Stereo Evaluation
System Score: 10.0
Components: Our test car was equipped with the optional Mark Levinson Reference Surround Sound audio system. Even in the top-of-the-line LS 460 L, the Mark Levinson audio system is an option and adds about $2,500 to the price. In the standard LS 460 the price jumps by more than double because the audio system comes paired with a navigation system.
Expensive as it is, the system offers some impressive hardware. There are 19 speakers, including three-way speakers in each front door and each rear door, and center-channel speakers mounted in the front and rear of the car. The front center channel even has a 1-inch titanium dome tweeter; the same setup is used for the rear surround channels mounted in the rear seating area. Rear-seat passengers are treated to a 9-inch video screen and up front there's a six-disc CD/DVD changer.
The heart of the system is an all-new Mark Levinson amplifier that's fully discrete and delivers 450 watts of power through 15 channels. The system also delivers discrete 5.1 surround sound through 7.1 surround architecture and can handle a variety of formats including a normal stereo CD, CD-R, DVD video, DVD-A, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, MP3 and WMA, and has an auxiliary jack for connecting hand-held MP3 players. There's also an 8 GB hard drive for storing music ripped right from your CDs. Bluetooth and XM radio are part of the navigation package as well.
Performance: Stunning. This is easily one of the best, most robust factory-installed car audio systems on the market, if not the best — only the Panasonic ELS system found in a few Acuras and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class' Harman Kardon systems rival it.
Sound reproduction is almost flawless even as the volume climbs. In fact, total harmonic distortion is listed as 0.1 percent with all channels driven. In simple terms, the sound is pure, clean and lacks the distortion found on many in-car systems (including many luxury-branded vehicles).
The Lexus system's bass is deep, warm and slightly punchy, and overall tone tends toward bright, but in the end it only adds to the phenomenal clarity and brilliance. Obviously, music or movies from true 5.1 discs sound incredible, but two-channel CDs sound great as well because even stereo sources are given the surround treatment thanks to the amplifier's DSP capabilities.
The interface for using this complex and sophisticated system is surprisingly easy and intuitive. There are plenty of European luxury brands that could learn a thing or two from Lexus about making an in-car entertainment system easy to use without compromising features or quality.
Storing music in the car's hard drive is a perfect example of how technology can make life easier rather than more complicated. When it's in the "auto" setting, every CD you insert will automatically be ripped to the car's hard drive. The only drawback here is that CDs you made yourself (i.e. iTunes) will have to be manually named but most prerecorded discs come with the artist's name, song title and album title. Then you can arrange, edit and sort by any of those criteria, including genre. You can even choose the recording quality of the stored tracks, but Lexus says you can store 2,000 songs without specifying quality.
Worst Feature: Price.
Best Feature: Excellent sound quality, usable features, intuitive controls.
Conclusion: The Mark Levinson Reference Surround Sound system is the industry standard for in-car audio. It has just the right combination of features, dynamic sound quality, clarity and ease of use to make it the front-runner in an emerging sea of next-generation premium car audio systems. — Brian Moody
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