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PeaceFar9770 t1_iy34y9c wrote

Would like to know what they sound like? Do they have any bass? Or would they be tinny.

468

zenith_industries t1_iy34yf0 wrote

As a bit of an audiophile I’m not entirely convinced that the quality of the sound would be any good - but I’d be keen to be proven wrong.

40

dryingsocks t1_iy350uh wrote

I don't really see why there needs to be a special space-saving design where there's plenty of space for speakers, what else would you put there?

32

criminalsunrise t1_iy35exp wrote

Oh God, imagine the vibrations of various parts. As a former auto-audiophile, the amount of time and money I had to spend putting sound deadening in places makes me feel like this is a really bad idea

58

APlayerHater t1_iy35kqt wrote

Finally a speaker made out of the same material that navy seals are.

18

TrippTrappTrinn t1_iy35opg wrote

Flat panel speakers are nothing new. Dayton Audio (https://www.daytonaudio.com/topic/excitersbuyerguide) sell exciters you can put on any surface to make it into a loudspeaker. The sound quality highly depend on the material you put it on. As a general rule, do not expect high quality sound unless the material is optimal. There are several videos on Youtube which demonstrate them. A great one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC814uQjlaE&t=1562s&ab_channel=AmplifyDIY

The news from LG is that they apparently have designed a new type of exciter. Do not expect miracles.

136

tu_Vy t1_iy36bgy wrote

r/UnexpectedApostrophe

−2

FallofftheMap t1_iy37luh wrote

Think forward. Speakers complicate aerodynamics, sound proofing, and add weight where you do not want weight. Cars are just drones that don’t know how to fly yet. We’ll all want to be wrapped in the most aerodynamic space and weight conscious vehicles possible, because it’s going to be a balance between comfort, range, and economics.

−19

timg528 t1_iy38aro wrote

Weight is the only valid argument here, and even then you're talking a miniscule fraction of the total vehicle's weight. As long as crumple zones are mandated, there will always be room for speakers (think between the outer and inner panels of doors. Soundproofing is more for road/vehicle noise and will tend to be on the outer panel of any body section.

14

ofimmsl t1_iy38fjb wrote

Everyone can see it. The powers that be use these things as a test. Everyone who says they see it, instead of playing along, is a threat to the social order and will be eliminated

173

FallofftheMap t1_iy38oym wrote

I couldn’t disagree more. Weight and space required for things like speakers complicate an engineer’s job, requiring compromises. Crumple zones require empty space to crumple. They don’t work properly if they smash a speaker into your kneecap. There are huge advantages to minimizing the space required by the most space wasteful components of vehicles, and speakers are obvious low hanging fruit.

−10

Tebasaki t1_iy3a798 wrote

I remember this decades ago. Didn't work well back then.

6

timg528 t1_iy3a7bs wrote

A speaker is an insignificant intrusion into a crumple zone and no engineer cares about a speaker going into your knee. Speakers themselves are already pretty thin to the point where if it's going to happen, you've got larger issues based on the fact that a 6.5" speaker is around 2.5" deep, held together by paper, and weighs around 2lb.

As for weight, these will save at most 35lbs (assuming a heavy set of speakers at 50lbs total and the fact that these are only 70% lighter) on a 2000-6000lb vehicle.

If anything, these would get put into flat panel TVs, but a car? There's too much dead space behind nearly every panel to justify it.

Finally, keep in mind, we've had flat panel speakers for decades, and this isn't the first article to proclaim their use in cars.

https://europe.autonews.com/article/20071001/ANE/70928002/carmakers-start-to-tap-flat-panel-speakers

15

caiusto t1_iy3ah8x wrote

I think Sony has a system of speakers that do something similar, they're capable of making surround audio and you feel like there's Audio coming from behind even when there's no speaker behind you, it's kinda crazy.

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Jedmeltdown t1_iy3blno wrote

Funny. We’re making cars better when we should be weaning ourselves of fossil fuels.

−3

funkle1102 t1_iy3c6ex wrote

I used to have a speaker called the base egg that was essentially the same thing

1

DADBODGOALS t1_iy3cjwj wrote

It's a Vogon Public Address system...

10

EntMe t1_iy3daon wrote

Eh... These aren't producing much in the low freq. spectrum where most of those issues occur. I'm imagining it inside the headrest. As with most things, how it's used matters as much or more than what's being used.

14

alt4614 t1_iy3dw77 wrote

He elaborated that he’s thinking ahead, thinking abstract. That the end goal is always space and weight saving. Space saved on the inside will translate to design on the outside. And he’s not wrong.

