“More than a decade working with some of the world’s most ambitious luxury vehicle manufacturers has taught us a great deal about how best to support their accelerating drive to amazing in-car experiences,” states Meridian’s automotive business director, Paul Andrews. “As the move to EV makes cars more refined and driver assistance systems continue to reduce engagement, in-cabin experience will become a critical differentiator.”

EbM is the result of taking a hard look at what Meridian’s automotive customers need, at their in-car experience roadmaps and how they like to work with highly specialist technology partners. It brings a new way of thinking that is focused on the quality and flexibility offered by a combination of psychoacoustic analysis, innovative software and deep integration expertise alongside marketing and brand licensing support.

Meridian Audio chief executive John Buchanan says one of the fundamental pillars of EbM is that it offers a hardware independent solution. “Designing systems from a fixed portfolio of hardware can limit performance, as well as increasing weight, energy consumption, packaging volume and environmental impact. EbM is shaped to take full advantage of the most innovative software and electronics, freeing our customers from those limitations and allowing them to source components from their most trusted Tier 1 suppliers.”

The key to this approach is Meridian’s focus on control software, DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and other proprietary innovations, complemented by the expertise required to support the design and integration of new audio technology platforms. By working with EbM, vehicle manufacturers can specify a flexible, upgradeable system that allows the vehicle manufacturer to offer a wide range of specifications, from premium up to the finest in-car audio available anywhere.

Opening New Opportunities

Andrews believes that vehicle manufacturers can miss opportunities because they begin planning audio systems too late into the vehicle design phase. “Experience shows that considering system architecture and integration at the earliest stages will increase opportunities for a full range of system options, reduce the cost of implementing each option and allow higher fidelity for the most premium specifications,” he explains. “We are also seeing more vehicle manufacturers looking at system architectures that allow over-the-air monetisation. This is a really exciting time for in-cabin experience, it’s changing very quickly. We have shaped EbM to help our customers fully develop these opportunities.”

EbM Services include:

- Help to define the desired audio experience and option levels

- Help to plan the desired upgrade paths for future model revisions

- Support or lead system architecture design

- Selection and integration of the most appropriate Meridian innovations and DSP technologies

- Support efficient full system in-cabin integration

- Support the specification, design, testing and manufacture of hardware

- Equalisation of the system (complex audio system tuning)

- Support HMI design and control integration

- Brand licensing and marketing