[TSopranoNX200t]

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1091600_harman-launches-clari-fi-audio-tech-in-2015-lexus-nx



The age of digital audio is both a blessing and a curse for audiophiles. While access to music has never been better and songs can be downloaded at the tap of a thumb, digital compression means sounds really aren't as rich as they were in the good old days, when analog was at its peak.
Audio firm Harman warns that digital compression loses as much as 90 percent of the original audio content captured when a song was recorded. While much of that is outside the range of most ears, it still isn't ideal--but car shoppers opting for the newly-announced 2015 Lexus NX crossover will have a chance to get some of that back. Drivers opting for the Mark Levinson audio system will benefit from Harman's Clari-Fi technology, which claims to restore upon playback the sounds lost during audio compression.

The technology analyzes digital audio signals in real time and uses algorithms to rebuild the missing sounds during playback. Harman is at pains to point out that its system doesn't simply mask missing frequencies by boosting bass or treble, but helps restore the lost sounds as they were pre-compression. Thus, when playing your favorite track through the 14-speaker, 835-watt Mark Levinson audio system, you're getting a deeper, more colorful sound. Just as you might if you had a vinyl record slot in your dashboard... only a great deal more convenient.

 

[mojo]

Tech Hive sampled the tech way back at CES:

I previewed this technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. As I sat in a well-insulated room, nattily dressed Harman executives played an MP3 file, first in its regular, lossy form, and then with the Clari-Fi technology (then called Signal Doctor) enhancing the sound. With Clari-Fi doing its thing, the song sounded fuller and richer. I had the same experience in a demo car Harman had outfitted for the show.

Although I don't see why they cant just make normal systems compatible with FLAC files...

 

[mister]

I would certainly test out this technology before ordering my NX to see if the difference in sound quality is really that noticeable. For the extra money that they would charge you for this fancy sound system, it better be a pretty remarkable difference. I am just not going to shell out the extra money for something that I have to strain my ears in order to pick up on the subtle differences.

 

[mojo]

I would certainly test out this technology before ordering my NX to see if the difference in sound quality is really that noticeable. For the extra money that they would charge you for this fancy sound system, it better be a pretty remarkable difference. I am just not going to shell out the extra money for something that I have to strain my ears in order to pick up on the subtle differences.

its for audiophiles, if you don't have the ear its not for you. Obviously something in the research showed that either buyers in this segment have a tendency to be audiophiles or that audiophiles have a tendency to buy Lexus

 

[toyotafan]

harman makes good systems

i've heard a few of their systems in top trim lexus vehicles before

great quality.

 

[Thai]

Although I don't see why they cant just make normal systems compatible with FLAC files...

A few reasons from the top of my head:

1. FLAC takes up more space in storage than regular MP3s. Thus, to have a collection of FLAC also means that you need a storage device with substantial space. Most folks use their iPhones (or Android) via USB connection or BT. In those devices, having pure FLAC for all your music is unlikely due to space constraints. Why is this important? Well, that means that 99% of folks out there do NOT use FLAC...FLAC is a niche market/group.

2. In a car with wind and road noise (yes, even a Lexus), FLAC audio superiority will be lost. You will NOT hear a difference. There is a point of diminishing returns in a car. It is like a smartphone touting 2K display! Absolutely useless.

FLAC is for advance "audiophiles" who want to PRESERVE the original recording and want to store it. In other words, FLAC is more about preserving the original sound AFTER ripping and copying. Very few people can CONSISTENTLY hear a difference b/w FLAC and a decent MP3. And to hear this difference you really need an audio system that has no weak point...in other words, a high end audio system that consistently convey all nuances of the original recording (which FLAC provides). You can have FLAC but if you play it thru crappy headphones or crappy amplifier or crappy speakers, then you might as well play MP3 thru a Nexus 5! Often times, the limits of the audio system is far more important than MP3 vs. FLAC quality.

So, this bring back to the original point...even Mark Levinson sound system (relatively good) won't reveal the details that FLAC brings. Remember, the ML system in NX is NOT Lexus top system. Lexus best ML is found in the uber high end models, such as LS460 and LX570...thus, called "Reference" sound system. So, you're getting a 2nd tier ML system. (Don't get me wrong, 2nd tier ML system is better than most other car audio systems by other manufacturer.)

A car audio system has MANY weak points (cheap speaker quality, esp over time, amplifiers that are fairly crude, and horrible reflections, etc.)...then you add in wind and road noise...making FLAC fairly useless.

I would certainly test out this technology before ordering my NX to see if the difference in sound quality is really that noticeable. For the extra money that they would charge you for this fancy sound system, it better be a pretty remarkable difference. I am just not going to shell out the extra money for something that I have to strain my ears in order to pick up on the subtle differences.

This is where CLARI-FI comes in...it gives you a boost in frequencies to "preserve" the original track. I still believe that this is just another LOUDNESS or road noise compensation algorithms...probably more advance calculations. I am all for it. Why not? There is no doubt that the NX ML system will sound better than base system. And usually, Lexus charges about $1000 for the ML system...and for $1000, you won't be able to get an aftermarket system that can come close to it. (Yes, i know that ML system often times gets bundled with other [useless] stuff.)

 

[toyotafan]

that last part is the killer

to get the mark levinson system you usually have to get the tech package which comes with a whop load of other stuff you dont really want and costs a pretty huge penny

 

[Thai]

that last part is the killer

to get the mark levinson system you usually have to get the tech package which comes with a whop load of other stuff you dont really want and costs a pretty huge penny

BUT, if NX is priced like IS then if you get F-sport package (in USA), then Mark Levinson is a $1000 or so option. So, for most folks who will be getting NX200t, F-Sport pkg is usually selected...in which case, ML system is another $1000.

 

[toyotafan]

yea but once you price out a f sport package.. it gets super pricey

 

[Thai]

yea but once you price out a f sport package.. it gets super pricey

But, who would get NX200t and NOT get F-package?????!!!!

 

[toyotafan]

i might.. i dont want to spend so much i could have just stepped up for a RX350.

 

[NXorable]

I found a great article today about this technology:


http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/...20141209&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly


According to Pierce Clari-Fi is currently available in JBL home sound systems, Lexus RC and NX models as well as Kia’s Sorento crossover; it’s also included in the HTC One smartphone available from Sprint.

 

[NXT]

Not bad at all
I was always a fan of them and JBL audio systems, throughout my experience they have proved to be great performing speakers.