ES 300 Premium Sound System manufacturer

[Iona Camry]

Does anyone know who the manufacturer of the 2000 Lexus ES 300 "Premium Sound
System" is?

[Matthew McNally]

Mark Levinson normally makes the "premier sound systems" for Lexus

Matthew McNally
US Lexus Owners Club

Visit the Best Lexus Forums on the Net
http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/

"Iona Camry" <iona...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030601003340...@mb-m10.aol.com...

[Frank]

Levinson wasn't introduced until the 2001 LS430. For a 2000 ES, it's
Pioneer, or Nakamichi. The Naks have a label on the right upper portion of
the radio faceplate. Frank
"Matthew McNally" <matthew...@amjec.co.ukTAKETHISBITOFF> wrote in
message news:JWQCa.18089$sJ4....@newsfep4-winn.server.ntli.net...

[Iona Camry]

Frank wrote:

>For a 2000 ES, it's
>Pioneer, or Nakamichi. The Naks have a label on the right upper portion of
>the radio faceplate.

Then mine's a Pioneer.
Thanks!

[crodriguez]

Remember this....

It was manufactured by Pioneer, but its not a real Pioneer.

Understand?

"Iona Camry" <iona...@aol.com> wrote in message

news:20030608214714...@mb-m14.aol.com...

[Iona Camry]

"crodriguez" crodr...@comcast.net

No.
People ask me who makes that system, and there is no indication anywhere.

Sears appliances carry the Kenmore label, but GE and Whirlpool make
many of the Kenmore-branded appliances.
So, they are not real GE/Whirlpool appliances?

I couldn't tell a Pioneer from a Nakamichi from a Mark Levinson just by
listening to it anyway.

[Bob Grabowski]

I'm Sorry to say, I can. I rented a 2001 RX300 for a couple of days.
It as a Nakamichi audio system that was superb. EVERYTHING sounded
exceptional on it, from Pink Floyd to Vivaldi. I ended up buying a
2003 RX and was really dissapointed with the audio system. It is a
Pioneer and I refer to it as the "BOOM BOX RADIO" because that's what
it sounds like. I've never heard the mark Levinson, but I REALLY wish
I had the Nakamichi instead of the Lexus Premium System by Pioneer.

Bob

[Iona Camry]

Bob Grabowski bubs...@mindspring.com wrote:

>I'm Sorry to say, I can. I rented a 2001 RX300 for a couple of days.
>It as a Nakamichi audio system that was superb. EVERYTHING sounded
>exceptional on it, from Pink Floyd to Vivaldi. I ended up buying a
>2003 RX and was really dissapointed with the audio system. It is a
>Pioneer and I refer to it as the "BOOM BOX RADIO" because that's what
>it sounds like. I've never heard the mark Levinson, but I REALLY wish
>I had the Nakamichi instead of the Lexus Premium System by Pioneer.
>
>Bob
>

How did the FM radio sound? :)

With the road and engine noises (minimal as it may be), and the
necessity to have to listen to outside sounds (e.g. Police, Ambulance sirens),
how does one enjoy an expensive automobile stereo?

It would seem to me that the acoustics of an automobile don't lend
themselves well to creating an environmnet conducive to a sound
listening experience.

I often see people who buy a Honda Civic and spend an astronomical
sum on their car stereo systems that can be represented as a significant
proportion of the cost of their entire car.

More bang for the buck in a home stereo system, in my opinion.
But some of us spend a lot of time in a car, so it is probably
worth it to some.

[Bob Grabowski]

The FM radio sounded excellent when I drove the RX from Greenwich
Village to Queens where I work. As for noise, the RX I rented had
Bridgestone Dueller tires which were very quiet. I have the same tires
on my 2003 RX. But a friend of mine just bought a used, sorry,
"Pre-Owned" 2002 RX with Goodyear tires and they have LOTS of road
noise even at low speeds.

Bob

[Pete]

In a quiet automobile, with a system well-tailored to the specific car and
its acoustics (like the Mark Levinson system is, for example), one can
thoroughly enjoy an expensive automobile stereo. It's fully the match of a
good home system. But let's distinguish between an expensive, fine car
stereo and just spending a couple of grand on woofers.

-- Pete

[William]

Earlier someone said that the "Premium Sound" was made by Levinson.
So Mark Levinson makes both stereos? Last time I checked the
"Premium" was different than the Levinson. Does he indeed make both?

[Iona Camry]

>Earlier someone said that the "Premium Sound" was made by Levinson.
>So Mark Levinson makes both stereos? Last time I checked the
>"Premium" was different than the Levinson. Does he indeed make both?
>

From what I understand from this group, the Levinson was introduced in 2001.
On a 2000 ES 300, if the faceplate says "Premium Sound System", and the
word "Nakamichi" is absent, they it is made by Pioneer.

For the $3K, I assume the word "Levinson" would appear somewhere on the
faceplate if it was a Levinson.

[TANKIE]

I have an "old" 96 es300 with the cd changer that I bought last Fall. Car has
all the whistles and bells so it probably has the best sound system of the
period. How would my system compare with the Mark Levenson in the newer models?

Only gripes I have are that the controls are not real intuitive to use, the LCD
panel hard to read, and the CD should hold more than 6 CDs.

As far as sounding good, it is the best I ever heard in any car. Super clarity,
good speaker placement and ballance. Very little distortion/rattle even at MAX
volume. My son says it has weak base, but I disagree... one track from
Chocolate Starfish palyed at near max made such a physical/visceral sensation
that I was sure something big and heavy must have hit the car from the outside.
Upon seeing my reaction, my kid smiled and noted that the system was pretty
"head banging". Car has 95000 miles, so the speakers are not exactly fresh, but
I never once thought about upgrading them.

If any of the newer systems are better, please tell me in what way they would
be. I think the car needs 100 more HP and could handle better, but doubt that
it could sound much better.