rinthiran

Nope, its one integrated center console (which is curved) with some controls routed to the touch screen. You’d have to cut (read: butcher) the center console to get an aftermarket head-unit.

I have ML and comparing it to the stock system, this is pretty much the core improvement over the stock system (which I find to be pretty decent for a stock setup), and the ability to play clean music at higher volumes. Is it $1400 worth of bass performance? NO. But there’s limitation/restrictions on what can be improved on and I personally do not want to do a half-@$$ job installing aftermarket components that don’t integrate well with my $40k+ car.

CoolWhip

To really appreciate the ML system you have to crank up the volume...this is where the sound will impact you and separate the men from the boys (ML vs. stock). I have the ML and all I can say is wow! To me this completes the car and others I have demonstrated the system to have agreed. This is almost like asking which is better, the 350 or 250? If you drive both cars like grandma, you will not notice the difference between the two. But once you hit the gas on the 350 the answer is obvious. The same can be said with the ML. If your salesman is saying that road noise is going to cancel the improvements of the ML over the stock then what he is assuming you need is background noise/music and not something you will feel and enjoy while you're driving. A similar argument can be made against the 350 in saying that stop signs, traffic lights and rush hour are going to get in the way of the 350's performance characteristics and therefore get the 250. It really boils down to what you can afford and/or what you want to spend and of course...personal taste.

emissivity

I went to a "Taste of Lexus" at Alameda, CA few months ago and experienced the ML in a GS. After that I was sold.

Lem144

I agree...I went with a 250 RWD 6-speed and ML instead of a 350 simply because I'd get more enjoyment out of shifting my own gears (the real way) and the awesome sound system. I can't afford a fully loaded 350 anyway. Plus, with gas prices how they are, I can always sit back in the driveway and enjoy the music

Lem144

I'm reading about this 5.1 channel discrete system in the new ES and in the GS....why didn't the IS get it? Or am I just missing it?

Here is the press release:
02/08/2006 Chicago

Mark Levinson, exclusive premium audio system provider for Lexus cars and SUVs, launches their "next-generation" entertainment system in the all-new 2007 Lexus ES 350 luxury sedan. This groundbreaking system introduces Lexus owners to a discrete 5.1 home theatre entertainment experience optimized for playback of music, music videos and movies in the luxurious, mobile environment provided by the 2007 Lexus ES.

"This Mark Levinson System is a high-performance home theatre on wheels," said Bob Carter, Lexus group vice president and general manager. "A product of over three years of engineering and development, the system improves on every aspect of the original Mark Levinson System introduced in 2002."

This 14-speaker, 300 watt system features the following:
• Discrete 5.1 multi-channel playback via a 7.1-speaker topology
• 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS decoding of DVD Video and DVD Audio discs
• Proprietary metal cone midrange and tweeter transducers
• Full digital transmission from the digital source to the discrete output topology power amplifiers

Mark Levinson Surround (MLS) audio software optimizes discrete 5.1 playback for Multiseat™ listening and provides a surround sound experience for stereo source material.

"Our latest generation of Mark Levinson systems for Lexus advances the scope of sonic performance and features available, yet they remain true to our original mission to recreate the emotional response evoked by the original musical and now, cinematic, event," said Phil Muzio, director acoustic systems at Mark Levinson. "This system provides a listening experience in the car unrivaled by other vehicle in its class."

Mark Levinson Premium Surround Systems, featuring discrete 5.1 surround sound, were launched in the 2004 Toyota Crown Royale Saloon, 2004 Crown Majesta in the Japan market and in the 2006 Lexus GS 300 and GS 430 earlier this year in the U.S. market.

Mark Levinson Surround Sound System for the 2007 Lexus ES 350 Luxury Sedan Features/Functions:
• 14 Speakers – Four 25 mm tweeters, five 65 mm midranges, two 6 x 9-inch woofers, two 16 cm woofers and one 20 cm subwoofer.

• 10 Channels, 300 watts – The all-new Mark Levinson Processor/Amplifier in the ES will produce a total power output of 300 watts, all-channels driven, 20Hz-20kHz @ less than 0.1% total harmonic distortion.

