elshagon
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2006
- Messages
- 202
This is a post I made over at the Hyundai Genesis forums regarding the Lexicon 7.1 system found in the Genesis. The Genesis uses 17 speakers with the Lexicon system.
I bought my 2012 Genesis just over one month ago and feel it's time to do a review of the Lexicon sound system. Let me start off by saying I play mostly dvd-audio discs as I have little interest in XM radio, FM radio, mp3's or cd's. Dvd-Audio will get you the best sound out of this system due to it's higher bitrate and surround capabilities. I currently have more than 300 surround discs in my collection along with software which allows me to make mixed dvd-audio discs with multiple artists. Playing anything but dvd-audio is like going to a gourmet steakhouse and ordering a grilled cheese sandwich.
The Bad (most are just minor annoyances):
1. The infamous "surround" setting problem: This has been documented here before so I won't go into it too much. It's a pain to have to enable the surround setting each morning. I find with dvd-audio discs, which are already in surround, the setting doesn't do anything whether enabled or disabled. With other sources this setting definitely is an improvement so it's an annoyance to have to reset it. And by improvement I don't mean to imply it's perfect. The faux surround for stereo sources which I have on my pc with a Creative soundcard make this stereo-surround attempt seem mediocre.
2. Random Play feature: When I select this on my dvd-audio discs it takes you to a random track and begins playback from there. Not truly a random play as it will play track#8, 9, 10 etc. To me random would be to play track #8 followed by 3, 10, 7 etc...you know, random.
3. Track names: Within the dvd-audio specs is the ability to display track names. With the Genesis this isn't enabled so the tracks only show as Track #1, Track #2 etc. Not good if you want to look for a certain song title.
4. Sound: With XM it can sound a bit tinny at times due to the low bitrate. The bass on the sound system is a little lacking to begin with. I also wish the center channel was a little better than it is, as some of my surround mixes which have the vocals tied to the center channel often have the vocals get lost in the mix. I find that I pump up the bass settings and move the surround to the back 3 notches. I wish there were more controls such as bumping up the center a bit.
5. Storage: This isn't a criticism of the Lexicon system but rather the lack of storage space in the center console for my dvd-audio discs. They simply won't fit because of the larger cases they come in. This means inserting the discs into paper sleeves to place in the center console or putting them in the glove box.
6. Playback: With my dvd-audio discs sometimes they get a "disc error" message. This doesn't happen often and usually ejecting the disc and re-inserting solves the problem. Also with dual layer discs I've made the player has trouble at the layer break on the disc. This happens with all my dual layer discs. It will either skip 1-2 songs entirely at the layer break, or with one it ends up playing two songs at once and then skips the next two songs! Hmmm, very annoying!
The Good
1. DVD-Audio: It's always been a dream of mine to have a car which played my surround sound discs. DVD-Audio is lossless and really shines on the Lexicon system. If you're not enjoying DVD-Audio then you're missing out on the best this system can sound. I've made several demo dvd-audio discs with a mix of artists, a "best-of" surround if you will. It's not only important that you play the best sounding format for the Genesis but also choose titles which were mixed well by the engineers in the studio. For a start you can look at this list of surround titles: Hi-Rez Poll
2. Sound: I know I also listed this in the "bad" section, but my complaints with the sound only were several minor annoyances. Overall the Lexicon is an great surround system for a car. The 17 speakers do an excellent job of reproducing the surround mix found on my dvd-audio discs. I've sat in all the seating positions, and no matter where I sit I'm impressed. I look forward to every time I enter the car, and long for a road trip.
3. Controls: The large control knob is easy to use and find. The controls on the steering wheel work well.
Overall I'm really enjoying my new 2012 Genesis. I've been converting over all my DVD-Audio discs to individual tracks so I can mix and match songs making my own new discs. Bluray and SACD can also be converted over to DVD-Audio which brings even more surround music to the Genesis. I think the Lexicon system has a few minor flaws such as the surround setting not staying enabled, but with the right source (dvd-audio) it blows me away at times. Also I think Hyundai needs to have a better dvd player as the disc error and layer break problems shouldn't be happening and are definitely flaws.
