Lexicon Equalizer Settings

[arklax22]

Does anyone have any equalizer setting recommendations for the 4.6? I don't really know where to begin. Also, does everyone use the "surround sound" function when they listen to radio/xm, etc.?

Thanks!

 

[homeofstone]

I use surround sound with usb drive mp3s and its sounds great but don't hear much difference with xm radio.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

I keep surround engaged for all sources, not that it does much for the greatly compressed XM and radio. For a DVD though (A or V) surround kicks the 5.1 audio to 7.1. CD's are hit or miss depending on quality of source.
As for settings, I keep it faded 2 "clicks" to the rears for an aggressive DVD-A, perhaps 3 clicks if needed.
Search for the thread called Music For the Lexicon for more discussion and some excellent choices of music to enjoy your concert hall on wheels.

 

[mikec]

MY settings pretty much mirror the above replies:
* Fader set 1 to 3 clicks to the rear from neutral/center, usually 2 clicks. I vary it depending on the basic volume level; at higher volumes I use less rear bias.

* Balance is always centered.

* Treble is set fairly high - typically 7 or 8 clicks to the right of neutral/center. I like higher frequency stuff, not thumpa-thumpa bass.

* Midrange and bass are generally 2 clicks to the right of neutral/center.

Surround is checked ON for all sources. I've never disabled this - I can hear a difference with it unchecked for any/all sources. With surround unchecked, the sound quality & dynamic range seems poorer to me - like cheap speakers.

For AM & FM I have the HD option checked . The only time HD is not checked is when I'm leaving town; having the HD pop in-and-out as the radio signal fades is really annoying.

mike c.

 

[robcar]

What is the benefit of setting the fader two clicks back? If it sounds better this way, why is it not the default setting?

Also, everyone seems to prefer the surround sound. Why isn't surround sound the default setting?

Finally, why isn't the HD option the default setting?

Shouldn't the default settings be what most people prefer?

 

[DanTheMan]

What is the benefit of setting the fader two clicks back? If it sounds better this way, why is it not the default setting?

Also, everyone seems to prefer the surround sound. Why isn't surround sound the default setting?

Finally, why isn't the HD option the default setting?

Shouldn't the default settings be what most people prefer?

Setting the fader 2 clicks back will give a little more bottom-end to the overall sound. You have the advantage of picking up the benefit of the baffle space afforded by the trunk (below the rear deck speakers). In theory, (assuming a home or concert sound system), the bass cabinet should be as deep as the length of the longest wavelength attempting to be reproduced--a feat not always possible in a car. You're able to 'cheat' somewhat by moving the bass "center" slightly towards the rear. Watch out when you have passengers in the back--they might not enjoy it as much as you do!

Most prefer the surround sound, but isn't as appropriate in certain (lame audio source) circumstances!

The default settings supposedly are what people prefer--or could be what seems natural for a baseline for the electronic parts involved. Keep in mind this system was approved by people other than yourself and myself (and many others in the US that probably prefer a little more aggressive sound in our sound systems). Apparently either someone at Lexicon (Harmon-Kardon, if I remember correctly) or at Hyundai that ultimately signed off on the project thought otherwise.

One final thought--I have an '09 3.8 Premium Plus--the stereo is somewhat different from yours. One area that MAY be different could be that if you utilize the EQ settings on the radio, you end up bypassing the pre-set EQ settings. I really don't like the fact that there are only 3 bands to the EQ. It would have been a lot better (and somewhat more expensive, I'm sure) if it was more diverse, like say, 15 or more bands (bands, meaning independent frequency centers that could be individually controlled either plus-or-minus 3 db, for example). There is what I would call a 'glitch' in the system that causes our systems to have to be manually 'tweaked' at the low end each time I get in the car and adjust the volume level. (You can read about that elsewhere on this site). I have a pro-audio background where I used 31-band graphic EQs for concert hall systems, from 20 Hz.-20 kHz. Had as much as +/- 6 dB gain or cut at each frequency. What fun when 'drawing' the musical picture on a live show!

Dan :>)

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

Sweet post, Dan!
Thanks!

 

[blasterguam]

I keep mine about the same. As long as there are no rear passengers about two clicks back on the rear fade give it better surround...IMHO, anyway. With rear passengers they sometimes complain it is too loud, so I center it again. Two clicks up on the treble seems to bring out the sound a little better (highs are lost before bass). I usually leave the bass at default, sometimes one click up. I don't care for the thump-thump either.

With rear passengers the defaults are darn close, but I don't feel I get optimum surround from the rear speakers without cranking them a tad.

 

[plubalin]

What is the benefit of setting the fader two clicks back? If it sounds better this way, why is it not the default setting?

Also, everyone seems to prefer the surround sound. Why isn't surround sound the default setting?

Finally, why isn't the HD option the default setting?

Shouldn't the default settings be what most people prefer?

Since I'm not an audiophile, I'll answer your first question in layman's terms based on my experience. When the fader is in the middle, all you hear are the front speakers. They drown out the rear speakers. By setting the fader several clicks to the rear, you get a balanced sound. The system then seems to fill the car with sound to the point where you can't really tell which speakers the sound is coming from. I've found that with surround sound DVD's two or three clicks to the rear is adequate. With stereo CDs, it may take 4 clicks to the rear to get the surround sound effect.

Regarding your other questions, I've found that once you check surround sound and hd, they, in effect, become the default settings. You don't have to reset them every time.

 

[krunchy]

Since I'm not an audiophile, I'll answer your first question in layman's terms based on my experience. When the fader is in the middle, all you hear are the front speakers. They drown out the rear speakers. By setting the fader several clicks to the rear, you get a balanced sound. The system then seems to fill the car with sound to the point where you can't really tell which speakers the sound is coming from. I've found that with surround sound DVD's two or three clicks to the rear is adequate. With stereo CDs, it may take 4 clicks to the rear to get the surround sound effect.

Regarding your other questions, I've found that once you check surround sound and hd, they, in effect, become the default settings. You don't have to reset them every time.

As a sound professional (I design AV systems for a living) I find the factory settings to be very good. Someone at Harmon has done a decent job of tuning this car. I find that it only falls down at very loud levels when the sub-woofer amp can't keep up (Compression is applied to the sub-woofer amplifier at loud levels. This prevents the speakers from blowing but it sounds bad) and this is to be expected with a 8" sub with only 160W of power.

Centering the controls does put the sound to the front where it is supposed to be. A decent stereo (like the Lexicon) allows you to pick out the position of instruments on a sound stage just like you were at a real concert. If you dial the sound to the rear, you completely lose the stereo imaging! In strict audio terms this is bad. You are SUPPOSED to hear where the sound is coming from and in most cases this is in front of you.

If you play a DVD or DVDA disc with 5.1 or 7.1 audio then you can hear true surround sound with different audio tracks from all channels. The factory settings are also best for this audio format as you then get a good balance of the front and rear tracks with the sound stage moved forward (again like it's supposed to be).

I find the surround setting to be very interesting. I don't like it for stereo sources but it can really enhance the surround sound imaging on most 5.1 or 7.1 sources.

Someone also mentioned that moving the fader controls to the rear adds more bass which is true which is why I added a sub-woofer! (yes I know there is a factory sub but it's only 8") Now I get more bass and still have the sound stage in front of me as I drive!

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[tjc78]

Centering the controls does put the sound to the front where it is supposed to be. A decent stereo (like the Lexicon) allows you to pick out the position of instruments on a sound stage just like you were at a real concert. If you dial the sound to the rear, you completely lose the stereo imaging! In strict audio terms this is bad. You are SUPPOSED to hear where the sound is coming from and in most cases this is in front of you.

I completely agree. In a car stereo system you should not be able to "localize" the rear speakers. They are there for "fill" only. When I did my own car audio installs I always paid much more attention and used more power for my front speakers. The sub should also be independent of the rear "fill" speakers so that bass response isn't reduced.

 

[morpheus2969]

I apologize that the following is unrelated to the tonal settings of the Lexicon unit but, has anyone noticed a high pitch sound emitting from the speakers when using the iPod integration?

 

[Ruissimo]

I have found that +2 right to the back, +5 treble and +2 bass works best for me.

Surround was unchecked today when I got in the car though I was hoping I didn't have that issue in my car. Yesterday, it remained on. I'm curious if it's source-specific or DVD-A specific or what...

Oh well, hopefully it's something that can be easily fixed, and if not, takes me all of 5 seconds to change the settings. A little annoying, but at least it's easy.

 

[DeeVa]

I have found that +2 right to the back, +5 treble and +2 bass works best for me.

Surround was unchecked today when I got in the car though I was hoping I didn't have that issue in my car. Yesterday, it remained on. I'm curious if it's source-specific or DVD-A specific or what...

Oh well, hopefully it's something that can be easily fixed, and if not, takes me all of 5 seconds to change the settings. A little annoying, but at least it's easy.

If you only listen to DVD/CDs, then it will only crop up when you swap disks in and out of the system (technically you are changing between sources - DVD to radio). If you change sources, then it will happen all the time.

 

[elshagon]

I set mine 2-3 clicks to the rear and listen mainly to dvd-audio surrounds discs. I disable the "surround" setting for most of my dvd-audio discs as I find it can move the rear speakers more to the side and doesn't sound as the disc is intended. I disagree with the other poster about the sound stage needing to be up front where it's supposed to be on dvd-audio that's been mixed in surround. The surround stage should be wherever the artist or engineer who mixed it decides it should be, and the listener can then make adjustments to their liking. I have a Flaming Lips surround dvd-audio which has the main vocals start off in the rear left channel only and then moves to the rear right and finally up front. I prefer to have it set up so it sounds best for me which is I can hear the rear speakers when there's surround info that's intended to be heard.
As for stereo sources, radio, mp3, xm I enable the surround setting as I find it enhances the audio and sounds better. XM sounds especially bad, bitrate is just too low I guess.