Hauppauge, N.Y. – VOXX subsidiary
Audiovox Electronics pledged to bring high-end sound quality to basic factory
car audio systems by adding a 12-volt version of Digital Power Station (DPS)
technology to the factory systems that it makes.
Audiovox also said it is
considering a DPS introduction in the car audio aftermarket.
The company signed a letter of
intent to become the exclusive U.S. distributor of DPS technology designed and
patented by Tony Bongiovi, the sound engineer and record producer for Bongiovi
Acoustics. Automotive DPS delivers high-end quality by “digitally remastering
the audio signal in real time, effectively compensating for the acoustical
deficiencies of the vehicle and optimizing the program material for playback in
the vehicle,” Audiovox said. DPS modules, designed and tuned for an individual
vehicle, provide automakers “with the ability to take a basic factory sound
system and dramatically improve the audio quality, ostensibly delivering sound
normally found on much higher-end, step up systems, “Audiovox said.
On its web site, Bongiovi points
out that “all vehicles have unique acoustic properties such as speaker
placement and passenger compartment design. Bongiovi Acoustics engineers use
these characteristics to provide the optimum listening experience.” The site
also describes the technology as extending the frequency response of the
speakers, maximizing “the frequency-specific power distribution of your
head-unit’s amplifier, and compensating “for any inherent volume differences
that may exist between audio sources or program material.”
Bongiovi Acoustics, based in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., licenses another form of its DPS active digital
signal-processing technology for use in home audio products. iHome uses that
technology in its tabletop audio products to improve the sound quality of
compressed music formats. That technology is said by Bongiovi to compensate for
the loss of material in compressed music by extending audio bandwidth and
adding missing harmonics to “improve brightness, clarity and presence” and
“deliver deeper, more resonant bass and crystal clear highs.”
Audiovox licensed the automotive
technology through Ontario-based AVG Group, which is Bongiovi’s global DPS
licensing and product development partner in the automotive business. AVG Group
supplies style, safety, convenience, comfort, infotainment, wireless
communication and audio products to the North American arms of Japanese and
Korean automakers such as Toyota, Kia, Hyundai and Nissan. The accessories are
installed at factory, port of importation, and at the distributor and dealer
levels.
