[sbaillar]

Mark Levinson® Premium Audio System

AN AVAILABLE OPTION YOU CAN ONLY HEAR IN A LEXUS. Mark Levinson,1 the designer of premium home stereo systems, has selected Lexus as its automotive partner. Only Lexus builds cars to standards high enough to demonstrate the quality of sound for which Mark Levinson is known.


Pretty cool....


When is somebody going to put a PJ in a RV with 7.1 and have the first mobile home theater???

 

[gotapex]

There's a 10 speaker JBL Synthesis system in the new 4Runner.

 

[cwood]

Quote:

Originally posted by sbaillar Mark Levinson® Premium Audio System AN AVAILABLE OPTION YOU CAN ONLY HEAR IN A LEXUS. Mark Levinson,1 the designer of premium home stereo systems, has selected Lexus as its automotive partner. Only Lexus builds cars to standards high enough to demonstrate the quality of sound for which Mark Levinson is known. Pretty cool.... When is somebody going to put a PJ in a RV with 7.1 and have the first mobile home theater???

There is actually a huge business in SUV mobile theater based on 5.1 and/or headphone systems and LCD displays. The optium way to do it would be Dolby Headphone in combination with noise cancellation.


Charles Wood

Fosgate Audionics

ROCKFORD CORPORATION

 

[arthurvino]

logic 7 in new bmw 7 series is best audio system in any stock car. period..

 

[lwang]

This is all marketing ploy by Harman International. Those stereo components in the Lexus are not build by Mark Levinson, and ML doesn't do speakers, let alone have the accoustic facility to do any type of speaker measurement. it is probably repackaged JBL.


Same goes for the Logic 7 in the BMW. Probably HK stuff.

 

[gotapex]

The logic 7 from the BMW 7 series and the new mercedes E series are both H/K branded, as lwang suggested.

 

[cwood]

Quote:

Originally posted by lwang This is all marketing ploy by Harman International. Those stereo components in the Lexus are not build by Mark Levinson, and ML doesn't do speakers, let alone have the accoustic facility to do any type of speaker measurement. it is probably repackaged JBL. Same goes for the Logic 7 in the BMW. Probably HK stuff.

The electronics were designed by the automotive OEM division of Harman International. It used to be called HarmanMotive although I believe it has now changed. Harman now owns Becker in Germany and they pretty much run the show at this point, particularly supplying German vehicles.


Although Madrigal/ML didn't really have a direct hand in the package, Phil Muzio, then the CEO of Madrigal, did the voicing and was involved in approving all the electronics and voicing of the system.


The JBL system is also likely supplied by the Harman automotive OEM division, NOT JBL. Harman Acoustics division does all the speaker design for JBL and Infinity brands. Revel does its own product design in conjunction with Harman Acoustics.


Harman isn't the only company providing OEM branded systems. BOSE, Rockford and McIntosh do the same thing.


Charles Wood

Fosgate Audionics

Rockford Corporation

 

[dsegelstein]

... and the Bose sound system in my car is, unfortunately, made by Bose.

 

[Bill Lucas]

...and the first question that Lexus buyers ask when informed of the Levinson system?


"Can I upgrade it to a Bose system?"


No kidding. The Levinson play is not working. It's tough to beat that Bose marketing machine.

 

[KevinYee]

I've got the Levinson package in my LX470, and to me it sounds like crap. I think the MSRP on the add-on was around 1200 or so, FWIW.

 

[lwang]

Quote:

Originally posted by cwood Although Madrigal/ML didn't really have a direct hand in the package, Phil Muzio, then the CEO of Madrigal, did the voicing and was involved in approving all the electronics and voicing of the system.

If I could ever get Muzio to come to my place and hear my setup. If he thinks it sounds good, I will re-badge my whole system Mark Levinson.

Quote:

...and the first question that Lexus buyers ask when informed of the Levinson system? "Can I upgrade it to a Bose system?" No kidding. The Levinson play is not working. It's tough to beat that Bose marketing machine

Then the dealer could really tell who are the true connoisseurs and who are the lottery winners.


Or maybe Madrigal has to put some late night ads to compete with Herbie Hancock.