Lexicon Stereo...Really?

[deepcolor]

I think the system sounds great overall and for a stock stereo it's better than 90+% of the competitions offerings. The clarity level is amazing, put a DVD-Audio disc in it, or any High Definition recording and you will truly appreciate how this system was meant to be heard. I do agree in some instances that the bass could stand to be a bit deeper, but what bass it does offer is precise.

If your out for ear piercing volume levels then this is probably not the system for you...but if you enjoy clear, concise music at any listening volume it's hard to beat, and you couldn't come close to it purchasing something aftermarket for the same price. Also if your giving it a score of 8, then it speaks volumes for how well it performs.... I'll take quality of sound over sheer loudness any day.


17 speaker system (approximate sizes):


• Front door tweeter ×2 (1")
• Front door midrange ×2 (2.5")
• Front door woofer ×2 (6.3")
• Rear door tweeter ×2 (1")
• Rear door woofer ×2 (6.3")
• Rear deck midrange ×2 (4")
• Rear deck tweeter ×2 (1")
• Subwoofer ×1 (8")
• Center speaker ×1 (4")
• Center tweeter ×1 (1")


DVD-Audio Disc's that sound great on the Lexicon System:

The Beatles - Love.
Big Phat Band - Swinging For the Fences.
The Fixx - 1011 Woodland.
The Eagles - Hotel California.
Kenwood - DVD-Audio Demo Disc.
Silverline Inside The Music - New Wave.
Silverline - Classic Rock Masters.
Pink Floyd -The Dark Side of the Moon. Hybrid SACD-DSD.
Steely Dan - Gaucho.
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.. Remastered 5.1 DVD-A.
The Police - Every Breath You Take.
Acura TL - Audio Demo Disc (Fly Like an Eagle).


Just my 2 cents on the subject

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Pink Floyd -The Dark Side of the Moon. Hybrid SACD-DSD.
have to get that one and add it to my collection

 

[gameday22]

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Pink Floyd -The Dark Side of the Moon. Hybrid SACD-DSD.
have to get that one and add it to my collection

Great disc, I need to get Queensryche....Silent Lucidity must sound really good !!

 

[larryal9]

So far, I agree that the Lexicon stereo is somewhat overrated. At 500+ watts, this stereo should get as loud as a rock concert, yet it doesn't even come close. Compared to my 12 year old aftermarket Alpine, the Lexicon isn't as loud nor as clear. My Alpine is rated at 50 watts.

That being said, I must admit that my Alpine (w/ Infinity speakers and no amp) wasn't that impressive at first either. It took a good year before the speakers finally got broken in. And just like fine spirits, it only got better with age.

 

[scottdk]

So far, I agree that the Lexicon stereo is somewhat overrated. At 500+ watts, this stereo should get as loud as a rock concert, yet it doesn't even come close.

Slow down Larry, the Lexicon is powering 17 speakers If there was only 9 speakers it would be louder, but not any higher quality sound.

 

[Potty_Pants]

I've had enough cars and a few custom audio configurations.

This is the best factory audio system I've owned.

ppp

 

[dfd5280]

So far, I agree that the Lexicon stereo is somewhat overrated. At 500+ watts, this stereo should get as loud as a rock concert, yet it doesn't even come close. Compared to my 12 year old aftermarket Alpine, the Lexicon isn't as loud nor as clear. My Alpine is rated at 50 watts.

That being said, I must admit that my Alpine (w/ Infinity speakers and no amp) wasn't that impressive at first either. It took a good year before the speakers finally got broken in. And just like fine spirits, it only got better with age.

Most automotive amps (and some cheaper home audio amps) use "peak" watts as their measurement while higher quality amps use "continuous". 500 watts on a quality home audio stereo will be concert level no problem, 500 watt rating on a cheaper amp will get loud but not concert level. There is one way to tell without listening, check out the weight of the amp or the amp's transformers. The 500 watt amps in auto weigh what, 15 pounds. I 500 watt Class AB home audio (not counting effecient Class D amps) weigh at least 50 pounds.

