Issues with 2019 Lexus ES 350 Stock Audio System

[spwolf]

you have to talk to your dealer and complain a lot... did you check the system with ML sound system?

 

[milnerbanks]

I just came from the dealer with the same complaint. The tech was about to order another speaker, until he spoke to a specialist about the issue, and i was informed that it was by design. if you turn the bass up and fade to the back you can then hear the sub woofer loud and clear, But this is not how i want to hear my music and it is too much money for this. The system is in concert mode which means the sound is coming from the front to the back, can we get options to change how are music is delivered..like we do with the sound on our T.V

 

[RAL]

Welcome @milnerbanks

 

[milnerbanks]

Here are the speaker layouts for the 2019 ES Mark Levinson

 

[milnerbanks]

Here is the Speaker Layout for the 2019 ES Pioneer

 

[milnerbanks]

I turned my bass and mids up a little, which gave me a much better sound in my car. if you leave them at default in the middle it sounds really bad

 

[1 Tope]

I’ve been driving my new 2019 ES 350 for a few weeks, and can’t figure out how to improve the audio, which seems only to come from the front of the cabin, above the dashboard. There doesn’t seem to be any rear speaker. The fader bar in the controls, if moved to the rear, almost completely mutes the audio.

I just turned in a 2016 ES 350 and it definitely had a better balanced audio performance.

Maybe there’s a wire not hooked up? Any other ideas?

Could this just be “the way it is”?

Well UE we are in the same boat. Took delivery of a 2019 F Sport. I had my wife with me on the test drive and I certainly did not exercise the sound system. This is the most pitiful sound system that I have listened to in a car for 30 years. In fact I had a 55 Olds Super 88 in high school that I mounted an 8 track under the dash and two six by nines in the rear deck that would blow away the sound system in my new Lexus.

I complained to the dealer. I complained to Lexus Corporate. BEGGED them to take the car back. No problem for a mere $5000 hit. Lexus Corporate told me to take it up with consumers affair board.

Lexus fix this and fix this fast. You Tube videos can be very embarrassing and scare away a lot of potential purchasers!!

 

[vnaut]

18 Lexus IS300 here. Same issue with this vehicle - little to no sound from the backend and weak bass. The sound system on my outgoing 12 Civic was better. This is strictly from a balanced sound perspective, I am no qay an audiophile.

Fading helps a bit, and I also suspect with my smaller cabin the issue is not as pronounced as the ES.

Unfortunately a stain on an otherwise good product.

 

[RAL]

18 Lexus IS300 here. Same issue with this vehicle - little to no sound from the backend and weak bass. The sound system on my outgoing 12 Civic was better. This is strictly from a balanced sound perspective, I am no qay an audiophile.

Fading helps a bit, and I also suspect with my smaller cabin the issue is not as pronounced as the ES.

Unfortunately a stain on an otherwise good product.

Welcome @vnaut ... You should have your system checked by your dealer. I had a 17 Lexus IS 300 AWD with the standard sound system. I had none of the issues you've mentioned. I thought the quality of sound was good, better than one might expect from a standard system. Excellent front/rear balance and if anything the bass was overly strong. I hope you can get satisfaction.

 

[vnaut]

Welcome @vnaut ... You should have your system checked by your dealer. I had a 17 Lexus IS 300 AWD with the standard sound system. I had none of the issues you've mentioned. I thought the quality of sound was good, better than one might expect from a standard system. Excellent front/rear balance and if anything the base was overly strong. I hope you can get satisfaction.

Hi RAL - thanks.
I couldn't find any definitive data on the 2017 stock system, but since it's part of the same refresh as the 2018 I'd imagine it's the same. I am curious, were you listening to bass-heavy music? I primarily listen to hip-hop and rock which might be having an impact on my assessment. Secondly, were you using wired, bluetooth connection, or other? Appreciate your input.

 

[RAL]

Hi RAL - thanks.
I couldn't find any definitive data on the 2017 stock system, but since it's part of the same refresh as the 2018 I'd imagine it's the same. I am curious, were you listening to bass-heavy music? I primarily listen to hip-hop and rock which might be having an impact on my assessment. Secondly, were you using wired, bluetooth connection, or other? Appreciate your input.

not what I would call bass-heavy music ... mostly bluetooth connection & XM

 

[Sadman]

Is this a Lexus ES related problem only or does it affect other new models like the UX?

