Base Stereo?

[Mark_888]

I remember reading somewhere that the base system is quite good. In my Vovlo, I have the base ("High Performance") system and I think it is very impressive. With technology today, there really is no real reason for base systems to not be very good. Hyundai has, for a very long time, used good quality components in many of their vehicle's audio systems. I would imagine that the base Genesis system is very good.

As I mentioned earlier, the base system is by Lexicon without the Lexicon name. That is quite clear when one reads the owners manual, looks at the receiver, and reads about all the audio controls on the three different systems. There are 7 speakers, which are basically the same drivers as the other systems, just fewer of them, and no 5.1 or 7.1 surround processing on the base system (just stereo with front-to back fade). It is a very good 2-channel stereo system.

 

[VivienM]

As I mentioned earlier, the base system is by Lexicon without the Lexicon name. That is quite clear when one reads the owners manual, looks at the receiver, and reads about all the audio controls on the three different systems.

(Note: I'm talking the 2009s here. 2010s add an extra configuration.)

So the head unit on the 14 speaker and the 7 speaker system is the same? (the one on the 17 speaker with the fiber bus and the DIS system should no doubt be different)

Looking at the Genesis service manual, I'm not even convinced of that. The base head unit looks to have no changer, while the 14 speaker's has a 6 CD changer, so they're different units.

Even assuming both are made by the same manufacturer (surely Hyundai could have had a different company supply head units that produce the same output screens and take the same input from the keypad thingy?), is there any reason to think that the head unit is made by Harman or one of its divisions (such as Lexicon)? It's quite common, AFAIK, for head units to be made by one supplier, and speakers/amps/etc to be made by another.

 

[Mark_888]

(Note: I'm talking the 2009s here. 2010s add an extra configuration.)

So the head unit on the 14 speaker and the 7 speaker system is the same? (the one on the 17 speaker with the fiber bus and the DIS system should no doubt be different)

Looking at the Genesis service manual, I'm not even convinced of that. The base head unit looks to have no changer, while the 14 speaker's has a 6 CD changer, so they're different units.

Even assuming both are made by the same manufacturer (surely Hyundai could have had a different company supply head units that produce the same output screens and take the same input from the keypad thingy?), is there any reason to think that the head unit is made by Harman or one of its divisions (such as Lexicon)? It's quite common, AFAIK, for head units to be made by one supplier, and speakers/amps/etc to be made by another.

I did not say that the head units (receivers) were the same. I said all 3 were obviously made by the same company. One has 7.1 surround processing with DVD audio/video, and one has 5.1 sourround processing, and the base has stereo only. The Genesis is a low volume car, and the base Genesis is very low volume (probably 15% or less of the Genesis sedan sales from what I can tell) and the idea that they would get a different vendor for the base head units that function exactly like the Lexicon units (in non-surround sound funcitons) is extremely unlikely to the point of being absurd. I wanted a base Genesis because I needed the extra headroom afforded without the sunroof. I could have easily afforded one of the other packages since I paid cash for the car (the finance guy was a little freaked out and kept asking me all kinds of personal questions about where I got the money--I don't think too many people pay cash for a Hyundai).

At first I was concerned about the quality of the audio system on the base Genesis (I have previously spent a lot of money on aftermarket systems in my car and my home stereo, so I appreciate good sound), but after doing research and testing I found out it is all made by Harmon/Lexicon, and it sounds pretty good IMO. But compared to many people, I look more for low distortion and accuracy in sound, rather than exaggerated sound effects.

However, if I could have gotten the 14 or 17 speaker system on a Genesis without a sunroof, I would have paid at least $2K extra for that (at least when I first bought the car that was my thinking). Now I am not quite so sure, partly because the audio warranty is only 3 years, and a lot of problems have been reported with the 14 and 17 speaker audio systems, and I plan to keep my car longer than 3 years. Repairing the audio system out of warranty would be be expensive, and very expensive the 14 or 17 speaker units. The base system seems less prone to problems that have effected the other systems.

