Lexicon sound - disappointed

[ecommando]

Went to the local dealer to check out the Lexicon sound system with some friends. The sound from the radio/xm radio was underwhelming. We were all very disappointed.

My friend had a Bang Olufsen system with 12 Bose speakers in his car and it sounded so much better. There was a huge difference in clarity, bass, etc...

I thought Lexicon was supposed to be the best. Not sure what the deal is. The salesman was trying to change the settings, but still didn't sound that good.

 

[JOwest]

Not sure if THAT salesman know what he was doing. I have friends all own high end Audi, BMW, Lexus, etc. They all agreed my 17 speaker Lexicon system sound better than theirs.

 

[cliffbig]

I guess everyone has his own preference, but I've never heard a car with a more lifelike, full-bodied sound than the Genesis and its 17-speaker Lexicon system. I am amazed that it can extract such resonance and realism from any sound source--even a 128kb/s mp3.

Radio and XM aren't the best source, of course--XM's compression is wretched nowadays--but even with XM, the sound is worlds better than XM was on either my Acura RL or MDX (the former with Bose sound, the latter with ELS) or on the Toyota's upgraded system or the Mark Levinson Lexus system. Have never compared to the BO system, but since it's Bose designed, I wouldn't imagine it to be any better than what was in the Acura.

But we all have to find what sounds right for us...

 

[ecommando]

The thing was, we all agreed that the sound we heard from the Genesis was just average. The reason we went there was so that I can show them the Lexicon system, but we were all very disappointed. It didn't sound that much better than the base Genesis audio system I have in my car.

My other friend just got a high end B&O system, and we listened to that system right after the Lexicon and we were all blown away by the sound from the B&O. It only has 12 Bose speakers.

I guess everyone has his own preference, but I've never heard a car with a more lifelike, full-bodied sound than the Genesis and its 17-speaker Lexicon system. I am amazed that it can extract such resonance and realism from any sound source--even a 128kb/s mp3.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Is there any possibility there was something wrong with the stereo system in the vehicle you were testing?

 

[ecommando]

It's possible. I am planning to go back with one of my friends that came with me and my own CD to a different dealer and try it again.

Is there any possibility there was something wrong with the stereo system in the vehicle you were testing?

 

[GS300rich]

I am surprised to hear this. Most bose systems are uninspiring from my experience. I was quite impressed with the lexicon system but everyone experiences things differently. What car does your friend have?

 

[Sonata2009]

The best possible result is from a DVD with 5.1 or 7.1 sound encoded. The system is good enough to make the compression noticable in XM. It doesn't play games with the normal response curves, so it might not sound as "impressive" on some source material, but it doesn't get tiring either and is "natural" - Great sound on good source material.

 

[zedbyers]

The best possible result is from a DVD with 5.1 or 7.1 sound encoded. The system is good enough to make the compression noticable in XM. It doesn't play games with the normal response curves, so it might not sound as "impressive" on some source material, but it doesn't get tiring either and is "natural" - Great sound on good source material.

agreed. you need to make sure you are making a fair comparison here. find a dvd demo disk that has 5.1/7.1 material on it and put it in both vehicles.

too many other variables to make a fair comparison using XM.

B&O is what Audi is using these days.

 

[ecommando]

It was an Audi S8.

I am surprised to hear this. Most bose systems are uninspiring from my experience. I was quite impressed with the lexicon system but everyone experiences things differently. What car does your friend have?

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[santosonly]

I would imagine that though the sales person was trying to make the adjustments, you may have to make adjustmentsto your liking. Everyone who has ridden in my Genesis has commented how impressive the sound is, especially in surround sound. I have a concert DVD, (not even DVD Audio), that when played in 5.1 Dolby Digital (selected from the DVD), the sound is stunning. Though you can't view the video while driving, we listen to the audio content because of the superior sound. I can't wait to see how DVD Audio content performs. The sound is equally impressive from my Sony Bean, (I plug it into the USB port). The sound is very very rich. I have owned vehicles with good sound systems, (BMWs, Lexus, and a GMC with an excellent BOSE system), and I must say that the Lexicon is everything it is being reviewed to be and more.

I will agree that XM does not measure up to the other souces played from the system, but this leads me to believe that this may be more of an XM thing than a Lexicon thing.

 

[PINGGOLF]

Well, IMO, its all what you are personally looking for. The Lexicon is a dream to me these days as compared to my high school days. The sheer perfection of sound management is obtained by the Lexicon system. Clarity at high volumes is outstanding. The first day I had the car I put in Austin Powers-Goldmember. The surrond sound will take your breath away. I felt I was in a true movie theatre.

Now, if your looking for some heavy pounding bass and loud ear piercing tweeters...go somewhere else...or install it yourself as I did. Back in High School, I hade 2 15" JBL's pushed by 1500 watt pyramid amp. You could hear me a mile away...well...I have grown up now!

HA!

 

[Sonata2009]

Hey, PINGOLF,

The real question is if you can hear AT ALL now!

 

[PINGGOLF]

Hey, PINGOLF,

The real question is if you can hear AT ALL now!

Yes!

My dad told me that if I was going to have all that junk in the trunk that I had to wear earplugs...and so I did!

BUT....I have some really good friends that are wearing hearing aids now...and they are in their 20's!

 

[Simonwpb]

I would set the surround to "ON" and play music from a decent audio source. If you are not getting a rich sound with clarity and detail there is something wrong.

 

[racerx]

I listen to everything from Bass thumping deep house music, smooth jazz, classical, jazz classics, male & female vocalists to country and so far the sound had been spot on. I am however having a few modifications done to the system to bring more "clarity" to the sound. Wish I could tell you what is being done, but I don't understand the technoligy myself, only my 23 yr old nephew and his co-workers do. Will keep all interested posted though.

 

[santosonly]

racerx - I would be especially interested in knowing so please keep me posted.

 

[jonah]

racerx - I would be especially interested in knowing so please keep me posted.

i'd like to know also! make them tell you exactly what they did if you can.

being an audiophile can be a little silly sometimes but damn it's fun

 

[PriorityHyundaiVA]

The thing was, we all agreed that the sound we heard from the Genesis was just average. The reason we went there was so that I can show them the Lexicon system, but we were all very disappointed. It didn't sound that much better than the base Genesis audio system I have in my car.

My other friend just got a high end B&O system, and we listened to that system right after the Lexicon and we were all blown away by the sound from the B&O. It only has 12 Bose speakers.

the (17) speaker system in the tech packaged ones is sick and this is coming from a guy who has had more than 10 stereo upgrades or mods to his current and previous cars. i wouldnt do nuthin wit this car but add subs. u have to make sure its on hd when your playing stereo and each option ie. fm, am, xm, cd have to be individually set up as far as bass,treb,hd. etc is concerned but hd is only avail on stereo(fm). and make sure surround is on, sound like salesperson was clueless.

 

[musher51]

I experienced an interesting coincidence this morning. The song playing on XM was identical to the one currently loaded in the CD player, and it was a long one (an extended jam version of the Dead's Estimated Prophet), so I could go back and forth and make numerous direct comparisons.

The bottom line? Significantly diminished bass on XM compared with the CD. The high end and mid-range were also suppressed on XM, but the lack of bass really stood out. I even verified my treble/mid/bass settings for both modes(flat/centered in all cases), so that wasn't the cause.

I've been skeptical about the audio quality of the XM signal all along, and now I know for sure. I'm not likely to pick up a subscription when my year is up. But I sure don't understand why some listeners are finding the Lexicon system lacking overall...I'm very impressed by it, even compared with the expensive tube amps and speakers I listen to at home.