Lexus vs ML Audio
07-26-08, 05:37 PM
#46
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you should try to hear it for yourself. to me, the ML is noticeably better, but i would not say night and day.
having speakers right by your ears don't mean much. all ML systems are done according to the acoustic of the car. the tweeters on the GS350 are on the front corner of the dash. to me, the sound bounds pretty nicely off the windshield and i think it's pretty clear
again, try to sit in a car with ML ad play music you listen to most of the time (please make sure it's high quality) and hear for yourself. to me, it's better than stock but not wow, maybe coz' i had the ls460l
having speakers right by your ears don't mean much. all ML systems are done according to the acoustic of the car. the tweeters on the GS350 are on the front corner of the dash. to me, the sound bounds pretty nicely off the windshield and i think it's pretty clear
again, try to sit in a car with ML ad play music you listen to most of the time (please make sure it's high quality) and hear for yourself. to me, it's better than stock but not wow, maybe coz' i had the ls460l
The GS it is better than stock but nothing amazing but you can tell a difference when you play a DVD!
07-26-08, 11:04 PM
#47
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sampled quite a few B&O Beo series, yeah they make nice looking ones, probably loud enough, too.
checked audi's website and here is the B&O option for
A8: $6300, 1100W,
A5: $850, 500W ,
didn't see GS comparable A6 with that option.
(guess one should get an audi if loudness is a decisive factor...)
While haven't quite seen any B&O systems being approved in the audiophile community, I am really more interested in hearing someone elaborate on which system is a "MUCH MUCH MUCH better system".
checked audi's website and here is the B&O option for
A8: $6300, 1100W,
A5: $850, 500W ,
didn't see GS comparable A6 with that option.
(guess one should get an audi if loudness is a decisive factor...)
While haven't quite seen any B&O systems being approved in the audiophile community, I am really more interested in hearing someone elaborate on which system is a "MUCH MUCH MUCH better system".
Currently I would still say the LS460's system is probably the best OEM system around.
I got this off an article link from the LS thread:
"BUY A STEREO. GET A CAR.
Although Lexus started out offering Nakamichi as the upgrade audio system for its vehicles, Bob Carter admits that the brand didn't have a whole lot of resonance in the shopping public at large or within the audiophile community. So the company made the switch to Mark Levinson audio systems, which are uniquely available on Lexus products. Generally, the Levinson audio package is available on vehicles that are loaded with options such that according to Carter it seems as though some Lexus customers think that by specifying the "Mark Levinson package" they're asking for the top-of-the-line product. To be sure, there was a specific system engineered for the LS 460. 450 watts from a proprietary DSP amp for Lexus (which features a aluminum housing with a fan to help dissipate heat). Fifteen discrete channels. Nineteen speakers (tweeters and midrange speakers with titanium cones; woofers with polypropylene composite cones). The speakers and the amp are built for Lexus by Mark Levinson in North America. There is 100% audio output testing of all of the amps after burn-in and heat soak. There are DTS 5.1 playback; Dolby Digital 5.1 playback; MP3 and WMA playback.
But here's an even more impressive number: $176,000. That's what it is estimated the Mark Levinson system in the LS 460 would cost if it had been developed for home use. Bob Allen of Lexus College quips that it's as if they're selling an audio system and throwing in a car."
Last edited by tom2517; 07-27-08 at 03:19 AM.
07-29-08, 01:04 PM
#48
Lexus Test Driver
You are absolutely correct! My home "stereo" is only 100 watts total but it will fill the entire house with crisp, clear full spectrum sound at levels dangerous to your hearing. Of course, it's about $12K worth of gear but the point is that power output doesn't really tell the whole story. My favorite story is having a friend over who liked her music "loud" and having her turn to me to ask me to turn it up, only to find that she had to scream at the top of her lungs to be heard. 
Without the distortion she was accustomed to she had no way to guage how loud the music really was.
Without the distortion she was accustomed to she had no way to guage how loud the music really was.
07-30-08, 10:12 PM
#51
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I agree, B&O is not exactly high end in terms of sound in the eyes of most audiophiles. But that's not to say they can't do a good job with Audi. B&W in the Jaguar XF ought to sound pretty good, the same could probably said with the upcoming Naim system in the Bentleys.
Currently I would still say the LS460's system is probably the best OEM system around.
I got this off an article link from the LS thread:
"BUY A STEREO. GET A CAR.
Although Lexus started out offering Nakamichi as the upgrade audio system for its vehicles, Bob Carter admits that the brand didn't have a whole lot of resonance in the shopping public at large or within the audiophile community. So the company made the switch to Mark Levinson audio systems, which are uniquely available on Lexus products. Generally, the Levinson audio package is available on vehicles that are loaded with options such that according to Carter it seems as though some Lexus customers think that by specifying the "Mark Levinson package" they're asking for the top-of-the-line product. To be sure, there was a specific system engineered for the LS 460. 450 watts from a proprietary DSP amp for Lexus (which features a aluminum housing with a fan to help dissipate heat). Fifteen discrete channels. Nineteen speakers (tweeters and midrange speakers with titanium cones; woofers with polypropylene composite cones). The speakers and the amp are built for Lexus by Mark Levinson in North America. There is 100% audio output testing of all of the amps after burn-in and heat soak. There are DTS 5.1 playback; Dolby Digital 5.1 playback; MP3 and WMA playback.
But here's an even more impressive number: $176,000. That's what it is estimated the Mark Levinson system in the LS 460 would cost if it had been developed for home use. Bob Allen of Lexus College quips that it's as if they're selling an audio system and throwing in a car."
Currently I would still say the LS460's system is probably the best OEM system around.
I got this off an article link from the LS thread:
"BUY A STEREO. GET A CAR.
Although Lexus started out offering Nakamichi as the upgrade audio system for its vehicles, Bob Carter admits that the brand didn't have a whole lot of resonance in the shopping public at large or within the audiophile community. So the company made the switch to Mark Levinson audio systems, which are uniquely available on Lexus products. Generally, the Levinson audio package is available on vehicles that are loaded with options such that according to Carter it seems as though some Lexus customers think that by specifying the "Mark Levinson package" they're asking for the top-of-the-line product. To be sure, there was a specific system engineered for the LS 460. 450 watts from a proprietary DSP amp for Lexus (which features a aluminum housing with a fan to help dissipate heat). Fifteen discrete channels. Nineteen speakers (tweeters and midrange speakers with titanium cones; woofers with polypropylene composite cones). The speakers and the amp are built for Lexus by Mark Levinson in North America. There is 100% audio output testing of all of the amps after burn-in and heat soak. There are DTS 5.1 playback; Dolby Digital 5.1 playback; MP3 and WMA playback.
But here's an even more impressive number: $176,000. That's what it is estimated the Mark Levinson system in the LS 460 would cost if it had been developed for home use. Bob Allen of Lexus College quips that it's as if they're selling an audio system and throwing in a car."
07-31-08, 10:47 AM
#52
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Mark Levinson, once a "high end" name in the esoteric audio equipment market, is now just a brand name of Harman International - who also own JBL, Infinity and a whole bunch of other brand names.
Same company makes them.
I like the ML system in my wife's RX, not so impressed with the one in my new IS-F. Front center is harsh and too prominent.
Same company makes them.
I like the ML system in my wife's RX, not so impressed with the one in my new IS-F. Front center is harsh and too prominent.
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