95bat

The ML system will play FLAC files 🙂

Bechtold

Oh I know it plays Flac files, it just doesn't do gapless playback. It can do 24Bit 192KHz files if you give it that which is pretty cool.

patsfan82

New IS500 owner and the ML system is driving me crazy. It's such a strong mixture of good and terrible at the same time.

For all the strong qualities the system has - mine seems to just have some overboosted frequencies that I can't tune out of it at loud volumes. When the system is really thumping - there are just a few problem areas where sounds are just *super* ear-splittingly sharp and they just pierce right into my skull. Not an audiophile and have minimal experience - but after some testing I would hazard a guess that mine is particularly problematic around 4kHz - right between where the Mid and Treble sliders have any effect.

95bat

I had to turn the treble down below neutral for that reason. I think I'm at -3 treble. That was one of my complaints too, the system is VERY bright.

arentz07

I am at 0 treble, +1 mid and +1 bass. I agree, the neutral setting puts a little too much on treble. I think they were going for "wow factor". But I bumped the sound system all the way home from the dealer today, seems awesome in this setup. I might turn the bass up one more notch.

edit: Also, it might be worth turning Surround off or on to see if that improves things.

Bechtold

I turn surround off and auto volume leveling for all my high quality audio sources. I leave surround on for radio sources but still leave volume leveling off. I left it at flat for bass and mid, but found that I did not need to up the treble as much unlike previous stereo systems. It's actually quite nice.

patsfan82

I can't figure my system out. Turning treble down doesn't particularly address the problematic frequencies for me. Nothing I do seems to completely remove the harsh/sharp response at loud volumes. My system has completely different sounding responses at medium volume and loud volume.

This is the only system I've ever had in a vehicle where it's physically painful to listen to at loud volumes. I would prefer a mediocre sound system at loud volumes compared to mine which is just straight-unlistenable. Not looking forward to the immediate loss I'm going to take on this car if I can't figure out a solution.

Admonkey

Are you playing super-compressed audio? Is it clipping?

arentz07

Are you talking when the car is stationary or moving? Ambient noise plays a big role. To be honest, I don't even bother tuning it while stopped, since the tire noise on the car has a huge impact on the sound.

I dunno, maybe this isn't the tippy-top of audio systems I've experienced in cars, but I find little to complain about. I think it sounds crisp without being harsh or too bright.

patsfan82

Audio source is lossless playback through Apple Music app on Apple CarPlay.
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Ive been trying to balance and tune the system while driving. Tuning Treble/Mid/Bass with and without surround and with varying fade settings. Tried dropping the EQ settings and raising - since I think my problematic frequencies are between the Mid and Treble settings so the settings only move the frequency response around the problem area.

My system certainly has clarity that the modern BMW Harman kardan systems lack - but it has issues of its own that others don’t. It’s not anywhere near the quality of the current Acura Panasonic ELS systems, which is the best I’ve used. And as I indicated originally - I would prefer a mediocre system that didn’t assault my senses like this one does. Took my wife for a ride tonight for a second opinion and she had the same reaction.

Could just be something specific with my car, but it’s just so shrill.

arentz07

Sorry to hear that. I'm really not sure what else to recommend other than trying playback through other audio sources - radio, a different music app or mode, etc. to see if anything makes a difference. I just listen to music through Pandora or YouTube music. Yeah, I am an audio pleb. But it sounds much better on the ML speakers than it does on my wife's BMW's sound system.

95bat

I've noticed the bass/mid/treble adjustments don't exactly cover the whole band they should address. Like mids don't affect voicing, and treble can leave some brightness even when turned down.

I've had the ML system in 5 different vehicles and this one was the hardest for me to tune. I need to get the laptop out and do some REW sweeps to find the best settings.

Admonkey

There are a lot of links between the "lossless" bitrate at the source and what is finally streamed through your speakers (or headset or whatever you might listen to streaming music through).

Have you tried playing a CD through the system?

DLPTony

That was going to be my suggestion, in addition to changing out the cable used for the phone.

I have sensitive ears and above average hearing, and the system is fine to me. Definitely doesn’t cause physical pain.

vpar23

Speaker system is great. Fading it back 3-4 places definitely makes it sound more level. This speaker system is the best I have had since my 08 tl type s and miles better then my b&o in my b9 audi s5 sportback.