I listen to the audio in my Genesis using an iPod about 95% of the time. All my music is recorded at 256K bps or above that I converted over from CD's. Most downloaded music is recorded at half that rate or less. During the free trial period, I tried XM radio, and quality of the sound sounded like crap.

 

[ttsig]

Mark, do you find that the middle range response is OK? I find that to be a weak spot in the base stereo. While overall the audio is crisp and clear, it seems to have almost a "hollow" sound and no amount of tweaking seems to make it sound right to me. Admittedly this is mostly with XM and FM audio sources, I've listened to only minimal CD or MP3 player content. That being said, my daughter has a 2008 Elantra with a stock system and built XM radio and I swear it sounds better with XM content. Maybe the clarity of the Genesis system exposes all the flaws in the underlying content.

 

[Mark_888]

Mark, do you find that the middle range response is OK? I find that to be a weak spot in the base stereo. While overall the audio is crisp and clear, it seems to have almost a "hollow" sound and no amount of tweaking seems to make it sound right to me. Admittedly this is mostly with XM and FM audio sources, I've listened to only minimal CD or MP3 player content. That being said, my daughter has a 2008 Elantra with a stock system and built XM radio and I swear it sounds better with XM content. Maybe the clarity of the Genesis system exposes all the flaws in the underlying content.

The clarity of a good audio system definitely exposes flaws in any marginal content. I found XM to be unlistenable, and FM marginal (depending on station). Did you try and adjust the "mid" tone controls? If turning up the mid tone controls doesn't work, then try turning down the high a bit and turning up the volume. I have all the tone controls (low, mid, high) set flat, and the equalization (Jazz, Pop, etc) turned OFF.

If you want to judge the quality of an audio system, you have to use high quality source material. I would get a highly-regarded (in terms of audio quality) CD to do any testing. MP3's should be at least 256K bps. All of my iPod music is high quality recordings (or else I would not have bought the CD's in the first place), except for some older pre-digital stuff like the Beatles, which definitely does not sound too good on a high quality audio system (in my home or in the car).

 

[ImInPA]

Mark, do you find that the middle range response is OK? I find that to be a weak spot in the base stereo. While overall the audio is crisp and clear, it seems to have almost a "hollow" sound and no amount of tweaking seems to make it sound right to me. Admittedly this is mostly with XM and FM audio sources, I've listened to only minimal CD or MP3 player content. That being said, my daughter has a 2008 Elantra with a stock system and built XM radio and I swear it sounds better with XM content. Maybe the clarity of the Genesis system exposes all the flaws in the underlying content.

I have found marked differences in XM/Sirius receivers. The unit in the Genesis is one of the worst SAT receivers I have heard. I have no idea why this is when everything else in the system seems very good. Still, the source bit rate of SAT radio is not the greatest, but can sound good depending on the hardware. I really enjoy HD radio and find the Genesis does a very nice job with this. My Volvo does very well with SAT radio, good enough that I have renewed my subscription (Sirius). I was not impressed with Audi's XM performance either. In all reality, there is just no reason to have bad sound in any vehicle today.

 

[VivienM]

I did not say that the head units (receivers) were the same. I said all 3 were obviously made by the same company.

And you were suggesting they were made by Lexicon... hence my question, do they (or any other divisions of Harman) make head units?

It seems to me perfectly possible that they have three head units (all made by one supplier) matched with three audio systems (two having Lexicon speakers + amp, one having whatever speakers) from up to two other suppliers.

IOW, I don't see how you conclude from that because all head units may have been made by the same supplier, the base audio system must be made by Lexicon too...

 

[ttsig]

The clarity of a good audio system definitely exposes flaws in any marginal content. I found XM to be unlistenable, and FM marginal (depending on station). Did you try and adjust the "mid" tone controls? If turning up the mid tone controls doesn't work, then try turning down the high a bit and turning up the volume. I have all the tone controls (low, mid, high) set flat, and the equalization (Jazz, Pop, etc) turned OFF.