Alpine tends to or at least they used to rate closer to continuous so I wouldnt be surprised if their 50 watt amps put out close to what other manufacturers 500 watt amps put out.

 

[dfd5280]

Slow down Larry, the Lexicon is powering 17 speakers If there was only 9 speakers it would be louder, but not any higher quality sound.

Generally speaking adding more speakers will not make a system that much louder. If you reasearch line array speakers you will some configuration that use 5, 10 or even 15 of the same speaker per chanel all lined up facing the listener. These speaker arrangements have incredible power handling capablities and can play way loud but per watts of input they are not that much more efficient that regular configurations. Dont forget bass chews up most of your watts. If you took our 17 mixed sized speakers and swapped them out 17 midrange speakers with little bass you could get some real SPL volume. Or 17 tweaters if you wanted drive someone insane.

 

[Kaiserseal]

Truth be told the Lexicon stero system is for sure the best stock car sterro system that I have had in a car for imaging and clarity.

When I got my Genesis I was very impressed with the stereo. I was coming out of owning two Lexus cars with Mark Levinson stereos. I was never that impressed with the sound system in the Lexus. I just bought a car that blows the Hyundai away. I don't know if they put stereos of this quality in because it's a convertible, But my Volvo C 70 Is the best factory system I've now ever heard. This makes me really happy because there's no way I can switch out the stereo for an aftermarket. I think the brand is called Dynoaudio

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

When I got my Genesis I was very impressed with the stereo. I was coming out of owning two Lexus cars with Mark Levinson stereos. I was never that impressed with the sound system in the Lexus. I just bought a car that blows the Hyundai away. I don't know if they put stereos of this quality in because it's a convertible, But my Volvo C 70 Is the best factory system I've now ever heard. This makes me really happy because there's no way I can switch out the stereo for an aftermarket. I think the brand is called Dynoaudio

My wife has a 2012 C70 Inscription with the "surround" Dynaudio, and I had Dynaudio in my 2006 Passat. I agree that it sounds great, but what kept me from seriously considering the S80 after seeing the C70 was the lack of DVD-A capability. After discovering that format with my 2009 Genesis and continuing it with my 2011 Equus, I had no choice but to order a 2014 Equus.
Glad you enjoy your Volvo though. My wife likes it better than her former 328CI and so do I.

 

[Potty_Pants]

Dvd-A is as dead as the sea scrolls.

Im not suprised you didnt see it on the vw or volvo

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[dfd5280]

Dvd-A is as dead as the sea scrolls.

Im not suprised you didnt see it on the vw or volvo

I know, too bad. Same with SACD.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

Dvd-A is as dead as the sea scrolls.

Im not suprised you didnt see it on the vw or volvo

New releases all the time, especially the last couple of years. Maybe not to your taste, but see the forums here:
http://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/activity.php

 

[scottdk]

Dvd-A is as dead as the sea scrolls.

Im not suprised you didnt see it on the vw or volvo

Best post of the week

 

[deepcolor]

Dvd-A is as dead as the sea scrolls.

Im not suprised you didnt see it on the vw or volvo

Sad. but the trend is w/ mp3's and the convenience of them, but not without a price. you lose a lot of sound quality w/ compressed music files. many of the young people today are not even aware of this and have never heard great and quality sound from a dvd-a. all they know is mp3's and ear buds.

i was test driving a 2011 550 a few months back and was told it had a surround sound system capable of playing dvd's. so i brought one of my dvd-a disc's along to see how bmw's system sounded. i later learned that the sound system in the 5 series won't play a dvd-a format, but it will play regular dvd's. the salesman said that there was a couple of model bmw's that could play dvd=a. but they were like 200k.

 

[visitor]

The lexicon system is eh at best. The useless centerchannel that detracts from imaging and the TERRIBLE factory "sub" have to go. Turning off center channel, and replacing with an actual sub brought the sound up to "passible".

