Lexicon sound system with Harsh S ( Sibiliance) in my new Genesis G80 Ultimate

[supersasan]

Hello I got my car back in December. G80 Ultimate with Lexicon Sound system.
I love the car but been having issues with the sound system. I haven't taken it to my dealer but It's a really weird problem and am worried they say they can't hear anything.

So when I listen to anything that has regular speech in it, like radio or a podcast ( whether from Satellite or Bluetooth or Android Auto ) , there's a really harsh S sound coming from the tweeters in the doors.

Generally it takes someone a few minutes to notice it , once it starts annoying the person, it becomes unbearable. I literally have to take down the high frequency all the way down and the take the mid and base all the way up to be able to listen to XM radio or podcasts. It's terrible.

Here's a video of the problem . It's not very clear in the video because there's some quality lost in the compression of sound in the phone and in you tube, but really, after a while it's just terrible. Just like the noise you hear from someone scratching something hard against another thing.

I have also triend taping the tweeters, which works fine.
I have done some reasearch and it's from cheap speakers, or wrongly positions speakers.

I am going to take my car to the dealer for the maintenance, but if they say there's nothing wrong with it, i am screwed, i dont' even know how i can handle another few months of dealing with this.

 

[Gone With The Wind 2]

Kind of hard to hear anything out of the ordinary via that clip. At least in this example, you've got a super compressed signal (XM) going through a high-end stereo system with a very dynamic sound range. In particular toward the higher frequency range. Fairly common issue when said low-end source running through high-end stereo.

You mentioned other sources have that problem. Are they also high-quality sound files? What bit rate?

With that said, check to make sure any of the Lexicon sound enhancements are turned off. Such as Clari-Fi, which I found to occasionally add in unwanted artifacts. Otherwise EQ is your best bet - short of using better quality source.

Then like you said, the dealer will probably reproduce that in another Genesis and say it's "working as designed."

 

[supersasan]

I switched from a panamera with a Bose sound system, and used to have an Infiniti and VW golf before that and never had this problem before. All sources have this problem as long as they are not music . It's not noticeable with music or if I am listening to lower quality sources like FM and AM radio.

I'll go to dealer this week to check other similar cars but I was driving tonight and I just can't handle it. The S sound literally seems to be digging in my ear drums out.

 

[Gone With The Wind 2]

I switched from a panamera with a Bose sound system, and used to have an Infiniti and VW golf before that and never had this problem before. All sources have this problem as long as they are not music . It's not noticeable with music or if I am listening to lower quality sources like FM and AM radio.

I'll go to dealer this week to check other similar cars but I was driving tonight and I just can't handle it. The S sound literally seems to be digging in my ear drums out.

Do make sure any Lexicon sound enhancements and virtual staging are disabled via the sound menu first. Otherwise hopefully it's fixable and good luck.

 

[jsmit86]

There is a chance you may have a blown tweeter.
(If someone blasted them full volume for example)
Does this happen from both channels?
Front and rear?
Isolate the problem if it's only from one location.

After listening to your video, something is not right. Turn off Clari-fi and any surround processing. Does the problem still exist?
Ask to listen to the radio in another Ultimate. If you don't hear the same issue, the dealer needs to further diagnose the problem.
This also could be caused by a defective pre-amp or amp.
Let us know what you find out.

 

[Aurally]

I am glad that someone on this forum is finally complaining about this. I found it is really bad listening to the BBC radio hour on NPR. Unfortunately, I have come to believe the excessive sibiliance is by design, not a defect. the Lexicon system has a boost in the 10-12kHz region, I presume it is to compensate for the off-axis tweeter placement. This alone wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for the fact that the tweeter itself has excessive sibiliance. In my quest to replace all the drivers, I took the tweeter out, and hooked it to a different amplifier so I could compare it suitable replacements, and confirmed that the stock Lexicon tweeter indeed has higher than usual sibiliance. Given the size and weight of the tweeter, it doesn't feel like a budget component, my guess is Harman is trying to use its internal manufactured part instead of out-sourcing, and their tooling is limited to what can be produced.

Unfortunately, there is no simple remedy besides replacing the tweeter. Another option is to put some acoustic screen in front of the tweeter. Sibiliance is one of the things that once you hear it, you cannot "un-hear" it.

 

[Spanky61]

I hear it, turn down you treble. It sounds like you've got everything maxed out in the settings.