Yes I've played the mid controls, as well as the equalization settings. Actually, some of EQL settings make a noticeable improvement in the sound, but the minute you attempt to fine tune the tone manually, it appears to actually disable the equalizer. This is one of my biggest frustrations. For example, if you select an EQL setting and it sets the tone controls for -1 Bass, +4 mid-range, and -1 Treble and you then attempt to adjust this to +5 mid-range, the audio actually gets quieter and changes drastically as the system disables the EQL settings, although it will still show this as being set in the interface.

If you want to judge the quality of an audio system, you have to use high quality source material. I would get a highly-regarded (in terms of audio quality) CD to do any testing. MP3's should be at least 256K bps. All of my iPod music is high quality recordings (or else I would not have bought the CD's in the first place), except for some older pre-digital stuff like the Beatles, which definitely does not sound too good on a high quality audio system (in my home or in the car).

I understand that high quality source would be required to truly judge the differences in the audio portion of the unit, but when there are some systems that have XM material that sounds fine, and other systems (like the Genesis) where it sounds poor, it's hard to believe that some of the problem might not be a poor XM implementation rather than poor audio.

I have a add-on XM receiver that we use in my wife's minivan. Even it seems to sound better than the XM in my Genesis. Actually, I should probably install it in my Genesis in a temporary fashion and see if it sounds better piped via the auxiliary input than the intergrated XM sounds. It would be interesting.

 

[Mark_888]

I understand that high quality source would be required to truly judge the differences in the audio portion of the unit, but when there are some systems that have XM material that sounds fine, and other systems (like the Genesis) where it sounds poor, it's hard to believe that some of the problem might not be a poor XM implementation rather than poor audio.

I have a add-on XM receiver that we use in my wife's minivan. Even it seems to sound better than the XM in my Genesis. Actually, I should probably install it in my Genesis in a temporary fashion and see if it sounds better piped via the auxiliary input than the intergrated XM sounds. It would be interesting.

That could be the case. Maybe there is something wrong with Genesis XM implementation, or maybe just on the base unit. I could not believe how bad it sounded. But since I have an iPod with a lot of music on it, I don't really care, unless of course XM happened to be free.

 

[Mark_888]

And you were suggesting they were made by Lexicon... hence my question, do they (or any other divisions of Harman) make head units?

It seems to me perfectly possible that they have three head units (all made by one supplier) matched with three audio systems (two having Lexicon speakers + amp, one having whatever speakers) from up to two other suppliers.

IOW, I don't see how you conclude from that because all head units may have been made by the same supplier, the base audio system must be made by Lexicon too...

Harmon supplies auto-sound systems for Rolls, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Subaru, in addition to the Genesis. Probably others that are not branded. They use various brand names on the OEM systems such as Harman/Kardon, JBL, Mark Levinson, Lexicon, etc. Harmon sells after-market head units under the Becker brand. Note that JBL does not make any head units (only speakers and amps), but they are called "JBL audio systems" in the Toyota Avalon. Actually, I don't think JBL actually ever actually made their own amps, since they were originally a speaker company.

It seems to me perfectly possible that they have three head units (all made by one supplier) matched with three audio systems (two having Lexicon speakers + amp, one having whatever speakers) from up to two other suppliers.

IOW, I don't see how you conclude from that because all head units may have been made by the same supplier, the base audio system must be made by Lexicon too...

Basically a car audio system consists of:

1. Head unit (or receiver). This is basically pre-amp + radio and sometimes amp (but not here).
2. CD and/or DVD player - In this case they have physically integrated the CD or DVD player into the head unit or at the least the faceplate of the head unit, and the CD/DVD controls are integrated with the head unit and audio control display.
3. Amplifier(s) located in the trunk on the Genesis
4. Speakers

For the Lexicon branded systems they also have 5.1 or 7.1 surround processors, which could be built-in the head units or could be separate components.

So I am a little confused as to what you are talking about.

Lexicon is owned by Harman, and I don't think there is a clear distinction between the various Harman audio divisions now that they are owned by one company (I mean distinction within the company, as opposed to marketing labels). I suspect that the Lexicon auto sound systems are a collaboration of various Harmon divisions that already make auto-sound components such as car amplifiers and car speakers, just like the JBL and Mark Levinson systems mentioned above found in other cars. The speaker drivers are probably made by Infinity or JBL (both of which makes pretty good speakers), but of course, a lot of stuff is actually manufactured in China these days, to the specifications of the company that sells them.

