Lexicon sound - disappointed

[ppirf]

Plug your IPOD in, or put in a good qualty disc. You will be amazed. With the quietness of the car and the clear sound you will hear, you will be isolated from the outside world. XM radio does not do this system justice. You have to hear it to believe it.

 

[enjoyingsilence]

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.

Bose is Bose.

Bang & Olufsen is B&O

Bose makes their own speakers and such... And in the HiFi community have very little respect.

Bang & Olufsen, while still overpriced, and overglorified (in the ways of home audio) have a much higher reputation than Bose (Buy Other Sound Equipment).

I'm sorry, I felt compelled to correct you. If you have an Audi (which are currently the ONLY US marketed car to use B&O speakers from the factory, you WILL NOT have BOSE speakers, and a ICEPower / B&O Amplifier), assuming you have paid for the Bang & Olufsen upgrade (or your friend did) which a is $USD 6,300 upgrade on the Audi S8

 

[enjoyingsilence]

If we search by my username, we can see the articles I've put up on diminished quality of XM streams versus CD, as well as the problems with Nav Traffic in certain areas, that certain members tend to whine about. Some of these things, amongst others that the more senior members have written should be made sticky... Allowing un necessary information to flood the boards is a waste of time, when there are answers to the questions.

The fact of the matter as stated above, and below in the quote, is XM is a lower quality stream than that of CD. It is not 100% reproduced by the time it gets to your car.

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.

 

[dtreter]

There is a big difference between the 14 speaker vs the 17 speaker systems. I sat in two cars, one with the tech package and the other in the premium package. Hands down, the 17 speaker system was excellent! I was disappointed with the system with the premium package as it didn't sound much different than the one in my Buick. The sounds with the 17 speaker system were clear, crisp with decent bass. THIS IS WHAT SOLD ME ON THE TECH PACKAGE. Make sure you try the car with the tech package.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

It's been said before, but the best way to experience this amazing system is to play a (good) DVD. Pink Floyd's "Pulse" is the demo I use for people, and they're blown away by the surround sound.
XM varies by channel, with most being so compressed that any system will sound less than great. But try channel 74 (if you must listen to XM), it seems less compressed than most.

 

[Sonata2009]

This stream begs to get an answer - Since the (infamous) Nav system TSB is supposed to better integrate the XM radio with the head unit, does it, in fact, improve the XM sound?

Anybody who has had it done notice any difference with XM?

 

[blasterguam]

I just did an early-open on a stocking stuffer I had asked for: Audio DVD version of Santana "Supernatural". Holy Sh!t...the performance of the Lexicon system just blew me away. I was already impressed, but I would highly recommend any of you to get your favorite music on audio DVD if you can. Totally, absolutely awesome sound. Nothing else comes close - FM or XM sounds stale and flat after listening to this.

 

[Gimli]

I just did an early-open on a stocking stuffer I had asked for: Audio DVD version of Santana "Supernatural". Holy Sh!t...the performance of the Lexicon system just blew me away. I was already impressed, but I would highly recommend any of you to get your favorite music on audio DVD if you can. Totally, absolutely awesome sound. Nothing else comes close - FM or XM sounds stale and flat after listening to this.

Will the system allow you to play DVD-Audio discs while driving around or are DVD-Audio discs also cut off the moment the car moves?

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

"Will the system allow you to play DVD-Audio discs while driving around or are DVD-Audio discs also cut off the moment the car moves?"

?? DVD's aren't cut off the moment the car moves. The DVD continues to play, only the video portion is blanked (for safety). If that is so, why would a DVD-A stop playing?

 

[blasterguam]

Correct - only a video cutoff for DVDs.

I'm telling you - DVD audio is the way to go to get the most out of your Lexicon system. All I can say is WOW! Once you hear it like this you'll want as much as you can get.

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[genesis@genesisworld.com]

Correct - only a video cutoff for DVDs.

I'm telling you - DVD audio is the way to go to get the most out of your Lexicon system. All I can say is WOW! Once you hear it like this you'll want as much as you can get.

I agree 1000% !! I have a Concert DVD of the Celtic Woman that stays in slot #6. The 5.1 (or is it 7.1 on the 17 speaker system??) makes you look in the back seat for the audience when they clap!! And their Christmas CD is in slot #5. It's getting a lot of play this week too...

 

[gerryb]

question: where is a good place to buy the audio dvds referred to in this thread? I don't recall seeing these generally advertised? Amazon?

 

[blasterguam]

Amazon, CDUniverse...just google DVD-A or DVD audio and you'll find a dozen places. I'm not sure of any regular retailers (Like Wally-world) that carry them because I haven't really looked yet.

 

[genesis@genesisworld.com]

Remember also, that you can play a standard DVD that has a great sound track (like Gladiator) while you drive too. You can't see it, but the 5.1 music is astounding. So... ANY off the shelf DVD from Amazon, Best Buy, WallyWorld... it will work very well.

 

[Gimli]

Ah ok, good to know, I was under the impression DVDs stopped playing altogether.

 

[genesis@genesisworld.com]

Trust me... you'll LOVE it!

 

[BaywayRic]

IMHO, the premier demo disk for the Lexicon. Click Here

 

[genesis@genesisworld.com]

IMHO, the premier demo disk for the Lexicon. Click Here

I just LOVE Amazon.com's One Click! I'll let you know my thoughts when I get it

 

[gerryb]

I agree about the oneclick feature. Just bought a used copy for $8... It will be the first DVD I put in the 4.6 and hope it is as good as advertised...

Also picked-up this one...

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Marvin-Collection-DVD-Audio-Surround-Sound/dp/B0000C8AR0/ref=pd_bbs_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1229561156&sr=8-5"]Amazon.com: Marvin Gaye Collection (DVD-Audio Surround Sound): Marvin Gaye: Music[/ame]

 

[blasterguam]

IMHO, the premier demo disk for the Lexicon. Click Here

Yes - I agree that one is pure hotness too. (I have that loaded as disk #5). Most excellent!