Do you remember the factory radios and speaker systems from the 1970s? They were nothing more than a hole in the cockpit with wide band speakers fitted underneath. A lot has changed since then. This is due in no small measure to the efforts of one company: HARMAN International. Thanks to many years of experience and intensive research and development work, HARMAN is now in the fast lane. With high-end brands like HARMAN Kardon®, Mark Levinson®, Lexicon®, Infinity®, JBL and JBL® Professional®, HARMAN is not just the world’s biggest supplier of branded audio systems to the automotive industry, but also a driving force for innovation in the industry.
You can find out more about our automotive brand partnerships, technology and innovations on the following microsites:
Lexus | Mercedes-Benz | BMW | MINI | Toyota | Hyundai | Subaru | Harley-Davidson
Longstanding Brand Partner of Leading Automobile Manufacturers
Today’s highly mobile society is spending more and more time in its cars. The fact is that the car is often the only place where people still have enough time to relax and enjoy listening to music. This of course means that our expectations in relation to sound quality while on the move have increased. Whether on CD or DVD, in stereo or 5.1 surround sound, there is no doubt that music arouses emotions and enhances the driving experience.
Automotive manufacturers have recognized this fact and have chosen HARMAN International as a competent partner in meeting this complex task. HARMAN developed the first automobile loudspeaker system and built it into cars as early as 1953. The first JBL® sound system followed in 1985. HARMAN can thus look back on 60 years of experience – a major advantage.
Leading car manufacturers throughout the world, such as BMW, Ferrari, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Rolls-Royce and Toyota, value the authentic sound offered by HARMAN thanks to its tailor-made audio systems using groundbreaking technology. They trust in the passion for music, the resulting innovative strength, the striving for top-class performance and the high quality standards of HARMAN Automotive Division. They value the company’s in-depth acoustic expertise in the automotive, consumer and professional areas, the transfer of competencies beyond the HARMAN company groups and the system expertise available to them to incorporate in their own development process. After all, in addition to brand image and brand value, there are other decisive issues in the complex automotive environment that play a vital role in achieving success: Years of experience, intensive development work at an early stage, overall systems expertise and strength in innovation.
Intensive Development Partnership
HARMAN is convinced that in order to achieve an optimum sound experience, each car manufacturer and each model of car must be given a tailor-made audio system. A clearly defined quality and auditory standard exists, not just a uniform sound. This top-level individuality can be guaranteed by closely consulting with the HARMAN sound specialists in the design phase while a car is still under development. Development work for a sound system should ideally begin a good three years before the market launch of a new model. As soon as the architecture and system content have been defined for the respective audio brand as well as the type of loudspeakers and amplifiers, the number, size, and position of the loudspeakers are defined and agreed with the relevant specialist departments of the manufacturer. Given the fact that surrounding components and materials can have a dramatic impact on the sound inside the vehicle, our audio specialists begin working with the vehicle manufacturer during the initial design phase for a new car in order to develop a customized solution for each model.
Overall System Competency & Transfer of Competency
Automobile customers benefit decisively from the profound experience of HARMAN Automotive Division in all aspects of infotainment, as well as its many years of competency when it comes to system integration. In addition, thanks to the intensive cooperation between the acoustic engineers across the three business areas of the HARMAN Group, it is also possible to access the technology from the professional and consumer divisions. This opens up a completely new level of creativity, stability and quality.
Technological Superiority
Research and development are a primary concern at HARMAN. Highly qualified developers and passionate musicians are constantly at work in the Automobile Department, producing forward-looking technology for cars. HARMAN technology is ahead of its time - from multi-channel surround sound, amplifiers and loudspeakers to virtual acoustics.
For example, Logic 7, Discrete Logic 7 and the latest QuantumLogic technology have doubtless set a new standard in acoustic precision and authenticity when reproducing stereo and 5.1 recordings, contributing to a completely new in-car surround sound experience.
HARMAN also sets the tone for loudspeaker technology: The range extends from three-layer metal matrix speakers and Alumaprene speakers made from specially developed polymers, innovative EDPL (Electro Dynamic Planar Loudspeaker) sound transducers and high quality carbonfiber woofers to highly efficient GreenEdge® speakers.
The energy-efficient GreenEdge® sound systems are an historic development. This revolutionary technology meets the highest demands in terms of excellent sound, while at the same time featuring a much-reduced lightweight design and requiring minimum energy. The Class D amplifier with HARMAN output end stages achieves efficiency of over 90 percent compared with 35 to 50 percent in conventional models. In addition, the acoustic transparency and dynamic response have also been significantly improved in comparison with conventional systems.
In recent years we have also invested in the area of ‘virtual acoustics’ in order to further optimize sound quality. We already have the ability to simulate vehicle acoustics using vehicle CAD data. The major advantage here is that acoustic problems can be identified and resolved at an early stage, and the first sound coordination process can be initiated even before a prototype exists.