In fact, I would venture an educated guess that now that speaker makers Infinity and JBL are owned by Harman, they have consolidated engineering and manufacturing operations but still use both brand names when appropriate. The whole rationale for Harmon buying all these audio companies is to consolidate operations, eliminate duplication of effort, and leverage economy of scale.

I would not be surprised if the amps on the 5.1 and 7.1 systems are better quality (in addition to more channels) than the base stereo unit, but it is hard tell the difference between one amp and another amp, especially in a car. The amps on the base units sound very clean to me.

What Lexicon brings to the table is the 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound processors that they specialize in for home theater systems, so yes this part of the system is from Lexicon and not in the Genesis base model since the base model audio is stereo only. But since most source material is stereo (all of mine is), then I don't have a big problem with that. I am not trying to say the audio system in the base model is as good as the 14 or 17 speakers systems, just it is still pretty good IMO.

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[dataguy]

If you're comparison testing on XM, be sure to listen on Channel 77, which is one of the highest bandwidth channels and transmitted in surround.

 

[VivienM]

So I am a little confused as to what you are talking about.

For example:
- my friend has a Saab 9-5, the OE head unit was made by Kenwood, but he has Harman Kardon speakers/amp
- GM uses AC Delco/Delphi head units, yet they sometimes have them paired with Bose, Harman Kardon, Monsoon, etc. On at least some GM cars, the 'premium' head unit is actually the same as the base head unit except it has a 'Bose' or 'Monsoon' badge.

What about something like the Audi MMI system with Bang & Olufsen sound? I don't think B&O designed the MMI system, which is also available with Bose and an 'unbranded' base system in different models.

My point is that you have somehow assumed that all of the components you've listed must come from the same supplier.

Therefore, you've concluded that since the head units in the 14/17 speaker systems are very similar to the one in the base system, it follows that the speakers in the base system must come from Lexicon (or some other Harman division, at least).

Given there seem to be tons of examples around of manufacturers buying head units from supplier #1 and speakers from suppliers #2 and #3, I just do not see any basis for that conclusion.

 

[Mark_888]

For example:
- my friend has a Saab 9-5, the OE head unit was made by Kenwood, but he has Harman Kardon speakers/amp
- GM uses AC Delco/Delphi head units, yet they sometimes have them paired with Bose, Harman Kardon, Monsoon, etc. On at least some GM cars, the 'premium' head unit is actually the same as the base head unit except it has a 'Bose' or 'Monsoon' badge.

What about something like the Audi MMI system with Bang & Olufsen sound? I don't think B&O designed the MMI system, which is also available with Bose and an 'unbranded' base system in different models.

I still don't understand what any of the above means, but I don't think it matters. My comments were made about the Hyundai Genesis and I don't know anything about the above audio systems.

My point is that you have somehow assumed that all of the components you've listed must come from the same supplier.

Therefore, you've concluded that since the head units in the 14/17 speaker systems are very similar to the one in the base system, it follows that the speakers in the base system must come from Lexicon (or some other Harman division, at least).

Given there seem to be tons of examples around of manufacturers buying head units from supplier #1 and speakers from suppliers #2 and #3, I just do not see any basis for that conclusion.

Here is what I think. Hyundai tells Harman INternational that they want 3 audio systems for the same car, base, premium, and tech package. It is decided that the base system is regular stereo, the premium is 5.1 surround sound, and the tech package is 7.1 with DVD and works through the DIS system that also provides GPS. Harman has a large number of brands from inexpensive to very expensive components so that they can design and build all three for the Hyundai Genesis. The top two systems will be labeled as Lexicon since they incorporate surround sound processing, which is Lexicon's specialty. It just makes no sense that for a very low volume car like the Genesis base model, that Hyundai would bother trying to deal with multiple vendors if Harman can do all three.

Second, it not just that the faceplates look the same, it is that controls on the base system and the 5.1 are identical in most respects (the 17 speaker system uses the DIS controls).