 

[BWalla]

I have a G80 sport, and the specific reason I started looking here is to find if anyone knew of a better way to tune the audio system either thru an aftermarket equalizer add on or changing speakers. My audio sounds the same as yours. It feels like the upper speakers (front center, dash corners and door corners) have been stripped of frequencies from 1000 -5000 hz. Either that or the speakers just don't handle those frequencies well, but i gotta believe its more of a factory tuning. Has anyone asked the dealer if they can access the crossover settings? I plan to in about a month when I'm in for service.

 

[LD5050]

I have a G80 sport, and the specific reason I started looking here is to find if anyone knew of a better way to tune the audio system either thru an aftermarket equalizer add on or changing speakers. My audio sounds the same as yours. It feels like the upper speakers (front center, dash corners and door corners) have been stripped of frequencies from 1000 -5000 hz. Either that or the speakers just don't handle those frequencies well, but i gotta believe its more of a factory tuning. Has anyone asked the dealer if they can access the crossover settings? I plan to in about a month when I'm in for service.

Keep us updated. I plan on redoing the entire sound system but it would be nice to be able to tweak the OEM setup in the meantime.

 

[BWalla]

Keep us updated. I plan on redoing the entire sound system but it would be nice to be able to tweak the OEM setup in the meantime.

Well that was a bust
The service advisor looked at me with glazed eyes
not sure if he didn't know what I meant or if he just didn't want to deal with it

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[EdP]

Well that was a bust
The service advisor looked at me with glazed eyes
not sure if he didn't know what I meant or if he just didn't want to deal with it

He probably thought you were talking about Hertz, the car rental place.

 

[mgg]

@supersasan
Please let us know what the dealer determines if anything.

 

[Jerryss]

I just posted about the same thing on another thread - I didn't se this one - I have the EXACT SAME ISSUE

Lexicon sound system to me sounds..blown out or "tinny"? Problem?

I may go and listen to another one and see if it does the same thing too -

 

[nrp]

Hi there guys. The problem is that this system is really bad. I came from the great Audi System from B&O and this Lexicon is a joke. It makes me want to sell the car.

 

[nrp]

The image I attached above is to flatten the curve, using frequency generators and mics to capture the return. The worst system I ever setup and with too much emphasis on the mid range. Bass is non existent and highs are there but have bad quality.
.

 

[Rrsoto2]

I'm glad you guys confirmed I'm not crazy. I had a 2016 genesis with the same Lexicon and it didn't have this issue. I bought a 2018 g80 sport and noticed this annoyance, the dealer looked at me like I was crazy. Even if you turn the treble all the way down, it's still there! I hope someone has success in getting it fixed and shares the result.

 

[Comp625]

Hi all, looking to buy an '18 Ultimate Trim but reading about Genesis' high-pitched sibilance issue is concerning. Sadly, it seems to be '18 MY and up that has this issue.

Has anyone tried swapping out the speakers? If so, any recommendations?

 

[Comp625]

Does anyone know which speakers this vocal sibilance is most pronounced? Wondering if it can be lessened or eliminated by using aftermarket speakers.

Crutchfield is a popular Car AV retailer. It seems Crutchfield's "Outfit My Car" tool has aftermarket speakers for the Upper Front Door, Lower Front Door and Lower Rear Door. I don't own a G80 (looking to buy one) so I don't know if there are any other speakers that may be non-replaceable beyond what's shown in these 3 door locations.

 

[Rrsoto2]

It comes from the dash speakers, but I feel like the root of the problem is the Lexicon sound processor (if there is one) or the head unit. Since the 16 model used the same amplifier, I'm assuming same speakers, the only thing that changed was the addition of Lexicons fancy sound processing which is either an external unit or built into the head unit.

 

[Comp625]

It comes from the dash speakers, but I feel like the root of the problem is the Lexicon sound processor (if there is one) or the head unit. Since the 16 model used the same amplifier, I'm assuming same speakers, the only thing that changed was the addition of Lexicons fancy sound processing which is either an external unit or built into the head unit.

Is it possible to simply remove the dash speakers? lol. Or is there a way to get in touch with Genesis and ask for a software adjustment?

Check this thread about general sibilance from DIYMobileAudio.com

1. An equalizer is needed. Sibilance comes from somewhere in the 5khz-12khz audio bands, which needs to be toned down.

2. Some suggested putting foam under the grill of the dash speakers to help reduce it.

3. Reflections may be playing a role (though you'd think it'd plague the '15, '16, and '17s). Some suggested putting a beach towel across the dash to test this.

4. Bigger tweeters are needed, but again, not the best fix since this is really an EQ or DSP issue.