Just wanted to add my two cents, after reading this entire thread;
I just went out to my OT+ with ML21, turned of sound leveling button, but left surround on, fully centered, and adjusted treble to max (let’s call it +5, with -5 being the polar opposite) mid to about +2 and low to +1. I played Save it for a Rainy Day by Kenny Chesney (a song with very distinct clear highs and low lows) and ran the volume from the left front seat from 14 to 38. Sounded fantastic throughout volume range.
Settings same, left seat second row, as clear but not as loud, however, felt bass in left foot
.
Opened rear hatch, got in and faced forward, so theoretical left seat “third row”, even less loud, as clear, but bass in back and behind.
Turned surround off, all same settings, seemed to have a little more sound throughout, but noticed more sound lower to the floor in second and “third” rows.
Surround back on, same settings, Pneuma by TOOL. All findings the same.
Wanted to further research mysterious bass felt in foot on second row and back on “third” row. Flashlight to confirm that there is indeed a speaker in the large rear deck enclosure, and if you raise the gate just enough to put your ear to it and a hand on the backside of the gate, as if holding the gate to your ear, can confirm a bass sound and vibration from aforementioned rear deck enclosure.
I think the system just isn’t bass heavy and lots of folks are convinced that bass is the main component of a great system. Truth is, to some it may be and to others, perhaps not. With bass, what you hear and feel are often times very different (think Beats by Dre studio 3 or Sennheiser PXC 450, et al…a lot of bass “sound”, very little vibration).
I’m happy with the system. I adjusted the centering one or two clicks, back and forth and was indifferent about the change, so I just put it back to center. I think with a little tinkering everyone will end up being happier with it than just hoping with a familiar adjustment will sound the same, maybe?
Despite the flaws we have all found in this truck, I love it for what it is. This 250 series Land Cruiser was designed to be a tough, dependable and capable suv, badged with an L or a T with a sombrero, premium, luxury or overtrail, + or not. I’d put the capability and reliability up against most if not all. I’ve had nine variations of land cruisers since 1999, one being a 1997 LX450 with 392,000 miles on the original powertrain, sunk to the left front window on a collapsed beaver damn (I attached the pic) come out and drive me six hours home at 72 mph without doing a thing but spraying the mud off of it. Will the new 250 do that? I dunno, but I bet they didn’t bet the new 80 series would either, way back when.
So I’m $82k into a truck that I am 100% sold on its legacy and I’m 100% fine with it.
Maybe Lexus/toyota oversold its luxury, or maybe they truly put lipstick on a pig, and a few folks won’t be happy owning a pig. But they’ve been pigs since day one and we all know the saying.
Cheers to my fellow owners…lovers, likers or not at all-ers. Just know that if you decide to keep it, you won’t always be disappointed in the little things. There will always be anomalies, but I’m willing to bet that in the long run it’ll always get you home!
Post Script: If you’d like a song to help you tune your system to your ear, try out Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, album Live Art, disc one, track three called Stomping Grounds. So.Much.Music
I just went out to my OT+ with ML21, turned of sound leveling button, but left surround on, fully centered, and adjusted treble to max (let’s call it +5, with -5 being the polar opposite) mid to about +2 and low to +1. I played Save it for a Rainy Day by Kenny Chesney (a song with very distinct clear highs and low lows) and ran the volume from the left front seat from 14 to 38. Sounded fantastic throughout volume range.
Settings same, left seat second row, as clear but not as loud, however, felt bass in left foot
.Opened rear hatch, got in and faced forward, so theoretical left seat “third row”, even less loud, as clear, but bass in back and behind
.Turned surround off, all same settings, seemed to have a little more sound throughout, but noticed more sound lower to the floor in second and “third” rows.
Surround back on, same settings, Pneuma by TOOL. All findings the same.
Wanted to further research mysterious bass felt in foot on second row and back on “third” row. Flashlight to confirm that there is indeed a speaker in the large rear deck enclosure, and if you raise the gate just enough to put your ear to it and a hand on the backside of the gate, as if holding the gate to your ear, can confirm a bass sound and vibration from aforementioned rear deck enclosure.
I think the system just isn’t bass heavy and lots of folks are convinced that bass is the main component of a great system. Truth is, to some it may be and to others, perhaps not. With bass, what you hear and feel are often times very different (think Beats by Dre studio 3 or Sennheiser PXC 450, et al…a lot of bass “sound”, very little vibration).
I’m happy with the system. I adjusted the centering one or two clicks, back and forth and was indifferent about the change, so I just put it back to center. I think with a little tinkering everyone will end up being happier with it than just hoping with a familiar adjustment will sound the same, maybe?
Despite the flaws we have all found in this truck, I love it for what it is. This 250 series Land Cruiser was designed to be a tough, dependable and capable suv, badged with an L or a T with a sombrero, premium, luxury or overtrail, + or not. I’d put the capability and reliability up against most if not all. I’ve had nine variations of land cruisers since 1999, one being a 1997 LX450 with 392,000 miles on the original powertrain, sunk to the left front window on a collapsed beaver damn (I attached the pic) come out and drive me six hours home at 72 mph without doing a thing but spraying the mud off of it. Will the new 250 do that? I dunno, but I bet they didn’t bet the new 80 series would either, way back when.
So I’m $82k into a truck that I am 100% sold on its legacy and I’m 100% fine with it.
Maybe Lexus/toyota oversold its luxury, or maybe they truly put lipstick on a pig, and a few folks won’t be happy owning a pig. But they’ve been pigs since day one and we all know the saying.
Cheers to my fellow owners…lovers, likers or not at all-ers. Just know that if you decide to keep it, you won’t always be disappointed in the little things. There will always be anomalies, but I’m willing to bet that in the long run it’ll always get you home!
Post Script: If you’d like a song to help you tune your system to your ear, try out Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, album Live Art, disc one, track three called Stomping Grounds. So.Much.Music
