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What I noticed when listening to the tunes in my 13' GS is that when I turn the surround sound on then I get more bass from the door speakers as well as the sub in the back. If I turn the surround sound off then I only get bass from the sub only in the back. You may want to play around with the radio controls to make sure you are doing everything necessary to get it sounding just right. I had to play around with mines also. I don't have ML. Only the premium radio with the 12 speakers. I get full sound when in the car be nothing knocking outside whereas I'm turning on alarms systems on cars.
Mark Levinson actually specializes in amplifiers only.
Below is the 52 pre-amp, and the 536 mono-block power amp that delivers 400 Watts of clean power to one channel only.
We need two (2) of the lower monoblocks to power the left and right speakers alone.
Mark Levinson actually specializes in amplifiers only.
Below is the 52 pre-amp, and the 536 mono-block power amp that delivers 400 Watts of clean power to one channel only.
We need two (2) of the lower monoblocks to power the left and right speakers alone.
Unless it's re-branded by Mark Levinson.
Says Mark Levinson on the back
Here's the Mark Levinson amplifier in the trunk of Lexus cars.
Mark Levinson, Harmon Kardon, Infinity and JBL etc etc, are all owned by Harman International Industries.
Nowadays, Samsung owns Harman International Industries, which owns Mark Levinson.
Pic from eBay. The connectors on the ML amp appear to be much different from what I see on normal car audio amps. Must allow it to seamlessly connect to the stock headunit.
Mark Levinson is more the name/brand/heritage/prestige etc, more than anything else, just like Mercedes-Benz.
It is possible for audio specialists to fabricate and customize a male/female adapter plug/socket to fit.
However, it is easiest for you to take it to a car audio specialist, and have speakers and/or aftermarket amplifiers fitted via: Alpine, Clarion, Denon, or Pioneer, and a host of other makes/models available.
Pay attention to the wattage in RMS Root Mean Square.
Generally speaking, the premium systems have higher wattage so that they don't have to work hard; the harder the amp works, the greater the distortion, lack of cleanliness, loss of dynamic range [loss of deep lows, and loss of treble high notes].
Back in 1994, I had a Honda Accord 2.2 VTEC, and I had Pioneer 2-way tweeters and 6.5" mid-bass fitted to the front, and two elliptical 2-way 6"x 10" rear speakers.
Later, I swapped to an Alpine 30 Watts x 4 channel head unit, but with a customized plug/socket link to the original Honda 6-stack CD player.
I never put an amp in the trunk, but I should have put an amp in the trunk.
My friends used to put one amp each under the front bucket seats [this totally killed the rear passenger foot room], and then 3 amps in the trunk attached to the backside of the rear seat back rests - for the two rear speakers, and the single rear subwoofer.
You could try changing your speakers only. Changing the speakers alone actually gives both better treble and bass, plus more powerful sound, because the new speakers are often more efficient.
Or adding a single six channel amp to power the four doors, front center and rear sub. Adding an amp really really makes the system so much more effortless and cleaner, without the strain in the sound.
It's like a 5.0 V8 going up a hill, as opposed to a 2.0 4 cylinder going up a hill.
Just as many people don't buy a V8 so that they can do 0-60 in 4 seconds, audiophiles do NOT buy big amps so they can crank the sound to deafening levels - audiophiles only use big amps because they are so leisurely, effortless and clean sounding at normal listening levels.
If you're really keen, you can use multiple amps like my friends.
Alternatively, upgrading the speakers and adding an amp for the very best results.
Your system may now sound even better than the OEM Mark Levinson!
An audiophile would not highly regard an OEM Mark Levinson system; an audiophile would only rate ML as average.
Aftermarket systems can easily better ML.
Very broadly speaking, Jap speakers and amps are clean, while American speakers and amps are more powerful.
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Pic from eBay. The connectors on the ML amp appear to be much different from what I see on normal car audio amps. Must allow it to seamlessly connect to the stock headunit.
Yes, as with pretty much any factory audio system, they're designed to easily connect to components in the car, and usually with proprietary/custom connections. That makes both the manufacture of the product simpler, and allows a level of control over compatibility with aftermarket products.
What do you want out of your audio system? Some people like booming bass, others like it more musical, and even that varies by music preference. If you go to a good audio store, they can help you navigate the options, but be wary that some stores will just try to pump something they either want or need to sell, independent of your true requirements.
On surround, I turned that off. It seems to make the audio sound more "rich" but at the expense of destroying your audio based on algorithmic analysis. Some music played very unevenly as it tried to "surround" me and I got fed up with that. I forget which song, but there was a particular one that a certain part of it would play overly loud on the rear door, quite distracting.