But I guess that common sense is not enough, so I found the specs at the HMA Service website. From looking at the specs, certain things are true:

1. All of the "audio unit" electrical properties of the base (RADIO/CDP/MP3) and premium system (RADIO/6CDC/MP3) are the same, including the rated output of Max 3.2Vrms and load impedance of 10KΩX 4. I can't tell from the spec whether the RADIO/6CDC/MP3 includes both the 14 and 17 speaker systems.

2. On 4 of the 7 speakers on the base Genesis (the speakers on all 4 doors) they have identical specs as both the premium (14 speaker) and DIS (17 speaker) systems. Rated input 25W, 50W max, Impedance of 2 ± 0.3 ohms. I find that an amazing coincidence.

 

[VivienM]

I still don't understand what any of the above means, but I don't think it matters. My comments were made about the Hyundai Genesis and I don't know anything about the above audio systems.

The point is that you're assuming the "audio system" is ONE PIECE.

I'm telling you that MANY, if not MOST automakers view it as two pieces. You have the head unit (and any separate screens/keypads) in the dash, supplied by one supplier, and the speaker system (the amp, subwoofer(s), speakers, etc), supplied by a second supplier.

You want a good example where you can't deny the obvious? Look at the Audi A8. Base system is Bose. Uplevel system ($6000 Canadian... so probably $500 in the US ) is Bang & Olufsen. Everything other than the speakers/subs/amps is, AFAIK, the same, and is Audi's fancy MMI system. Audi just got Bose and B&O to both design systems that can plug into the MMI system.

Here is what I think. Hyundai tells Harman INternational that they want 3 audio systems for the same car, base, premium, and tech package. It is decided that the base system is regular stereo, the premium is 5.1 surround sound, and the tech package is 7.1 with DVD and works through the DIS system that also provides GPS. Harman has a large number of brands from inexpensive to very expensive components so that they can design and build all three for the Hyundai Genesis. The top two systems will be labeled as Lexicon since they incorporate surround sound processing, which is Lexicon's specialty. It just makes no sense that for a very low volume car like the Genesis base model, that Hyundai would bother trying to deal with multiple vendors if Harman can do all three.

Hmm... Hyundai always seem to deal with Harman for their premium audio, though. They have Infinity systems on Sonatas and the Genesis coupes. Azeras have Infinity too, no? Does that mean the base systems are Harman?

But that doesn't address the whole head unit issue. Again, why are you refusing to engage my central objection to your logic, which is this: automakers usually purchase head units from a different supplier than the speaker/sub/amp combination. I think this is particular true for the "uplevel" audio options, which usually come with a head unit from the same supplier as the base sound system's head unit, and a brand name audio system from somebody else.
Yet your ENTIRE reasoning rests on the assumption that a similar head unit means that both sets of speakers attached to the similar head units must come from the same supplier.

Second, it not just that the faceplates look the same, it is that controls on the base system and the 5.1 are identical in most respects (the 17 speaker system uses the DIS controls).

Again, you are talking about HEAD UNITS.

It makes tons of sense for the two non-DIS head units, at least, to have been built by the same supplier and hence share the same controls, internal logic, etc. As for the navigation one in the 2010 or the DIS one, who knows?

But why do you refuse to see that Hyundai could have gone to their 'usual' head unit supplier or to somebody else, asked them to design three head units for the Genesis, and then gone to Harman, asked them to design two or three audio systems, including a high-end 7.1. Surely the head unit company's engineers can then sit down with the Harman folks and work out how their head unit will integrate with Harman's fancy processing. (For the base configuration, it's probably a standard analog signal, not the fancy fiber stuff in the DIS car)

This, I might add, is how other companies do it! Go look at a GM with a Delphi head unit and optional Monsoon or Bose. Head unit looks and feels the same whether you get the Monsoon/Bose setup or not, yet I'm pretty damn sure that the base setup on those cars is just some generic cheap speakers right out of the Delphi parts bin.

