mckellyb

It can be done!!!



Took me a solid 90 minutes, and I'm not done, but, at least with an external MP3 player, I've managed to tweak the settings enough so that I can trick the ML system into producing volume/bass at the same levels of the '08 car I had.

There was a lot of experimentation with settings (line level, equalizer, and several others) in the Sansa Clipp player, and everyone's ears are different, however, I managed to get the cleanthump back to sub-250 hz tones...that's not a pun, either, though it's not bad...and have mostly avoided distortion. Some of my issues are tracks with wildly variable gain, and while it was a problem, before, I knew which ones were a problem and how to adjust for them. I had distortion on some tracks in the old car, but knew how to get rid of almost all of it, quickly, and without looking at anything.

Unlike the 2008, the 2012 will take a higher line level before distortion is apparent, at least to my ears. This is good, because you can crank up gain, turn down system volume, and avoid the cliff of low-frequency attenuation which seems to start around '48' on the volume scale. In the old car, it was around '55', but that was more than loud enough for me.

Back to making myself deaf over time with funk, disco, and classic rock/pop from 1955-1992. Woo-hoo!!!

My player has a different firmware on it, allowing much, much more adjustment of items which do not exist in the OEM. Rockbox, for those who are curious.

Over the course of a week of commuting, I should be able to get it exactly where I want it.

Now, this does not help with in-dash CD or tuner/sat use, but those are backup sources for me.

And, no, I cannot leave things alone. I'm just that way.

nsaldanh

Are you using bluetooth or the aux in on the audio system? There is a way to increase the input level of bluetooth which involves going into the hidden menu settings and raising the input gain for bluetooth. However even though it raised the volume, it never did improve the bass. I never tried Aux in.

mckellyb

Auxiliary input.

I wish I had a way to show the difference in tone. I'm surprised, to a degree, it let me trick it this way. I had to equalize the crap out of it, too, effectively adding a loudness button.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

So you equalized the frequency response in your MP3 player to boost the bass?

mckellyb

Among other things.

I adjusted stereo 'spaciality', and played with almost every setting, putting it back if the difference was not audible or worse. After the 15th item, I stopped remembering names.

This firmware gives the ability to adjust the equalizer to an incredibly detailed degree, as you can change where the bands are. I think it's an 8-band EQ. Wait, no, there are at least nine.

Let me look. Oh, ten band EQ. But I went in and changed not just levels, but where the center of the band was, as well. This is a purely 'by ear' thing. It must be, because everyone wants a different 'sound', even if that sound is technically 'flat', it's going to sound different to everyone.

nsaldanh

Thank you mckellyb. I'm going to experiment with the ML in my LS500 in the next few days. Lexus makes lots of claims about the sound - but it's nothing to write home about.

mckellyb

Oh, when it's right, it's very, very right.

At home, I have a dated, yet high-end system for music, only. The home theater system is its own thing. My wife thought I was full of it, until she listened to the difference.

A circa-2001 Yamaha receiver which was $3,200, new, acting as a pre-amp for a slightly older Yamaha amplifier, and a pair of oddball, but incredible sounding, handcrafted, dual reverse tweeter speakers which were very limited production, made in 1987, or so. Then there's the 15" Klipsch amplified sub.

The Levinson is close to that sound quality when it's dialed in perfectly, and it's not a remotely fair comparison in either environment or power.

Here's what those Signets look like. I've never seen anything like them, and am amazed I found a pair.

http://www.hifi-classic.net/review/s...l-100-146.html

I've had to replace the tweeters, all four, and while it took me six months of hunting, three different sets, then adapting the ones which were the best match to be identical to OEM mounting, it was worth it.

I'm probably the only person to have played Funkadelic through this model of loudspeaker. Sounds proper.

Come to think of it, there's a lot of weight, upstairs.

fwhomeboy

Ok, so let me get this right. Because I have the 2008 ML, there's no need to get a newer model LS460L. Ok, got it. THANKS.

nsaldanh

I've had a 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017 and now a 2018 LS, all with ML. The 2008 was the best sounding of them all and the 2012 the worst. I never ever thought of using the Aux in, but what mckellyb has done makes a lot of sense. He was able to circumvent Lexus' de-tuning of the bass notes once you went past a certain volume level.