Ml Sound System

loco1216 · January 13, 2004

After listining to my ML sound system in the es330 for more than 2 weeks, I am willing to bet that sound system that came in my 1993 Camry XLE V6 sounds better, provide better tunes than the ML sound system found in my new es330.. Does anyone has any idea why something like this will happen. Not modification of any kind has been made to the 1993 camry.

thank you for any help. I am just puzle by it. specially after paying for an ugrade that only is available with the navigastion system. :o

am I missing something?

SW03ES · January 14, 2004

Mine sounds great. Two things:

1. the Mark Levinson speakers are encased in wood, and their sound will improve with age just like Mark Levinson home stereo equipment.

2. Have you fiddled with the audio settings? Like any fine stereo you need to get out and drive, put your favorite CD in and just play with the treble, mid range, bass and the fade and balance settings until it sounds just right. Took me 30 40 minutes to adjust the sound settings to where it really sounds good. I find it better than the JBL Audio in my Explorer and the Nakamichi Audio in my dad's old 98 LS.

If that fails to help then its always possible something is wrong with the system. I would go test drive another ES with the ML and replicate the same audio settings and CD and see if theres a difference. Maybe you have a bad speaker or amp.

Does this happen with CD and radio? I've noticed the system does much better with the CD than the radio which is common in high end car systems. The digital music always sounds better.

amf1932 · January 14, 2004

I know that plenty of people expect booming bass and screeching treble in their sound systems, but the Mark Levinson system was designed to reproduce music more faithfully than other systems. I compare my Levinson system to the quality that I have in my exceptional home audio system, so I'm very pleased with almost everything except the embedded antenna in the rear window. The signal strengh fluctuates a little too much than I like, compared to the old antenna staff that I had in my '94ES.

iammikey · January 14, 2004

There is definitely a break in period for the speakers and amp! The sound has significantly improved on my ML after appx 50 hours of use. The bass is adequate and not overwhelming. Just remember that a good stereo isn't a loud one, but a responsive one which can duplicate the instruments without sounding overbearing and distorted.