mark levinson sound quality issues
06-16-18, 12:02 AM
#32
Driver School Candidate
Go with your favorite color combo. You have to turn ML up all the way up to make it sound good.
06-16-18, 06:28 AM
#33
It has to be over "25" to sound good, which is far from all the way. At 25, it's right where it needs to be to still have a conversation. When the wife isn't in the car, I usually have it at around 34, which isn't ear splitting. Still like to hear what's going on, but it sounds pretty darned good at that point. We're all different though and can hear at different levels, so not arguing. At 25, I can still hear the Nagi(vator) lady too, so sitting at that volume pretty frequently.
10-12-18, 05:09 PM
#34
bumping this to the top so I can find it easily on my phone when I go into the GS later to adjust the ML. Great input from everyone, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who turned off Surround and Auto Leveling and heard an improvement...!
10-14-18, 03:44 PM
#36
Sound systems are very subjective.
However, there are basically two types of sound systems:
(1) Sound systems for the true audiophile.
(2) Sound systems for the bass boomer pop music enthusiast, or night clubber who isn't into audiophile magazines etc.
(1)
For the true audiophile, the "Staging", in other words - the stage - must be at the front, because we never listen to music with our backs against the stage.
Secondly, true audiophiles like to have exact reproduction of the original music.
To achieve this, true audiophiles do not boost the bass and treble while depressing the midrange by so many decibels.
True audiophiles have absolutely no interest in artificial "thumping bass"; audiophiles want bass to be reproduced as it was originally generated!
True audiophiles listen with the graphic equalizer set a "flat".
Of course, true audiophiles don't prefer synthesized 3D sound either; they prefer sound as it was originally.
If it is stereo recorded, then it is stereo recorded, but of course, a true 3D recording with 5.1 microphones for Dolby Digital 5.1 is always a bonus.
(2)
The second group of music enthusiasts are the bass boomers.
This group likes pop music, and they like a lot of thumping bass.
This group are also audiophiles, however they are not "true" audiophiles in the purest of sense.
Thumping bass is often enhanced by boosting the bass and treble, and simultaneously reducing the midrange volume.
The Mark Levinson system is actually designed for "genuine" audiophiles, and it is not designed for bass boomers who want thumping bass...
Mind you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with thumping bass.
Thumping bass sounds great, but it is not what Mark Levinson is designed for.
However, there are basically two types of sound systems:
(1) Sound systems for the true audiophile.
(2) Sound systems for the bass boomer pop music enthusiast, or night clubber who isn't into audiophile magazines etc.
(1)
For the true audiophile, the "Staging", in other words - the stage - must be at the front, because we never listen to music with our backs against the stage.
Secondly, true audiophiles like to have exact reproduction of the original music.
To achieve this, true audiophiles do not boost the bass and treble while depressing the midrange by so many decibels.
True audiophiles have absolutely no interest in artificial "thumping bass"; audiophiles want bass to be reproduced as it was originally generated!
True audiophiles listen with the graphic equalizer set a "flat".
Of course, true audiophiles don't prefer synthesized 3D sound either; they prefer sound as it was originally.
If it is stereo recorded, then it is stereo recorded, but of course, a true 3D recording with 5.1 microphones for Dolby Digital 5.1 is always a bonus.
(2)
The second group of music enthusiasts are the bass boomers.
This group likes pop music, and they like a lot of thumping bass.
This group are also audiophiles, however they are not "true" audiophiles in the purest of sense.
Thumping bass is often enhanced by boosting the bass and treble, and simultaneously reducing the midrange volume.
The Mark Levinson system is actually designed for "genuine" audiophiles, and it is not designed for bass boomers who want thumping bass...
Mind you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with thumping bass.
Thumping bass sounds great, but it is not what Mark Levinson is designed for.
Audiophiles want to reproduce the music 100% in-line with the original source.
Audiophiles would have the Bass/Midrange/Treble settings "Flat".
Mark Levinson is actually better for playing classical and instrumental music.
Raising the Bass and Treble while depressing the Midrange - indicates that one is NOT a true audiophile, and likes bass boomer type music.
Preferring an artificial boomy bass is similar to those who prefer televisions with "oversaturated" colors.
Oversaturation is obviously not natural, but some people prefer it that way.
I'm not sure about the auto levelling mode which is meant to automatically adjust volume as interior background volume rises and falls, but certainly and audiophile would NOT want artificial Surround Sound, and would have such mode disabled.
.
Last edited by peteharvey; 10-14-18 at 03:53 PM.
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signdetres (10-15-18)
10-14-18, 06:14 PM
#37
Mark Levinson is designed for genuine audiophiles.
Audiophiles want to reproduce the music 100% in-line with the original source.
Audiophiles would have the Bass/Midrange/Treble settings "Flat".
Mark Levinson is actually better for playing classical and instrumental music.
Raising the Bass and Treble while depressing the Midrange - indicates that one is NOT a true audiophile, and likes bass boomer type music.
Preferring an artificial boomy bass is similar to those who prefer televisions with "oversaturated" colors.
Oversaturation is obviously not natural, but some people prefer it that way.
I'm not sure about the auto levelling mode which is meant to automatically adjust volume as interior background volume rises and falls, but certainly and audiophile would NOT want artificial Surround Sound, and would have such mode disabled.
.
Audiophiles want to reproduce the music 100% in-line with the original source.
Audiophiles would have the Bass/Midrange/Treble settings "Flat".
Mark Levinson is actually better for playing classical and instrumental music.
Raising the Bass and Treble while depressing the Midrange - indicates that one is NOT a true audiophile, and likes bass boomer type music.
Preferring an artificial boomy bass is similar to those who prefer televisions with "oversaturated" colors.
Oversaturation is obviously not natural, but some people prefer it that way.
I'm not sure about the auto levelling mode which is meant to automatically adjust volume as interior background volume rises and falls, but certainly and audiophile would NOT want artificial Surround Sound, and would have such mode disabled.
.
I've also been hearing a similar mantra from the video-philes when I got into HDTV in 2008 and beyond.
My problem is that I do not prefer to listen to sound, or watch movies and film in the manner intended my the composer/director. I want to see/listen to the picture/sound tuned to the way I like it. In my teens I liked to hear the highs, in my 20's the bass was more attractive, today I prefer a more balanced sound, but still tuned the way I like.
So I hear you when it comes to reproducing the original source, there's validity in those ideas... it's just not for me.
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Cwang (10-14-19)
08-19-19, 11:56 AM
#40
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Lexus GS350F 2015.. My ML is the same. Sound comes blasting from the front speaker and overpowers every other speaker. Even in the back seat, the main front speaker is heard over the other speakers. No surround sound at all. Took it to the dealership and they said that there is nothing wrong with it, that's how it sounds. I sat in a new dealers car with ML sound and it sounded sooo nice. It was as if the musicians were there with me in the car. So, ML, what's the deal? Why did you make the 2015 models sound so bad?
08-20-19, 10:28 AM
#41
Intermediate
My ML system gives me headaches from the high frequencies so I have to lower the treble and the front speakers put out too much sound if fade is in the center. I've also come to the conclusion that, contrary to what I would expect, bluetooth from my iphone sounds better than line in from the phone.
10-14-19, 11:26 AM
#42
Driver School Candidate
Kind of a thread back from the dead. Does anyone notice when playing music, the rear tweeter which is right behind your left ear, from time to time boost volume for a split second and then drop again. It's so annoying and I notice it only in surround sound mode. It's like in a split second, that one speaker goes from let's say, 20 volume to 23 and back again while playing.
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