Of course "journalists" said nothing in their reviews, so I have to trust only real world users/owners.

 

[Yakko]

I just came from the dealer with the same complaint. The tech was about to order another speaker, until he spoke to a specialist about the issue, and i was informed that it was by design. if you turn the bass up and fade to the back you can then hear the sub woofer loud and clear, But this is not how i want to hear my music and it is too much money for this. The system is in concert mode which means the sound is coming from the front to the back, can we get options to change how are music is delivered..like we do with the sound on our T.V

A Consumer Complaint against Lexus to your State Attorney General may get their attention. Fill out the form in your manual and send it by certified mail to the address provided. My case manager at Lexus and the General Manager at the dealership are doing nothing. They are actually stating that there is no problem with the sound system and the problem is with me. Even though I showed them the many complaints on this website. The service manager at my Lexus dealership said to me today that I am stuck with the system and there is NO fix in the works.

 

[flexus]

Can somebody block @Yakko this is just trolling?

A Consumer Complaint against Lexus to your State Attorney General may get their attention. Fill out the form in your manual and send it by certified mail to the address provided. My case manager at Lexus and the General Manager at the dealership are doing nothing. They are actually stating that there is no problem with the sound system and the problem is with me. Even though I showed them the many complaints on this website. The service manager at my Lexus dealership said to me today that I am stuck with the system and there is NO fix in the works.

 

[flexus]

Very interesting that US dealers don't bother to do anything. Very different than in Japan. Maybe because dealers in Japan are Lexus owned and not independent.
BTW there is no problem with the sound system in Japan since I cannot find any complaints on forums or articles. Maybe somebody should check China.

 

[adf13840]

I communicated extensively with Lexus on this. They asked me to take my car back to the dealer a second time, and the dealer again said “operating as designed.” Lexus has confirmed there is no repair or fix in the works for this issue. Extremely disappointing. Others with the same problem now seem to be popping up on Edmunds, JD Power, etc., but I doubt Lexus will care. This will certainly be our last Lexus.

 

[Sadman]

Have you spoken to a lawyer about this issue?

Maybe you could set up a class action with every other scammed owner of this garbage system.

Also write to every single consumer rights protection association and to every single automotive media (magazines, websites, blogs, etc..), let the general public be aware of this issue and not just only Lexus thematic forums and owners clubs. General car enthusiast forums should be informed too if you want to make something happen, hopefully.

Make enough noise and eventually Lexus will do something in order to protect its reputation because in the end that's what every company in the world does: protect their affairs, not the customers.

 

[JAMES GAY]

I just traded my NX for a 2019 ES350 FSport with the ML audio on 2/6/19. While it is a MUCH better system than the NX had, its still not as great as I was hoping it would be. The fade to rear doesn't work all that well. I usually keep any car audio system faded more to rear, its just always sounded better to me. I mostly use Spotify with my phone, I adjusted the equalizer there and on the car's system and it helped. All in all I'm super happy with the car, the only thing is the ML isn't as impressive as I was hoping to be.

 

[RAL]

Welcome @JAMES GAY ...Congratulations on the new ES!

 

[Sadman]

I just traded my NX for a 2019 ES350 FSport with the ML audio on 2/6/19. While it is a MUCH better system than the NX had, its still not as great as I was hoping it would be. The fade to rear doesn't work all that well. I usually keep any car audio system faded more to rear, its just always sounded better to me. I mostly use Spotify with my phone, I adjusted the equalizer there and on the car's system and it helped. All in all I'm super happy with the car, the only thing is the ML isn't as impressive as I was hoping to be.

The Mark Levinson system is overkill with low quality Spotify compressed mp3 music streamed over bluetooth (this also has an impact over the sound quality vs streaming the same audio track through an USB source).

Try playing an old fashioned CD and hear the night/day difference it makes, also you can try for an even more impressive result using FLAC and OGG files.

Like this one: http://www.lindberg.no/hires/test/2L-087_stereo-DXD_06.flac

Here you can find many samples: http://www.2l.no/hires/

Download them and put the files on an USB pen, then plug it in your car and stream from that source.

Also don't use two equalizers at the same time, turn off the one in Spotify and only use the one in your car.