OFFICIAL Vehicles with Factory Surround Systems

[Odys]

I currently have two cars with surround systems (DVD-A, DTS, DVD-Video), a 2009 Hyundai Genesis and a 2009 Mercedes ML350. The ML350 may need to go soon, and a replacement with surround is a must, at least while they're still available. I noticed that Hyundai still offers the Lexicon 7.1 in both the 2015 Genesis and Equus. I've been very happy with my old Genesis and am leaning towards this. Any other suggestions out there?

 

[Time Lord]

I currently have two cars with surround systems (DVD-A, DTS, DVD-Video), a 2009 Hyundai Genesis and a 2009 Mercedes ML350. The ML350 may need to go soon, and a replacement with surround is a must, at least while they're still available. I noticed that Hyundai still offers the Lexicon 7.1 in both the 2015 Genesis and Equus. I've been very happy with my old Genesis and am leaning towards this. Any other suggestions out there?

Go the Porsche Burmester or Bose systems you won't be sorry

 

[Chiburb]

I currently have two cars with surround systems (DVD-A, DTS, DVD-Video), a 2009 Hyundai Genesis and a 2009 Mercedes ML350. The ML350 may need to go soon, and a replacement with surround is a must, at least while they're still available. I noticed that Hyundai still offers the Lexicon 7.1 in both the 2015 Genesis and Equus. I've been very happy with my old Genesis and am leaning towards this. Any other suggestions out there?

I had the '09 Gennie, the '11 Equus, and now the '14 Equus.
The '15 Gennie has better tech than my Equus, but the Lexicon remains sublime in both.
If you're anywhere near Chicago shoot me a PM. My guy is a no BS type and you won't find a better price on either.

 

[der_angsthase]

Seems this Thread has been not been that active, but hell, I might as well still add something interesting:

My father bought the (up to this day!) recent Audi A3 two years ago. It has the optional MMI-Touch Navigation System PLUS the Bang & Olufsen Surround Sound Speaker Set (totaling a shy 3.500€ :yikes ) which can at least play Dolby Digital (2.0, 4.0 and 5.1) and DTS (2.0, 4.0, 5.1) properly. SACD, DVD-A is NOT supported, and sadly DTS-CDs are not decoded, too.

For what I know, if anyone is interested in buying a luxurious German Automobile, every Audi (starting from the A1) in combination with either the Bose Sound System (which, I can't believe I'd ever say this, is surprisingly good) or the Bang & Olufsen Sound System PLUS the fat MMI Satellite Nav will give you at least lossy Dolby or DTS Surround Sound playback in a Car.

While it can also (surprisingly) play 192khz / 24 bit Stereo, it can not process the files properly when you give them WAVs in 5.1. It will just play back a Stereo downmix of the Source...

Mind you: You need both the fattest available Sat Nav and the big speaker set – or you'll be cut out of it...


And I have to say – even when the price is laughably steep – if I'd ever have that much money to spend on a car, I'd definitely buy the whole package. The Surround ambience from good masters (say the PF DSOTM in 5.1) is astonishingly good. Especially in a five door hot hatch.

 

[LennonCobain]

Anyone have experience with the current Burmester surround sound system in Mercedes Benz vehicles? Information on the Burmester website suggests discrete 5.1 playback, but no details on formats (DVD-A, DTS CD, etc.).

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Anyone have experience with the current Burmester surround sound system in Mercedes Benz vehicles? Information on the Burmester website suggests discrete 5.1 playback, but no details on formats (DVD-A, DTS CD, etc.).

I've listened to satellite music in the C Class and the S Class and I must admit the S Class sounded very good with just satellite music...I couldn't tell you about the disc options...

 

[der_angsthase]

Anyone have experience with the current Burmester surround sound system in Mercedes Benz vehicles? Information on the Burmester website suggests discrete 5.1 playback, but no details on formats (DVD-A, DTS CD, etc.).

… I have not tried it out personally, but I'd assume it's the same as with our Audi. If nothing else is explicitly specified, that is.

That being said: I'd definitely try to reach out to Burmester directly. They sure know what's playing and what's not!

 

[CPR]

Heard the Burmeister in a Porsche Panamera; listened to the Nightfly/DVD/A; pretty good reference quality disc.
When I compared it to my Acura TL/ELS, playing "Maxine", it was good, but not as good as the ELS
Much more expensive, & more speakers; (12), but Dynamic range & tonal surround quality not as good, IMHO.
Too bad my new Acura TLX/ELS doesn't play DVD/A's anymore; the DTS CD's sound good, but not as rich as the DVD/A's.
One exception: Steely Dan/Gaucho; awesome tonal & surround

 

[fredblue]

I've listened to satellite music in the C Class and the S Class and I must admit the S Class sounded very good with just satellite music...I couldn't tell you about the disc options...

well my folks are apparently getting shot of their S-Class (I always thought the sound system in it SUCKED!!) and getting a Lexus, I don't know anything about cars (I think its an NX SUV or something.. but dont quote me on that.. all i know is it looks reasonably smart in the pix! ) ..oh and my bruv mentioned something about them getting a Mark Levinson system in it so it might be able to do DVD-A's, I dunno..?

 

[Clint Eastwood]

well my folks are apparently getting shot of their S-Class (I always thought the sound system in it SUCKED!!) and getting a Lexus, I don't know anything about cars (I think its an NX SUV or something.. but dont quote me on that.. all i know is it looks reasonably smart in the pix! ) ..oh and my bruv mentioned something about them getting a Mark Levinson system in it so it might be able to do DVD-A's, I dunno..?