But I guess that common sense is not enough

It's not "common sense" when the starting premise of your argument is something that does not reflect industry practice.

so I found the specs at the HMA Service website. From looking at the specs, certain things are true:

1. All of the "audio unit" electrical properties of the base (RADIO/CDP/MP3) and premium system (RADIO/6CDC/MP3) are the same, including the rated output of Max 3.2Vrms and load impedance of 10KΩX 4. I can't tell from the spec whether the RADIO/6CDC/MP3 includes both the 14 and 17 speaker systems.

The 17 speaker system is in a separate "DIS" category of the service manual. Radio/6CDC/MP3 is the 14 speaker system.

2. On 4 of the 7 speakers on the base Genesis (the speakers on all 4 doors) they have identical specs as both the premium (14 speaker) and DIS (17 speaker) systems. Rated input 25W, 50W max, Impedance of 2 ± 0.3 ohms. I find that an amazing coincidence.

I noticed that too, but I'm not an electrical or audio engineer, so honestly, I can't say whether it is a coincidence or not.

It makes lots of sense for the speakers in the doors to be the same Harman-supplied ones on all three variants. But not because the head units behave the same!

So I tried doing a little serious research. I went to http://www.newhyundaiparts.com/ and tried to figure out which cars used which parts. http://hyundai.lexicon.com/system.aspx is helpful too.

My conclusion (but that's obvious) is that the 14 and 17 speakers are the same, except a different front center speaker (which I assume also includes the additional front center tweeter on the hyundai.lexicon.com web site), two extra door speakers (these part descriptions say rear, hyundai.lexicon.com says front).

For the 7 speaker system, I think the tweeters are the same, while the door speakers may or may not be the same.

You have the 7 speaker system, no? Can you confirm if your car has any speakers under the parcel shelf? It LOOKS to me as though you should have four door speakers (one per door), two tweeters on the front doors, and a subwoofer.

Honestly, though, I am getting horribly mixed up in terminology, so I could be wrong.
See, the parts catalog has:
- front door speaker (one for the 14 and 17, one for the 7)
- rear door speaker (one for the 17, one for the 14 and 17, one for the 7) (this has to be wrong because the 17 has an extra front speaker)
- woofer (one for the 17, one for the 14, one for the 7) (I think they mean "subwoofer", since the description underneath says SPEAKER ASSY-SUB WOO)
- front door left, front door right, rear door left, rear door right tweeters (doesn't say what system they're for)
- package tray speaker (doesn't say what system it's for)
- instrument panel speaker (one for the 14, one for the 17)

The HMA service info has:
- front door door speaker (all)
- front door tweeter speaker (all, different specs on the 14/17)
- front door middle speaker (17)
- rear door speaker (all)
- rear tweeter speaker (14/17)
- center speaker (14/17)
- subwoofer speaker (all, specs are different on the 14/17)
- surround speaker (14/17)
- center tweeter speaker (17)

So, my problem is, I don't know what each thing matches up to. Certainly it seems WEIRD to me that the front tweeters have different specs on the 14/17, but the PART would be the same?!? and conversely, the door speakers have the same specs, but are different parts - could it be because the cover (which I think is included with the speaker part) doesn't say "lexicon", but the speaker is the same?

Can somebody who understands car audio terminology better try and repeat this research?

I'm inclined to conclude, honestly, at this point that you're more or less right about the speakers. Different subwoofer. Quite possibly, all of the other 6 speakers are the same. Certainly the tweeters would be. The matching specs on the door speakers suggest they are, too.

So good for Hyundai. Better than using some cheaper speakers for the base car. And given how few 7 speaker cars (base models US cars, non-tech 2009 Canadian cars) must be sold compared to the other two systems, it makes sense for them to just reuse a subset of the same parts instead...

(BTW, the navigation head unit is listed as $4600. And $3200 for the 17 speaker amp... but only $385 for the 14 speaker amp. Wow.)

 

[Mark_888]

The point is that you're assuming the "audio system" is ONE PIECE.

I'm telling you that MANY, if not MOST automakers view it as two pieces. You have the head unit (and any separate screens/keypads) in the dash, supplied by one supplier, and the speaker system (the amp, subwoofer(s), speakers, etc), supplied by a second supplier.

