Investigation of Factors Influencing Vehicle Audio Speaker Locations for Better Sound Quality and Spread

The NVH performance of today's automobiles has been improved to levels where common user can easily perceive the issues related to sound quality inside the passenger compartment. With NVH development resulting in quieter and quieter driving conditions, the importance of better acoustic in car-entertainment has been improved by 2-3 notches. The focus of this paper is further concentrated on the methodology to evaluate and optimize speaker location in a MPV.

The speaker location was optimized for its location inside passenger compartment and its mounting characteristics. Two different configurations of speaker fitment locations for different seating patterns were tested in vehicle. Frequency Response Function and sound quality parameters were measured experimentally and calculated using sound quality algorithm respectively. The optimal position of speaker location is then determined by analyzing the data for a) uninterrupted reach of the signal to all passenger locations throughout its frequency range. b) Noise contamination of the source because of reflections from nearby interior components. c) Influence of support stiffness on the source contamination.

The evaluation methodology was established as a standard practice for using on different vehicles for speaker location optimization.