I don't know what year of S Class your folks owned but the newer ones have Burmester audio which is an improvement over the previous brand...IIRC it was Harmon Kardon

 

[fredblue]

I don't know what year of S Class your folks owned but the newer ones have Burmester audio which is an improvement over the previous brand...IIRC it was Harmon Kardon

Oh its an old one, like 10 yrs or something. IDK who did the audio system in it but there was no treble and lots of wooly mid-bass.. struck me as horrendous sound at the time in fact for a 60-grand car now I think back to when they first got it.. i thought they were mad blowing that on a runaround.. hopefully the Lexus won't be such a bloody rip off.

 

[LennonCobain]

It is so frustrating to shop for a vehicle claiming to offer "surround sound" because many systems are not offering discrete playback. The dealers have no knowledge of the audio systems, so they are useless. The manufacturer websites and literature have little details. The system manufacturers often direct questions back to the automaker. Considering how expensive these upgrades are, no one is good at really selling them!

 

[MC Maniac]

It is so frustrating to shop for a vehicle claiming to offer "surround sound" because many systems are not offering discrete playback. The dealers have no knowledge of the audio systems, so they are useless. The manufacturer websites and literature have little details. The system manufacturers often direct questions back to the automaker. Considering how expensive these upgrades are, no one is good at really selling them!

Couldnt agree more - I had to buy an expensive car with an expensive audio system upgrade, and that just to get 5.1 DTS..It's by B&O and you would think someone there or at Audi would have said it should offer some form of lossless 5.1 playback...

My wife's car does 5.1 but dolby digital only - how difficult would it have been to allow DTS as well?

 

[der_angsthase]

Couldnt agree more - I had to buy an expensive car with an expensive audio system upgrade, and that just to get 5.1 DTS..It's by B&O and you would think someone there or at Audi would have said it should offer some form of lossless 5.1 playback...

My wife's car does 5.1 but dolby digital only - how difficult would it have been to allow DTS as well?

It's probably licensing. And to fool people into buying something they don't quite need. Hell, most people I know still refer to Surround Sound as Dolby Surround. And, to be honest: When it comes to music playback in general, we're a bunch of geeks and freaks! ;-)

 

[Cheezmo]

2011 and 2012 Chevy Volt with the premium sound system play DVD-Audio (DVD Audio logo is even on the console). Use the money you save on gas to buy some of those rare discs.

 

[marpow]

I am a Ford guy, looks like no hope for me?

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

I am a Ford guy, looks like no hope for me?

Less and less it seems these days, unless we go DIY with a carputer setup or something. I'm about to start upgrading the system in my work vehicle, and may forgo multichannel altogether. Only so much money to spend, and I guess I've decided I'd rather have 2 really good channels than 4 or 5 so-so ones.

And I call myself a Quaddite! (Hangs head in shame)

-- Jim

 

[CPR]

Car Sales people are basically a joke, when it comes to audio. My Acura guy lost his mind, when I played my DSOTM/DVD/A, for him in my 2012/TL/ELS. when i asked him if the 2015 TLX/ELS played DVD/A's, he looked at me with a blank expression. The TLX/ELS, is actually pretty good; although, DTS/5.1, is not DVD/A, except in very few instances. My Steely Dan/Gaucho/DTS, is awesome; probably as good as DVD/A; as well as Hell Freezes Over. Too bad Elliot Scheiner couldn't convince Acura to keep the DVD/A option.

 

[elroy]

I still wonder why DTS CDs over DVD-A and DTD DVD? I don't ever see anything coming out on DTS-CDs any more, but there are still DVD-As and DTS DVDs being released.

 

[Quadradude]

It's too bad that after paying all that money for the Mark Levinson system that you don't get a discrete DVD-A system. I have heard it's not very discrete. I wonder why?

After I saw how much the Mark Levinson system cost, I got an Acura TL instead.

So I just rode in a 2009 Lexus IS-F today with the Levinson system, let my buddy who owns the car and has never heard of quadraphonic take a look through my disc collection before our hour drive into the city, he grabbed a few, we stuck one in his Lexus' in-dash CD changer, and he was blown away as my Santana disc being played as a quad DVD-A filled the cabin with sound that was just as impressive for 4-channel separation in his car as it is when it's playing as a decoded DVD-V in DD or DTS from the Blu-Ray player in my livingroom via S/P-DIF coax or optical into my Harman Kardon AVR...

Granted I've never heard an Acura system or any of the other luxury automotive surround systems but anyone who says it's not discrete or that the separation is minimal and disappointing in a Lexus, in my opinion you really must be doing something wrong...

We were rolling down the interstate, he pressed the load button, when the light turned green I fed in a quad disc, it selected DVD-A, and moments later Santana was all around us with a very obvious quad sound stage with different sounds coming from all 4 corners of the car's interior that totally blew him away as a first time quad listener of songs that he knows and loves the 2-channel stereo versions of, and having experienced that same quad disc in my livingroom many times on vintage Advent "Larges" this quad listening experience in that Lexus IS-F was so surprising to me to be hearing this vintage quad recording coming from a factory stereo in a car...
The Rhymin' Simon (Paul Simon) disc was just as cool, especially as we got to hear "Take Me to the Mardi Gras..." in quad as we rolled into the city of New Orleans (and it's Ash Wednesday today!) before stopping by a local Po-Boy shop near my parents' house for lunch and finally pulled into the service area at Lexus of New Orleans to drop off his IS-F for its' next service interval maintenance...

He's now extremely curious about quadraphonic sound and will likely get into it soon thanks to me and Lexus...