Harman International, a Samsung Electronics subsidiary, has continued its partnership with Renault, with a Harman Kardon premium sound system featuring in the French auto maker’s recently launched Scenic E-Tech.
Initially unveiled at the German motor show IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich, Germany, last September, the Scenic E-Tech is an all-electric family car. The Harman Kardon sound system features an upgraded setup of nine high-performance speakers, including single voice coil woofers in the front doors for improved performance in upper mid-range frequencies.
An external coupled subwoofer (ECS) has also been implemented in an attempt to reduce the weight and volume of the subwoofer enclosure, while also delivering low-distortion bass reproduction. Combined with an eight-channel DSP digital amplifier with a total output of 410W, the speaker can deliver the full frequency range at any volume level.
The sound system also integrates advanced audio functions and technologies such as vehicle speed compensation, virtual center technology for a stable, well-defined soundstage, and Harman’s patented QuantumLogic Surround (QLS) algorithm. The QLS is designed to separate input sources and split them into individual streams and speakers to create immersive surround sound with a unique staging.
Passengers can also choose from five sound ambiences to suit their personal preferences – Studio, Concert, Podcast, Immersion and Club.
For the Scenic E-Tech electric, the designers used the same solution found in the Megane E-Tech electric, with the tweeter grilles mirroring the 60° pattern of the slash of the Harman Kardon brand logo.
Greg Sikora, senior director of global acoustic systems engineering at Harman, said, “With 70 years in audio engineering and acoustic design, we go beyond a simple reproduction of music as we want the Harman Kardon sound system to reveal all the nuances of finely tuned sound. In this, we benefited from Renault’s collaboration with Jean-Michel Jarre, with whom we have developed together the direction for the sound tuning of the Scenic E-Tech electric.”
