meowmix52

I have a 2009 RX and I'm unsatisfied with the alleged "Premium" Sound system. (not ML). It is a step backward from my older Honda Accord which had crisp sounding treble and bass.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the settings? I tried raising the treble by +3 and the bass by +2 and it sounded a little better. Which DSP setting is best? When all three zones are highlighted it sounds more "immersive" but "tinny." When I only select the driver zone everything sounds more "defined". ASL doesn't seem to affect anything. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Maybe I should upgrade the speaker drivers, but that would require removing the door too right, or do the grills come right off? Any suggestions for upgrades or the settings to use? Thanks in advance.

PS: Now I feel like I should have paid extra and gotten the '10 or maybe the '09 ML. The '10 has 12 speakers I believe while the '09 has only 8?

mr2tosc4

iTrader: (1)

I think it depends on the music you listen to and the sound quality of the CDs you have. I listened to some vocals and classical music and the sound is satisfying to me. Rock/Pop was ok, hip hop was only average due to the bass requirement. The acoustics inside the RX definitely needs improvement, then again most suv/compact suvs do not compare to sedans where you have a nice rear deck that provides good acoustics as opposed to the suv setup where they are just door mounts. We test drove a handful of suvs and I think the RX's sound system is still better compared to the rest in its class. If you do a search there was someone who compared the ML to the Premium and there was hardly any difference. It was marginal at most. The ML makes a big difference in the sedans/coupes and also in the GX/LX though.

lex

yes that's another reason why the 2010 model is better. And it's a well known fact that the old RX had probably the worst sound system of the lineup.

the 2010 model has a minimum of 9 speakers, premium sound system has 12 speakers and ML has 15 speakers.

DigMyM35x

Yup - dislike the sound quality myself in the 07 (same as 09). Wife drives it and she doesn't really care that much so it doesn't bother me too much but I don't really like it.

However, I also don't think the ML system is worth the premium price (never heard it but don't care - still not worth the premium price!!!). Some of you may disagree but the stock system in this car should be much better than it is. To pay thousands more just to get an upgraded audio system seems silly in this day and age. Maybe if there were other, additional features you would get at the same time but not for my money.

I am looking forward to the 2010 though. I'm hoping the new focus on # of speakers shows they paid more attention to the sound system in general. I guess we'll see.

Jay

The G Man

Have anyone heard the sound system on the 2010 yet, how much better is it compare to the 09.

JasDmw

I quite like the "basic" sound system. Works OK for me! Guess I'm not the audiophile type. When cruising around with the windows open; what's the difference? And at highway speeds; even with the quiet intereior, there is always some noise, particularly from the roof racks. In traffic, am usually listening to AM for the traffic reports, so again, what's the value?

Once again boild down to personal preferences.

The G Man

I guess if you listen to AM, any radio will do.

meowmix52

I feel like I should have insisted for ML on my '09. I asked my dealer, but he said none were in stock at the moment. ML also includes a DVD changer which I just found out could play DVD videos on the front screen! (the navigation screen). Just like the BMW 5 series my brother has .

And acoustics is excuse for poor audio quality. My room has pretty bad acoustics but my speakers still sound great. (I guess that is because the speakers are enclosed in wooden cabinets).

Anyways does anyone know where the eight speakers on the '09 (old) are located?
I see two on the front pillars, two on the front doors, and two on the back doors. That's only six. Is there two in the truck area?

mr2tosc4

iTrader: (1)

There's two mounted on top of the dash..listen closely when your NAV gives directions..they come from there.

The G Man

Have you heard the ML in the RX? It doesnt sound that good and its not worth the money. Also, you can only watch DVD if your RX is in park and hand brakes on.

anthonyerc

I agree. The sound isn't that great. I wish I would have upgraded to the Mark Levingston

arima

i was messing around with the radio the other day and found a setting where the the sound can be adjusted to the position of the listeners. i selected two front seats only, it sounded a lot better then 4 position listening. i have a 09.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

The ML in the 2004-2008 RX wasn't much of an improvement over the Premium Sound System. It really wasn't until the ML system in the 01 LS430 that the ML really started to shine. Even the ML system in my 03 GS430 isn't all that great. Anyway, I know its not for everyone, but on my RX330 with the Standard system I just installed and aftermarket headunit, kept the stock speakers, and added an aftermarket amp. Sounded much better. I also had a parametric EQ/Time alignment processor that did Dolby Digital/DTS, and was running fiber optics from the headunit and DVD changer to the sound processor so everything was kept digital until it left the processor to the amp. The stock speakers sounded decent with good power and personalized time alignment so you can save a bit of money there.

RhoXS

The sound system in out new 2009 RX350 sounds Ok but it very noticeably does not provide rich full sound as I expected. The sound is somewhat flat and without body. In fact, our old RX300, which we still have, sounds significantly better. I wonder if Lexus did not intentionally dumb down the non-ML systems so as not to eat into sales of the expensive ML upgrade.