different songs. In my ML system, I generally have the treble down three positions and the midrange down two. I also keep the Surround off and have the fader set three clicks to the rear.

I also suggest always using the highest quality source material when adjusting the system and of course for best sound quality. High resolution FLAC and other lossless files sound very good. I've also been pretty happy with Amazon Music HD using the highest quality versions they offer. Ace of Base "The Sign" happens to be one of them and sounds quite good on my system. MP3 audio files and SiriusXM are usually low quality and are not adequate to properly evaluate and voice the system, IMHO.

DavidZ

What is your source file? Are you listening to the original CDs? USB stick? If so what format - mp3, wav, etc? Music streaming service? If so, what service?

grp52

lbrck02 wrote that it the audio files were on a memory stick which is presumably a USB memory stick.

That said, your questioning on the audio source and audio source file are good ones. The 2019LEXUS ES 350 Navigation and Multimedia System Owner's Manual (presumable the 2020 ES 300h version is similar if not the same) is pretty specific as to audio file formats, sampling frequencies, bit rates, channel modes etc. that are supported. Even assuming there are no encoding errors in the digital audio source files on the [USB] memory stick you can still get playback errors/noise/problems if the source file isn't in an encoding and/or file format the system supports.

For USB payable media, the owner's manual also has the following:

along with this footnote on supported formats with one or more supported high sampling frequencies:

Try different sources for the audio files for those test case samples and check to make sure the file format, encodings, etc. are in a form explicitly supported per the owner's manual documentation. Also try other means of audio source input into the ML system other than [USB] memory stick - Bluetooth audio input, audio streaming using Android Auto or Apple Carplay, etc.. The idea here is to check whether it is some external factor causing the buzzing when boosting the bass or it is an inherent issue with the ML analog sound subsystem.

DavidZ

I just listened to The Sign by Ace of Base on Amazon HD with my iPhone and Carplay. I turned the volume up to 46 and cranked the bass all the way to the right. I didn't hear any buzzing, but I could feel my chest vibrating with the bass notes.

Your problem may be something as simple as a loose screw. Or even something sitting on your car seat that's resonating. Look for the simple stuff first.

STLLEXUS

I am trying Amazon HD music for free. I am having problems with it loading some times and not always working well with CarPlay. It also seems to take more data than Spotify. Starting to feel like Amazon HD music it’s just not worth all the hassle. I will say the Sign by Ace of Base does sound great in either format,cranked up on the ML system,if you like bass.

PeterA

is the ML subwoofer a free air speaker? I don't have ML in my ES350.

kalel2127

I'm having the same issue after updating to iOS 14. It typically takes 2-3 months for most apps to be optimized after a new iOS release.

STLLEXUS

I am not having any problems with any other apps.

DavidZ

Have you installed the latest updates to the Amazon app? To iOS?

Amazon HD tracks are much higher resolution. That's why they sound better and also why they take up more data. I download Amazon tracks to my iPhone at home on WiFi for free. When I'm in my car, I switch the Amazon app to Offline Mode. I use no data at all. My data plan for my iPhone (which I only use for the car) is $7 a month.

STLLEXUS

yes, I have the latest version.