Custom DVD-Audio I made:
My Hyundai Genesis:
I bought my 2012 Genesis just over one month ago and feel it's time to do a review of the Lexicon sound system. Let me start off by saying I play mostly dvd-audio discs as I have little interest in XM radio, FM radio, mp3's or cd's. Dvd-Audio will get you the best sound out of this system due to it's higher bitrate and surround capabilities. I currently have more than 300 surround discs in my collection along with software which allows me to make mixed dvd-audio discs with multiple artists. Playing anything but dvd-audio is like going to a gourmet steakhouse and ordering a grilled cheese sandwich.
The Bad (most are just minor annoyances):
1. The infamous "surround" setting problem: This has been documented here before so I won't go into it too much. It's a pain to have to enable the surround setting each morning. I find with dvd-audio discs, which are already in surround, the setting doesn't do anything whether enabled or disabled. With other sources this setting definitely is an improvement so it's an annoyance to have to reset it. And by improvement I don't mean to imply it's perfect. The faux surround for stereo sources which I have on my pc with a Creative soundcard make this stereo-surround attempt seem mediocre.
2. Random Play feature: When I select this on my dvd-audio discs it takes you to a random track and begins playback from there. Not truly a random play as it will play track#8, 9, 10 etc. To me random would be to play track #8 followed by 3, 10, 7 etc...you know, random.
3. Track names: Within the dvd-audio specs is the ability to display track names. With the Genesis this isn't enabled so the tracks only show as Track #1, Track #2 etc. Not good if you want to look for a certain song title.
4. Sound: With XM it can sound a bit tinny at times due to the low bitrate. The bass on the sound system is a little lacking to begin with. I also wish the center channel was a little better than it is, as some of my surround mixes which have the vocals tied to the center channel often have the vocals get lost in the mix. I find that I pump up the bass settings and move the surround to the back 3 notches. I wish there were more controls such as bumping up the center a bit.
5. Storage: This isn't a criticism of the Lexicon system but rather the lack of storage space in the center console for my dvd-audio discs. They simply won't fit because of the larger cases they come in. This means inserting the discs into paper sleeves to place in the center console or putting them in the glove box.
6. Playback: With my dvd-audio discs sometimes they get a "disc error" message. This doesn't happen often and usually ejecting the disc and re-inserting solves the problem. Also with dual layer discs I've made the player has trouble at the layer break on the disc. This happens with all my dual layer discs. It will either skip 1-2 songs entirely at the layer break, or with one it ends up playing two songs at once and then skips the next two songs! Hmmm, very annoying!
The Good
1. DVD-Audio: It's always been a dream of mine to have a car which played my surround sound discs. DVD-Audio is lossless and really shines on the Lexicon system. If you're not enjoying DVD-Audio then you're missing out on the best this system can sound. I've made several demo dvd-audio discs with a mix of artists, a "best-of" surround if you will. It's not only important that you play the best sounding format for the Genesis but also choose titles which were mixed well by the engineers in the studio. For a start you can look at this list of surround titles: Hi-Rez Poll
2. Sound: I know I also listed this in the "bad" section, but my complaints with the sound only were several minor annoyances. Overall the Lexicon is an great surround system for a car. The 17 speakers do an excellent job of reproducing the surround mix found on my dvd-audio discs. I've sat in all the seating positions, and no matter where I sit I'm impressed. I look forward to every time I enter the car, and long for a road trip.
3. Controls: The large control knob is easy to use and find. The controls on the steering wheel work well.
Overall I'm really enjoying my new 2012 Genesis. I've been converting over all my DVD-Audio discs to individual tracks so I can mix and match songs making my own new discs. Bluray and SACD can also be converted over to DVD-Audio which brings even more surround music to the Genesis. I think the Lexicon system has a few minor flaws such as the surround setting not staying enabled, but with the right source (dvd-audio) it blows me away at times. Also I think Hyundai needs to have a better dvd player as the disc error and layer break problems shouldn't be happening and are definitely flaws.
Custom DVD-Audio I made:
My Hyundai Genesis:
