Mark Levinson sound perfection – exclusive to the New Lexus IS

You won’t fit a concert orchestra into the new Lexus IS compact sports saloon, but its state-of-the-art Mark Levinson Premium Surround System might leave you believing you can.

The result of a 20,000-hour engineering collaboration, the system comprises a 15 GreenEdge high-efficiency loudspeakers and 12 channel fully digital Class-D amplifier generating a total of 835 Watts.

But it’s not all about the specification – after all, anyone can fill a car with speakers. What really sets a Levinson system apart is the fact that it’s designed into the vehicle from the early stages of its development.

The size, shape and lack of consistent surfaces within a car pose enormous problems for the successful creation of high end audio.

Hence, the cabin’s shape, materials and placing of the audio components are all optimised during the vehicle design process, ensuring that every loudspeaker is configured precisely to the car, creating multiple sweet spots to cater for multiple occupancy (not merely the driver) and perfect surround sound.

This uncompromising approach to high fidelity automotive audio systems is combined with cutting-edge technologies and highest quality components.

Four years in development, the Mark Levinson Premium Surround System creates sound based on the concepts of Effortless Dynamics and Effortless Transient Response, which combine natural dynamics with high response and tracking performance to deliver sound quality equivalent to that of a live, concert hall performance.

A Lexus first, a new Auto Volume system automatically adjusts system volume for each song being played to ensure consistent volume levels and full audibility for even the quietest passages of music.

Developing twice the volume for the same power consumption, GreenEdge power-saving technology has been incorporated into each of the 15 speakers. GreenEdge technology covers a wider frequency band than conventional systems, giving an enhanced dynamic range.

The new Mark Levinson system features three, newly-developed, 90 mm GreenEdge speakers mounted at the front of the cabin, with Unity technology which integrates mid- and high-range units within the same structure. To the rear, two further 90 mm GreenEdge units feature new Wide Dispersion technology, with built-in acoustic lenses to disperse the sound more evenly throughout the cabin. In combination, these 5 speakers give consistent timbre for both front and rear seat occupants, resulting in a whole new level of surround sound, definition, atmosphere and quality.

A new, 200 mm GreenEdge subwoofer features the latest Inverted Motor Structure technology, in which the magnetic circuit is mounted in an inverted position, significantly reducing the depth of the unit with no loss of power or acoustic performance, while offering significant space savings in system packaging.

Read more about the Lexus IS here.