Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- đ Dirac and Trèves unveiled groundbreaking technology using a Tesla Model Y at the IAA Mobility Show in Germany.
- đ Trèves’ Sonified technology, combined with Dirac OPTEO tuning, is set to transform the future of car cabins.
- đś The technology features a unique exciter design that manipulates sounds through synthesizing harmonics, providing a distinct audio experience.
- đ Trèves’ eXciter design, unlike traditional audio exciters, is integrated into soft trim instead of hard surfaces, eliminating rattling and creating better audio quality.
- đď¸ The eXciter also changes how sound is released, allowing the source of sound to be closer to the ear without being directional, opening up possibilities for innovative cabin designs.
- đŁď¸ Trèves and Dirac plan to collaborate on another Tesla vehicle for CES 2024, further exploring the potential of this technology for the automotive industry.
During the IAA Mobility Show this year in Germany, Dirac and Trèves showcased revolutionary technology using a Tesla Model Y. Trèvesâ new Sonified technology paired with Dirac OPTEO tuning teased the future of the car cabin at the event in Munich.Â
The Tesla Model Yâs journey with Trèvesâ Sonified technology starts with a unique exciter design. Audio exciters are audio processing tools that manipulate sounds through synthesizing harmonics/harmonic distortion, usually in the high-frequency range. The new design was so exciting, Mark Cooperâ Trèves Sr. VP of Global Sales and Product Linesâjoked with Teslarati that the company considered spelling everything with a capital âXâ as in eXciter.
Cooper knew Trèves developed something special with its new eXciter. Ironically, exciters arenât that exciting in the automotive audio realmâdespite their names. It would take someone with experience to realize the potential of Trèvesâ unique eXciter design. Enter Dirac.
Hendrik Herman, Diracâs Automotive Sales Manager, shared his first experience and initial shock with Trèves Sonified technology.
âAnd so at one point, you know, we met, and I had the chance to listen to one of the demo cars in an earlier revision. And I need to admit [I] was a bit biased because exciters, in essence, have been around for audio reproduction in the past. But they never excited anyoneâto be honestâbecause the performance back in the days or by, letâs say, competitors out thereâsetups that we had seen over the last maybe five to 10 yearsâsimply were not what you were looking for.
âSo as I said, I was very biased first meeting with Mike and team about, you know, having exciters, and I was like, âYeah, well, not the exciter story again.â But then I was astonished and surprised [at] how well it was working. I mean, it was perfectly integrated. And it was a completely different experience,â Herman told us.
WHAT IS SO DIFFERENT ABOUT THE TRĂVES EXCITER?
So what actually makes the Trèves eXciter revolutionary? Essentially, Trèves reimagined the design of an audio exciterâsort of like Tesla reimagined the idea of a car to develop its electric vehicles todayâand started from the ground up.
âThe head of innovation was working with a friend on what [we could] do with these fabulous exciters but differently. And thatâs what weâve done: basically, rather than have the exciter stuck on a piece of hard trim that rattles, itâs inside the soft trim. And thatâs where itâs easy to understand the difference: soft trim doesnât rattle,â Cooper shared.
The difference between Trèvesâs eXciter design and other companiesâ designs appears to start from their perspectives. Typically, new eXciter designs would come from companies specializing in audio. They usually focused on replacing the loudspeaker with new audio exciters and placing them in the same places in cars.
Cooper explained that exciters would be placed on surfaces fixed onto car bodies with screws and pop rivets. Over time, the exciters would shake the surface, and the screws and pop rivets would come loose, resulting in a buzzing noise and terrible audio.
Trèvesâs mother company, Trev, does not specialize in audioâhardware or software. It specializes in NVH and interior trim, providing a unique perspective to audio exciters. The Trèves eXciter is decoupled from the hard surfaces of a carâs body, effectively eliminating the buzzing noises and rattling caused by regular exciters. But it doesnât end there. The redesigned eXciter also changes how sound is released, creating a new audio experience since loudspeakers were first placed in cars.
âSo whether itâs been the Dirac guys or some of the other audio specialists when theyâve heard our cars, they said it sounds different from an out speaker. And thatâs got people excited because loudspeakers have been in cars for like 50, 60 years. So we all know what they sound like,â stated Cooper.
WHATâS SO EXCITING ABOUT THE TRĂVES EXCITER?
Better sound quality is not what makes the Trèves eXciter differentâeven though it does deliver better audio. Whatâs so exciting about the Trèves eXciter is how the sound travels out of it, creating a distinct sound experience and many possibilities for cabin car designs. Cooper summed the new eXciterâs unique capability the best.
âIf you can imagine the loudspeaker, itâs [a] cone, and it creates like a column of air. And as the air moves, it makes the pressure in your ears. And thatâs how the sound is transmitted, right. So youâve got a column or a piston of air coming off the loudspeaker,â he said, guiding us through a mental experience of Trèves Sonified technology.
âWhat [Trèves does] is we have a plate of composite material, which is about the size of a hand, for example, in a headrest or under the seat. And as we move that whole surface together, the sound doesnât come up in a piston; it sort of spills over the edge.
âOkay, so the actual source of the sound is not easily identifiable. And thatâs where the audio industry is saying, for emissivity, which is exactly what Hendrik was talking about at the beginning. This is great because it allows us to put the source of the sound closer to the ear without making it directional. And thatâs whatâs got everyone so excited right now,â explained Cooper.
Trèves Sonified technology allows designers to reimagine a vehicleâs cabin since traditional loudspeakers could only be placed in certain areas of a car. The Trèves eXciter can be placed in other cabin areas, creating numerous possibilitiesâespecially for automakers seeking to create cabins with better entertainment features.
Trèves and Dirac plan to team up again on another Tesla vehicle for CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