 

[Vince2]

I read here on the forums that the sound system lacks base and the center channel speaker detracts...I so wish I could sit and listen to a Genesis with those changes just to check for myself what the hullabaloo is about. I like the system just fine but if adding a small box and amp in the trunk makes a BIG difference in the quality of the sound then I would try it.

 

[visitor]

Most automotive amps (and some cheaper home audio amps) use "peak" watts as their measurement while higher quality amps use "continuous". 500 watts on a quality home audio stereo will be concert level no problem, 500 watt rating on a cheaper amp will get loud but not concert level. There is one way to tell without listening, check out the weight of the amp or the amp's transformers. The 500 watt amps in auto weigh what, 15 pounds. I 500 watt Class AB home audio (not counting effecient Class D amps) weigh at least 50 pounds.

Alpine tends to or at least they used to rate closer to continuous so I wouldnt be surprised if their 50 watt amps put out close to what other manufacturers 500 watt amps put out.

This is an embarrassingly uniformed post. First of all weight means very little. Matter of fact, some cheap car amps actually add lead in the casing to fool the uninformed consumers who equate weight with quality. Conversely, there is a long string of "cheater amps" that are seriously underrated (a shining example is the old Orion "one watt", an amp rated at 1/2 watt x 2, capable of 2200 watts continual. Does the fact that its rated so low make it a "better" amp that its twin, the orion 2150.. identical inside?) Also, the comparison of home and car audio isn't fair. Home amps arent bound by the size restrictions that mobile amps are. That gives em room for more heatsink, protection circutry, etc, not to mention the fact it takes more power to produce 500 watts at 8 ohms, as home is generally rated, vs. Making it at lower ohm loads.

Moving on to the silly "most car amps are rated peak, while home is continuous" statement. This is amazingly incorrect, and seriously overgeneralized. Good amps are rated correctly (barring the cheater amps mentioned before, as that was done to bypass the old iasca rules), poor amps are not. This is the same in the home audio field or the mobile. Also in this debate its VERY important for the consumer to be aware that even if your amp is capable of doing 500 watts continuously, it will not be doing so. Every time you turn the volume down, you're reducing watts. Every time the word changes, watts are fluctuating.

Really, the moral is.. dont shop solely by claimed watts, nor disregard them completely. There are many factors that will determine if that amp is right for you, watts is but one small factor.

This post may seem kinda pointless and ranting, and im sincerely sorry if so. But misinformation can really do harm when people research and come across it.

 

[Mark_888]

Amplifiers work using DC circuits, so home amps must have heavy power supplies to convert the electricity from AC to DC. Amps installed in an automobile use the existing DC electrical system (don't need heavy power supplies to convert from AC to DC) so they are usually significantly lighter.

 

[dfd5280]

This is an embarrassingly uniformed post. First of all weight means very little. Matter of fact, some cheap car amps actually add lead in the casing to fool the uninformed consumers who equate weight with quality. Conversely, there is a long string of "cheater amps" that are seriously underrated (a shining example is the old Orion "one watt", an amp rated at 1/2 watt x 2, capable of 2200 watts continual. Does the fact that its rated so low make it a "better" amp that its twin, the orion 2150.. identical inside?) Also, the comparison of home and car audio isn't fair. Home amps arent bound by the size restrictions that mobile amps are. That gives em room for more heatsink, protection circutry, etc, not to mention the fact it takes more power to produce 500 watts at 8 ohms, as home is generally rated, vs. Making it at lower ohm loads.

Moving on to the silly "most car amps are rated peak, while home is continuous" statement. This is amazingly incorrect, and seriously overgeneralized. Good amps are rated correctly (barring the cheater amps mentioned before, as that was done to bypass the old iasca rules), poor amps are not. This is the same in the home audio field or the mobile. Also in this debate its VERY important for the consumer to be aware that even if your amp is capable of doing 500 watts continuously, it will not be doing so. Every time you turn the volume down, you're reducing watts. Every time the word changes, watts are fluctuating.