23 years ago, my Honda Accord sedan used a Honda 20W x 4 channels with a trunk mounted 6-stack CD - all made by Alpine.
The 6-stack CD had a special Honda-proprietary plug/socket.
I'm not so sure if manufacturers are trying to make it "easy" for us to connect?
In my experience, Honda tried to force us to use a Honda 6-stack CD unit, rather than an aftermarket Alpine 6-stack CD unit.
My car audio specialist used to custom fabricate plugs and sockets, so that an aftermarket Alpine 6-stack CD unit could be plugged into a Honda OEM head unit, because typically, the OEM Honda 6-stack CD player would cost twice as much as the Alpine 6-stack CD player, and both were exactly the same units beneath the badge.
In those days, clever customers would shortcut Honda by using an aftermarket Alpine 6-stack CD unit in the trunk combined with a custom fabricated plug...
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Random fact the Mark Levinson Speakers are made in Mexico. I noticed that when I sound deadened my doors and took the speakers out.
I fail to see the relevance. High quality tequila is also made in Mexico, just like components of many products that are proudly labelled as "Made in _____"
I've now had 5 lexus vehicles (SC, GS, and GX). My 2014 GS350 AWD F-Sport does not have the ML which my 2004 GX470 and my 2006 GS300 AWD had and yes those stereos deliver much better sound than my premium stereo in the GS350. I can tell from the bass and the mid's. Then again the ML stereo had not only front door speakers but speaker with 1-2 tweeters in the doors. There is a way to swap out the premium for the ML but it requires all new stereo components along with new door covers, etc... if I ever get to it, i may just stop by my local audio shop and have them just replace some of my factory speakers to make system sound that much better. The front door 6.5 speakers are absolute junk and rsttle at any type of base. Just my 2 cents!
I've now had 5 lexus vehicles (SC, GS, and GX). My 2014 GS350 AWD F-Sport does not have the ML which my 2004 GX470 and my 2006 GS300 AWD had and yes those stereos deliver much better sound than my premium stereo in the GS350. I can tell from the bass and the mid's. Then again the ML stereo had not only front door speakers but speaker with 1-2 tweeters in the doors. There is a way to swap out the premium for the ML but it requires all new stereo components along with new door covers, etc... if I ever get to it, i may just stop by my local audio shop and have them just replace some of my factory speakers to make system sound that much better. The front door 6.5 speakers are absolute junk and rsttle at any type of base. Just my 2 cents!
If you're hearing a rattle in the front door at anything above moderate volume, it's likely the window switch panel. It bugged the crap out of me until I found a thread on here to pull the switch panel out and wrap black electrical tape around the outer housing where it meets the inner frame. The two pieces are where mine was rattling. I also put some adhesive felt under the panel before re-installing it and it 100% fixed the rattles I was getting from the drivers door panel.
23 years ago, my Honda Accord sedan used a Honda 20W x 4 channels with a trunk mounted 6-stack CD - all made by Alpine.
The 6-stack CD had a special Honda-proprietary plug/socket. I'm not so sure if manufacturers are trying to make it "easy" for us to connect?
In my experience, Honda tried to force us to use a Honda 6-stack CD unit, rather than an aftermarket Alpine 6-stack CD unit.
My car audio specialist used to custom fabricate plugs and sockets, so that an aftermarket Alpine 6-stack CD unit could be plugged into a Honda OEM head unit, because typically, the OEM Honda 6-stack CD player would cost twice as much as the Alpine 6-stack CD player, and both were exactly the same units beneath the badge.
In those days, clever customers would shortcut Honda by using an aftermarket Alpine 6-stack CD unit in the trunk combined with a custom fabricated plug...
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Emphasis added -- a manufacturer's goal is not to make it easy for you or us but rather for them. Any simplification to a manufacturing process, especially one involving humans, is a very good thing for business.
Originally Posted by JellyBean
I fail to see the relevance. High quality tequila is also made in Mexico, just like components of many products that are proudly labelled as "Made in _____"
You sure that's not "Hecho en ________"? "Made-in" biasing is like stereotypes (no pun intended) -- it's often based on some evidence but has only some self-fulfilling truth in the cases where the results correlate to the stereotype. There are trends for certain product types where quality of manufacture from one region may best another -- and there are always exceptions to the trends.
06-01-17, 07:15 AM
"Made-in" biasing is like stereotypes (no pun intended) -- it's often based on some evidence but has only some self-fulfilling truth in the cases where the results correlate to the stereotype. There are trends for certain product types where quality of manufacture from one region may best another -- and there are always exceptions to the trends.