GENEVA INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW – HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE:HAR), the premier connected technologies company for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, is showcasing for the first time in Europe its latest Car Audio innovations at Geneva International Motor Show 2016. Drawing from its 60-plus years of experience in acoustic design and signal processing, as well as proven technologies from each of its four divisions, HARMAN is demonstrating two new breakthrough solutions – the Summit car audio platform and the seamless, scalable Voyager Drive lifestyle audio solution. Both solutions build on the principles of personalization and adaptability to create unprecedented in-cabin audio experiences for today’s consumers and leverage next-generation connectivity capabilities to provide reduced costs and future proof features to OEMs.

The significance of in-car audio continues to grow as our vehicles increasingly become connected hubs for our everyday lives. With improved connectivity and access to expanded in-vehicle content, consumers expect more, challenging automakers to provide consistently new audio experiences within the traditional limitations of the vehicle cabin. HARMAN’s Summit platform and Voyager Drive system leverage technologies from across HARMAN’s Lifestyle Audio, Connected Car, Connected Services and Professional Solutions divisions to shatter the boundaries of conventional automotive audio offerings in ways that have never been seen before, enabling an entirely new menu of in-car experiences that are updatable and upgradable over the lifetime of the car.

“Automakers recognize that premium audio can be an effective way to differentiate their vehicles and appeal to new customers, and they are looking for next-generation features that go beyond traditional sound reproduction,” said Michael Mauser, President of the HARMAN Lifestyle Audio Division. “With our industry-leading technology solutions across a range of categories, HARMAN is uniquely positioned to deliver this level of innovation and experience. We are redefining the concept of automotive audio as adaptive and tailored to each individual in ways never before possible and, for the first time, we are extending these experiences beyond the vehicle to seamlessly connect music to more elements of consumers’ daily lives.”

Summit: The Pinnacle of Car Audio Perfection

HARMAN’s Summit Car Audio solution, a new modular, automotive hardware and connected software platform, offers HARMAN's highest level of acoustic performance coupled with cutting edge expandable features. Powered by HARMAN’s innovative System-On-Chip (SoC) strategy -- a first for in-car audio -- Summit gives automakers the freedom of a truly scalable system strategy with up to 10 times the signal processing capability of conventional amplifiers. While minimizing part complexity, automakers can give consumers an ever-expanding array of new and more personalized in-car experiences that are seamlessly upgradable via digital storefronts and companion apps.

Developed for luxury to ultra-luxury vehicle segments, Summit provides an ultra-premium listening experience capable of more than 24 individual channels of amplification and equalization, while simultaneously delivering an expandable set of advanced, proprietary HARMAN DSP-based technologies. This level of complexity and processing power would traditionally require four to five DSPs and microcontrollers, but with Summit, it is reduced to a single chip – significantly more cost effective and more easily tailored for OEM needs.

Summit Car Audio also enables a scalable, advanced array of smart audio features that tailor the cabin to each individual’s preferences and needs through personalized, connected and adaptive experiences:

Personalized: HARMAN proprietary algorithms and processing bring a new level of interactivity and customization to the in-cabin experience:

• Individual Sound Zones, HARMAN’s groundbreaking in-cabin technology that enables drivers and passengers to personalize their own audio experiences with limited disruption or interference from other vehicle occupants, providing for virtual, simultaneous, in-car entertainment systems.
• Quantum Logic Immersion surround sound with Immersion Control, a high-end theatre quality surround sound experience that can be precisely customized to fit your preferences, from zero to 360 degrees and everything in between.
• Personal Bass Impact, employing invisible seat transducers and proprietary tuning and customization capabilities for deep stirring bass that you can feel as well as hear.
• Connected Juke Box, a new way to share music that uses multiple device connections to allow every passenger to add their favorite tracks to the drive playlist, in real time, directly from their seat.

Connected: HARMAN’s Redbend OTA technology and advanced DSP algorithms enable real-time updates to features and tunings during development and post-purchase:

• Virtual Venues, which acoustically transports vehicle occupants and their favorite artists into a continuously expanding selection of celebrated performance spaces from around the globe, 
• Dirac Unison, an advanced sound optimization technology from HARMAN partner Dirac, transforms the physical speakers in the vehicle cabin into virtual ideal speakers that the audio tuning engineers can use to achieve their target acoustic response in all the listening positions at the same time.

Adaptive: HARMAN technologies work to improve the overall in-vehicle sound experience for driver and passengers alike to create a more comfortable and enjoyable cabin environment:

• Clari-Fi music restoration technology, which restores a rich, clear listening experience to compressed digital music files.

• Road Noise Cancellation, designed to eliminate unwanted noise induced in the cabin while driving over rough road surfaces, improving the overall in-vehicle sound experience for driver and passengers alike to create a more comfortable and enjoyable cabin environment.
• Engine Order Cancellation, which uses active noise cancellation technology to reduce the drone and rumble induced by the engine in the car cabin.

HARMAN’s Summit solution gives automakers the ability to future-proof their vehicles for simpler management and maintenance by taking advantage of the first of its kind connected amplifier and SoC model, allowing for easy upgrades throughout the vehicle lifecycle, while also opening up new revenue streams through Over-the-Air (OTA) updates via OEM app stores. Whether listening to a jazz legend perform at an iconic New York club, engaging every passenger to fuel the drive soundtrack, or finding refuge in a fully adaptive, 360 degree musical experience, HARMAN's Summit Car Audio solution unlocks a new level of multi-sensory audio experiences that are more personalized, connected and adaptive than anything on the road today.

Voyager Drive: Expanding the Landscape for Premium Audio

Also shown for the first time in Europe is the Voyager Drive solution, a revolutionary, full-range portable Bluetooth speaker system personalized to fit consumers’ on-the-go lifestyles in and out of their vehicle. Designed specifically with today’s always-connected consumers and music lovers in mind, Voyager Drive is a unique lifestyle audio system that pops into and out of the vehicle dashboard to seamlessly follow consumers from their car, to the house, the beach, campsite, or anywhere else their journey may take them.

A completely new approach to in-vehicle audio, Voyager Drive brings branded car audio to new markets with the first-of-its-kind scalable, versatile audio system designed specifically for entry-segment vehicles.  Leapfrogging the constraints of traditional door speaker and head unit architectures, Voyager Drive gives OEMs the ability to offer cost-effective and low-complexity branded audio solutions for this fast-growing segment as well as for emerging markets, making lifestyle audio available to customers that previously have not had access. What’s more, Voyager Drive’s Bluetooth connectivity allows for Over-the-Air (OTA) content updates to ensure that the latest entertainment options are always accessible and up to date.

Voyager Drive is designed to appeal to the fast growing segment of young consumers who demand portability and personalization without compromising quality. On its own, Voyager Drive provides a best-in-class listening experience to entry segment vehicles through a detachable wireless speaker and six dynamic in-dash speakers. The system can be expanded at any time with the addition of Voyager Drive+, a removable car bass box that functions as a full-range portable audio system in and out of your vehicle. 

In addition, the Voyager Drive lifestyle audio system offers a host of advanced technologies that connect your music to your life and enhance your on-the-go lifestyle in ways never before possible, including:

• Wide, immersive, size-defying sound made possible by Dirac Panorama sound stage technology for an improved in-vehicle listening experience;
• Built-in speakerphone functionality with advanced microphones and SoundClear® echo noise cancellation technology so your calls come through loud, clear and hands-free.

With its combination of advanced technologies only a company like HARMAN can provide, Voyager Drive truly shifts the traditional car audio paradigm to bring branded lifestyle audio to an entirely new segment of vehicles.