• Mark Levinson Surround (MLS) Audio Software – Optimizes discrete 5.1 playback for Multiseat™ listening in a 7.1-channel speaker architecture and provides a surround sound experience for stereo source material such as CD and FM. MLS is the only expression of surround sound which has been designed and optimized specifically for the challenges and characteristics exhibited by an automotive passenger cabin.

• Discrete 5.1 Surround Sound

• Media Compatibility – CD, CD-R, DTS 5.1 CD, DVD Video and DVD Audio discs.

• Format Compatibility – 2-channel stereo (analog and PCM), 2-channel surround sound, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 (from DTS 5.1 CD, DVD Video and DVD Audio discs), decodes MP3/WMA and has an aux input.

• 7.1-Channel Surround Sound Speaker Architecture – Separate side and surround channels provide a greater sense of envelopment and depth for front and rear passengers.

• Proprietary Metal Cone Midrange and Tweeter Transducers – Metal cone geometries offer greater cone rigidity and lower mass. Neodymium magnet/motor structures provide higher magnetic flux levels in a smaller and lighter transducer package. The sonic benefits of both technologies are the following:
- Lower distortion – higher resolution
- Greater sound pressure levels – natural dynamics
- Extended frequency response – harmonic richness and musicality

• 20 cm/8 inch subwoofer provides the deepest base tones in the most efficient and compact manner possible.

• All Digital Signal Path from the Disc to the Mark Levinson Discrete Topology Power Amplifiers – Fragile audio signals are often transmitted from the front to the back of the car in an analog format. The analog medium is subject to sonic degradation from noise and magnetic interference within the car and numerous conversions processes between analog and digital. To avoid noise pickup and unnecessary and potentially degrading conversion steps, the ML Surround System transmits digital via SPDIF (Sony Philips Digital Interface Format). 24-bit word lengths are supported.

• Source Dependent MLS – Your favorite MLS setting is retained for individual source types.

• ASL – Volume and tone adjustment for on-the-road system optimization, asymmetrical for surround sound sources.

• ML3 Hardware highlights – Switching power supply, 24-bit ADC and DAC, triple DSP farm, discrete output stages.

• The ES Voicing – Over 1,000 man-hours of laboratory and on-road voicing of the Mark Levinson Premium Surround System for the particular acoustic characteristics of the ES passenger cabin.

Lem144

Nevermind, it does have it. I just read it at marklevinsonlexus.com. They should have written GS and IS in the press release.

=)

Wid IS350

ML sound system is by far worth it... much better than sound systems in much more expensive rides...

dfw350

Lol, nice one

y2ks2k

ML for sure, this sytem still shocks me. It sounds better then any aftermarket system I have ever installed in any of my cars. Whats cool is that I had a lot of DTS 5.1 channel CD's from my home sytem and they work in ML.

Jimmer350

Wid IS350 -

The cars you list in your sig - really??? Holy crap man! Good for you!

Can I have a loan??

Pivo154

So eventho it looks like the cd player is not intergrated with the top part of the center console it is?? Im confused it looks like there is a crease between where the cd player ends and the bottom part of the console begins...

Pivo154

What is the major difference between stock and ML?? ML gives you 1 more speaker vs. the stock 13 speakers. Also it gives you 300 watt amp vs 194....What else is different? Are the speakers of higher audio grade as well? I know that power in audiophile setups doesnt matter as much as speaker positioning & install but for 1400 extra Im sure you could get much better speakers and amps. So in my case since I dont plan on watching DVD's its better for me to do a custom audio setup. But you guys who plan to watch dvd's ect then ML 7.1 surround will be amazing and is definitely the way to go for you guys. And thats the best 2 cents on this thread.

y2ks2k

I've never had a DVD-A disk before (my home DVD changer does SACD but I havent bought one yet)... But now I HAVE to get this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...Fencoding=UTF8

dfw350

if youre buying a lexus, an extra $800 should not be your main concern...

clubfoot

I only wanted ML, but here in Canada it only comes with NAV, now since I have both it's great. I ended up getting steering wheel control of voice recognition for audio, NAV and climate, bluetooth, and a six disc DVD-Audio, DTS, music DVD changer with mp3 cabability! And yes from what I've read here you can burn your mp3 collection to > 16G of DVD storage! That's allot of features for US$1400.