Hyundai delivers soft luxury in high-tech Equus

Enfolded in the 2014 Hyundai Equus’ luxurious cabin, enjoying the soft air suspension ride and rolling down the freeway with the help of adaptive cruise control, I had a moment, a joyous upwelling I could feel in my chest brought on by the music pouring out of the car’s stereo. It was the song “Lua,” off the “Dark Was the Night” compilation, deep tones from an acoustic guitar opening the way for Gillian Welch’s rich vocals.

I like this album for its variety, and play it a lot. But rarely do the tracks give me the kind of sensation I experienced in the Equus. Chalk that up to the car’s Lexicon audio system, 17 speakers powered by 598 watts of peak amplification. The guitar was so clear, and the vocals so present, that I had the kind of feeling I would get from being close to the stage at a small venue. A few tracks later, I was equally blown away by Antony singing the Bob Dylan track, “I Was Young When I Left Home.”

I fed the stereo music, using sources ranging from Bluetooth streaming to a USB drive to an iPhone cabled to the car, and received unrelenting enjoyment from its audio output. Midranges were particularly impressive for their richness and clarity, while treble came though clearly without sounding shrill. Bass notes were palpable but soft around the edges, as the system seemed to temper its output so as not to give anything approaching discomfort to the listener.