I am not assuming they are one piece. In fact I described the pieces in a previous post:

1. Head unit (receiver) - This is pre-amp, tuner, and sometimes amp (on less expensive systems if there is no separate amp).
2. CD/DVD playback system - Single or changer.
3. Amp (if not built-into the head unit/receiver)
4. Speakers

I have put in several aftermarket systems made up of different brands in my previous cars that cost quite a bit of money, so I am familiar with how it works.

You want a good example where you can't deny the obvious? Look at the Audi A8. Base system is Bose. Uplevel system ($6000 Canadian... so probably $500 in the US ) is Bang & Olufsen. Everything other than the speakers/subs/amps is, AFAIK, the same, and is Audi's fancy MMI system. Audi just got Bose and B&O to both design systems that can plug into the MMI system.

I am not denying anything. I said I didn't know anything about those systems. However, for most OEM high-end systems the speakers are tightly integrated with the Head Units and the specific listening environment for that specific car (a very difficult listening environment). That's what makes them high-end systems.

Hmm... Hyundai always seem to deal with Harman for their premium audio, though. They have Infinity systems on Sonatas and the Genesis coupes. Azeras have Infinity too, no? Does that mean the base systems are Harman?

But that doesn't address the whole head unit issue. Again, why are you refusing to engage my central objection to your logic, which is this: automakers usually purchase head units from a different supplier than the speaker/sub/amp combination. I think this is particular true for the "up-level" audio options, which usually come with a head unit from the same supplier as the base sound system's head unit, and a brand name audio system from somebody else.
Yet your ENTIRE reasoning rests on the assumption that a similar head unit means that both sets of speakers attached to the similar head units must come from the same supplier.

No, my reasoning comes from the fact that Lexicon is not going to allow their name to be used on a system unless they control all aspects of the sound, including the speakers. They tweak the frequency response in the head unit for the specific speakers used and for the placement of the speakers in the car. They may be a system-integrator only, and get the pieces from different suppliers, but they control all parts of the final product. In the case of Lexicon (Harman International) there is no need to source products from other suppliers because they own a full complement of audio equipment companies that can provide all the pieces for the solution. That is not the case with Bose, etc, which does not make car audio electronics themselves. But as I mentioned in a previous post, a company can get just about anything from contract manufacturers in China, either off-the-shelf or custom manufactured to their specs.

I noticed that too [same specs on speakers], but I'm not an electrical or audio engineer, so honestly, I can't say whether it is a coincidence or not.

If it was merely 2 ohms, it "might be" a coincidence, but since it they all said input power 25 watts, max power 50 watts, and the impedance was stated as 2 ± 0.3 ohms, it is extremely unlikely that the speakers are different.

It makes lots of sense for the speakers in the doors to be the same Harman-supplied ones on all three variants. But not because the head units behave the same!

I never said the Head Units were the same, I said they all come from Lexicon. Maybe I should have said Harman International, but I think it is all the same anyway (just marketing labels).

You have the 7 speaker system, no? Can you confirm if your car has any speakers under the parcel shelf? It LOOKS to me as though you should have four door speakers (one per door), two tweeters on the front doors, and a subwoofer.

That is correct. The 4 speakers on the doors of the base model Genesis are the same as the 14 and 17 speaker systems, but the other 3 are slightly different.

So good for Hyundai. Better than using some cheaper speakers for the base car. And given how few 7 speaker cars (base models US cars, non-tech 2009 Canadian cars) must be sold compared to the other two systems, it makes sense for them to just reuse a subset of the same parts instead...

Yes, it makes sense for them to reuse the same parts given the small number of base model Genesis units made.

If you look at the price difference between the base Genesis (7 speaker system), and Premium model (with 14 speaker systems), you get all of the following for just $2K:

• leather-wrapped dash
• power sunroof with tilt and slide integrated memory system
• power tilt & telescopic steering column
• power rear sunshade
• rain-sensing wipers with auto defogger windshield
• Lexicon 14 speaker surround sound with 6-disc cd changer

Obviously, the cost difference for the audio system upgrade is only a portion of the $2K. They can afford to use decent audio components on the base Genesis.