Really, the moral is.. dont shop solely by claimed watts, nor disregard them completely. There are many factors that will determine if that amp is right for you, watts is but one small factor.

This post may seem kinda pointless and ranting, and im sincerely sorry if so. But misinformation can really do harm when people research and come across it.

As far as amps being rated correctly, a manufacturer can choose to rate their amps correctly by continuous or peak. I agree good amps go with the conservative less flashy ratings.

According to Wiki: "Continuous power ratings are a staple of performance specifications for audio amplifiers. In its 1974 Amplifier Rule meant to combat the unrealistic power claims made by many hi-fi amplifier manufacturers, the Federal Trade Commission prescribed continuous power measurements performed with sine wave signals on advertising and specification citations for amplifiers sold in the US. Typically, an amplifier's power specifications are calculated by measuring its RMS output voltage, with a continuous sine wave signal, at the onset of clipping—defined arbitrarily as a stated percentage of total harmonic distortion (THD)—into specified load resistances. Typical loads used are 8 and 4 ohms per channel; many amplifiers used in professional audio are also specified at 2 ohms.

"Continuous" power measurements do not actually describe the highly varied signals found in audio equipment but are widely regarded as a reasonable way of describing an amplifier's maximum output capability. Most amplifiers are capable of higher power if driven further into clipping, with corresponding increases in harmonic distortion.

"Peak" power is the maximum level of work or energy output that is measured during an observation period. Peak power here refers to the maximum amount of power an electronic component can possibly handle for an instant without damage. Because of the highly dynamic nature of many audio signals (e.g., music, which accounts for an alternative name, music power) there is some sense in attempting to characterize the ability of equipment to handle quickly changing power levels. But, how small an instant is a matter of some variation from observer to observer and so a peak power rating is necessarily more than a little indeterminate.

It always produces a higher value than the continuous ("RMS") figure, however, and so has been tempting to use in advertising. Generally, whatever the definition of instant used, distortion is also higher for an instant. For instance, an amplifier (especially a surround sound receiver), may be rated at 1,000 watts peak power, but the harmonic distortion level might be 10 percent under those conditions.

According to the Lexicon site, "The Hyundai Genesis Lexicon 500 watt power amplifier provides 11 channels of pure power distribution for exceptional performance. All channels are driven at 40 watts with two dedicated subwoofer channels at 80 watts each. All 40 watt channels are driven at 20Hz-20kHz, 10% THD"

As I suspected the distortion rating of 10% in our 500 watt rating in our Lexicon amp would indicate the rating is peak power. Also as Lexicon states the 10% rating is just for the 40 watt channels. The sub channels at 80 watts since they dont make a statement on those are probably worse.

As I stated in my original post most automotive amps (and by that I meant factory supplied amps) use peak as their measurement and not continuous. It appears our Lexicon amp is one of them and that is why the earlier poster was wondering why 500 watts did not sound like a concert.

However you want to rate our amp, the Lexicon in the Gen is a very good stereo overall and at the price point we paid for our car pretty hard to do better compared to the competition.

 

[kw88keys]

I work alot in audio/studio sound such as recordings/engineering/mastering,etc. I think the great attribute of the lexicon system (I have the 2011 4.6 with the 17 speaker set up) is that the system is very accurate. Mixes and masters translate very well on this system. Accuracy in a system does not translate into a booming bass such as one would get with augmented sub-woofer systems. Sound is always a matter of taste and there is no right or wrong or best/worst when you get into the quality level of the lexicon system or the dynaudio system someone else mentioned. However, having stated this, I DO find that the tone adjustment of the lexicon can provide some pretty wide parameters for both bass and treble boost. For those that like the window rattling experience, they may not find that in the lexicon system. For my purposes, it is the most accurate system I have heard in a vehicle and I'm very pleased with it.