HARMAN delivers special JBL sound for smart showcars
HARMAN cooperated with smart and X-Dream Car Audio, a German tuning company, to transform two smart fortwo into genuine “boom boxes”
Karlsbad – May 13, 2015 – HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, the premier audio, infotainment and software services company, is widely known for its love of technological challenges. And in the automotive audio industry, few things are more challenging than to get an audio system in a small car to sound great. That is why HARMAN and JBL have created the JBL audio systems for the current smart fortwo and forfour. The system in the fortwo features eight speakers with 240 W, the system in the forfour features twelve speakers with 320 W. Both systems set new standards for compact-car audio and are tailor-made for the narrow dimensions of the smart models. Due to refined sound processing and elaborate audio architecture, the passengers feel like sitting in a much bigger car, as the sound is able to spread through the interior homogeneously and harmoniously. Also, as space is at a premium in the smart, JBL and smart made the subwoofer removable to extend the trunk volume when drivers need to load extra baggage: a clever solution that is a perfect fit with the smart driving experience.
But even global companies want to have a little fun now and then – so a whole new project was born. “This project gives us the possibility to have fun with our regular aftermarket solutions. To speak frankly, it is actually quite ridiculous how much audio technology we have been able to fit into these small cars,” explains Michael Mauser, President Lifestyle Division HARMAN. “The results are two absolutely fantastic and breathtaking audio monsters on wheels.”
In cooperation with German tuning company X-Dream Car Audio (http://www.xdreamcaraudio.de/), two smart fortwo cars’ interiors were completely stripped to create the ultimate fun sound experience in a small car. The whole interior was rebuilt from scratch, with a completely isolated cabin, 100m cables, a customisable RGB ambient lighting for the interior as well as the underbody, and controls for lighting and audio processing. But the heart of the two smart cars is definitely the audio system: fitted into custom-made plates, a top-of-the-line JBL sound system was integrated. Eight JBL GTO 609C loudspeakers, 2,460 W output, 5,720 W peak, four 12-inch subwoofers, and five JBL amplifiers for maximum power output – creating a maximum sound pressure level of 150 dB.
Each modification took 650 hours to complete, but it was definitely worth the wait. Building on the standard form factor, the showcars were transformed into handcrafted high-end sound monsters.
Both cars are currently showcased at the X-Dream Car Audio facility in Markgröningen, near Stuttgart, Germany, but they will be presented at several other events all over Europe. For more information, please go to: www.harman-presskit.com
Press Contact
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Nick Bailey
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e: nick@elan-pr.com
About HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for consumers, automakers, and enterprises worldwide, including audio, visual and infotainment systems; enterprise automation solutions; and software services. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® , Mark Levinson ® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. HARMAN also is a technology and integration services leader for the Automotive, Mobile, Telecommunications and Enterprise markets. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. The Company’s software solutions power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated, personalized, adaptive and secure across all platforms, from the work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 25,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $5.9 billion during the last 12 months ended March 31, 2015. The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.
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