Throughout this process of developing the Road EQ function, the thing that really impressed me was how sensitive our brains and ears are, and what complicated processing they do and how they are able to that instantaneously. For a machine to accurately simulate these processes, the cost was too prohibitive to install in a product when we started out. So one of the first hurdles we faced was to reduce the cost of equipping a product with the technology. To that end, in our development we gained more than thirty patents. We also came across problems in which the playback sound became unnatural if compensation is made for the sound of trucks running alongside the car, the sound of an ambulance siren, or even conversations inside the car, since the response of the Road EQ follows those sounds as well. A more natural playback could be realized by programming the device to ignore such sounds.
It can be said that Road EQ possesses an intelligent, ‘thinking’ ear, in which the device is constantly judging the kinds of noise in the car, and determining what kinds of adjustment and compensation are needed for each case, so that music playback can be heard and perceived naturally. This is something that humans do without thinking.
I believe that among car manufacturers and car audio makers, there is no other technological function and acoustic research that so thoroughly investigated the issue of road noise and in-cabin sound and pursued the solution. I am proud as an engineer that it could be installed in our new AlpineF#1Status system and I am certain that customers will be fully satisfied with the sound quality. In fact, I’ve gotten evaluations from my engineer friends that once they turn Road EQ on, they cannot listen to music with the function turned off. I hope that more people can experience for themselves the astonishing effect of hearing music inside the car without the disturbing effects of road noise. |
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