I'm a little bit of an audiophile, but not as much as earlier in life. Don't need or want the Navi though, so doesn't necessarily make sense to get that pkg to get the Levinson.

What are people's opinions on the base soundsystem? Thanks in advance!

 

earlier in life, i too, was a big audiophile, and spent much $ on it. i now have other things to spend money on, so that goes on the back burner. the stock system is actually fine with me. i could use maybe a subwoofer upgrade in the near future (as long as it doesnt take up too much trunk space), but its not that important. i do, however, really recommend the nav system. i didnt plan on getting the nav, but then the dealer only had models with nav, and i forced myself to consider it. then, i saw that if you didnt get the nav, you dont even get an LCD screen, like previous models. to top that off, i did like the back up camera feature, and you couldnt get that w/o the nav. so i got the nav, and after many trips to "freeway nightmare" so. cal, i couldnt be happier w/it. not only do you save tons of miles by not getting lost, you also have such a peace of mind knowing exactly where you are, whereever you are. also, when visiting someone, i just plug in the address, and the rest is simply following what the nav says. i just like having that ability, and thats why i recommend it.

 

Thanks for the opinions. I live in Nebraska so I don't have to worry about getting lost and whatnot here much I like that the climate is separate w/o the nav as well. I don't mind not having the LCD I guess and I don't really care if I have a backup cam or not.

Glad to hear you think the base stereo is OK ... I'm sure I'll like it fine.

 

I've heard the base radio on a test drive it's good enough for me. I am unsure how the Mark Levinson sounds but comparing it to the Lexus LX 470 and LS 430 Mark Levinson I heard it is only OK the Levinson sounded amazing. But i'm sure the base radio is good enough for you as it's good enough for me.

 

I listened to the levinson stereo in another RX330 before I bought my RX330 & I couldn't tell much diff. I think the base system is MUCH improved over the base stereo in the '01 RX300 I had. It also sounds better than the bose in my '01 Acura. I say save your money!

 

That's what I like to hear!

 

personally i think the base rx330 stereo is great! but the rx300 base had better bass from the subwoofer.

 

The base stereo in RX330 is adequate, but not great. I think Lexus put in a weak base stereo *on purpose* to force people upgrade to Mark Levinson. ML is over-rated in my opinion.

I like the 240w Pioneer in my 2002 RX300, though the subwoofer could be stronger.

 

I DEFINITELY AGREE

 

Frankly, the base unit in my '01 RX was great. The RX330 's is just fine but does lack the subwoofer deep bass. To tell the truth, it still sounds much better than the Bose system in my '04 SL500.

 

Unless you're a real die-hard audiophile that needs to play it really really loud, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the base stereo. And when I say base, I mean the 6-CD, non-ML unit that comes with the Premium Package Plus configuration.

 

the lack of a sub is no good. but the speakers are real good, and its fine when its not turned up real loud

 

I like the stock system in my 330. I used to be all into the eq's, amps, subs... am I getting too old (29???)

 

Audio quality, similar to beauty, is in the ear of the beholder. Before I decided on my RX330, I took a favorite CD and listened for some time in models with both the base radio and the ML system. I could hear a difference with the ML that led me to get that model. I've been very pleased that I did. I had my RX330 in the shop for several days last week getting a few minor things done (6,000 miles). They gave me an ES330 loaner that had the regular radio with changer. Having been accustomed to the ML, I could really hear a difference. Good luck with your decision!

 

I used to be a car audio gear snob, but I'm very happy with the stock system in the RX330. I haven't heard the Levinson system, but I couldn't justify the extra cost in the first place so it wasn't an issue. I guess it all depends on what style of music you listen to. Oh, and the non-Nav 330's do have an lcd display for disc number, track number, etc, it just sits higher on the dash.