There’s a reason your laptop uses coin sized fans and speakers

10

Edwardc4gg t1_iy3evib wrote

Invisible but she’s holding it. Weird John cena noises.

1

shouldbebabysitting t1_iy3fy1x wrote

Except speakers are smaller than the empty space already required to exist in cars.

You have to have front crumple zones and side windows that go up and down. That leaves empty space which is filled by speakers. Switching to a smaller speaker doesn't change the space required for a door window. (Because the door window doesn't and can't fill the entire door frame when lowered.)

The front crumple zones leaves space under the windshield in the dashboard. This is unused space that can't be filled with anything massive. But speakers are mostly thin metal and paper. So they can go into crumple zones where nothing else can.

A smaller speaker means more empty space inside the frame. It can't save space.

15

Seiren- t1_iy3g2gv wrote

Is it just a really thin speaker?

2

Verying t1_iy3hibq wrote

We are not all interested in aerodynamics.

Myself, for example, just wants a ride. Made a crazy sudden move and had to give my truck away. I miss you, you mud covered red farm dumpster

−1

mrswordhold t1_iy3hn6i wrote

They’ve been around for fucking ages, who cares

7

Thathappenedearlier t1_iy3i2w8 wrote

They do they also have the ht-a9 system which you can place 4 speakers at any height and any spacing as long as they have a general 4 corner layout and they calculate how to make sound and they call it a virtual 12 speakers

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FilthyAmbition t1_iy3j0b5 wrote

LG continues to just throw spaghetti at a wall and hope it sticks. Thought they would of learned something from their phones

1

alt4614 t1_iy3jb1m wrote

>Except speakers are smaller than the empty space already required to exist in cars.

OP was referring to abstract concept of “vehicles as drones”, the future….and you continue to reference the engineering requirements and crumple zones in your 2022 Toyota.

−5

king_zulufo t1_iy3jr4w wrote

If I'm understanding these speakers correctly this is just old tech being rehyped under a new brand. They're basically normal speakers but replace the "black circle paper resonator disc"(idk it's real name) with a suction cup. And now you can stick it to any surface and just resonate that be to make your sound... it sounds like absolute shit on %95 of surfaces. It turns out most objects have very clear resonating frequencies and every time the speaker would play those It would be much louder making it sound very tinny.

I could definitely see a company adding a microcontroller and microphone to try and real time create an equalizer to mitigate this, and it might work and might be what was done here.

Also there is a YouTube channel called tech ingredients. The main guy like to talk long and dry but he gives out good info. He did a video where he took super cheap resinator speaks and tested a bunch of different materials and shapes of what to stick it to for the best inexpensive sound. Resulting in an amazing tutorial on how to make loud diy very high-fi speakers for about 30$

https://youtu.be/zdkyGDqU7xA

3

chomperchuck t1_iy3kf2d wrote

Now if they just add it their Televisions......

1

Youthanizer t1_iy3kwsb wrote

> A lot of younger folks don't care about audio quality

I think its also the fact that most easily accessible listening devices are shit. Cheap earphones that come with your phone or that you can purchase easily? Shit in 90% of cases. Want wireless buds for under $200? Shit once again.

You can get good audio quality for an affordable price, but you have to be into the hobby to even learn about it. I wouldn't even blame it on lossy Bluetooth protocols, it's more about the shitty V-shaped sound signatures.

−9

timg528 t1_iy3ls8i wrote

Well, the key word in my post was *set* as in multiple speakers.

I also assumed a large *set* of speakers and assumed a heavier than average speaker to show that the weight savings, even at the high end, is insignificant in terms of total vehicle weight.

0

tpneocow t1_iy3n2eb wrote

"How can I increase the low frequency (bass) sound being produced by the exciter?

Bass and low frequency sound are enhanced greatly when using larger panels or increased areas of substrate. Additionally, using a heavier substrate will allow deeper bass to be achieved, but at the expense of reduced treble output."

9

blue_blurpie t1_iy3phbw wrote

Just so you y’all know, any speaker can be set up to be used as a microphone

2

chum_slice t1_iy3q1vx wrote

I remember the LG G8’s speakers needed to be on a surface the more hollow the surface the better so it could amplify. It was neat but the iPhone speakers and HTC boom sound (front facing grilled speakers) were noticeably better.

2

sneaky4oe t1_iy3q8io wrote

Don't apply it to the glass... Just don't.

2

TarantinoFan23 t1_iy3qsc6 wrote

Windshield has tons of space for invisible speakers

1

aCleverGroupofAnts t1_iy3rxxc wrote

People were listening to low-quality audio all the time before things went digital. The radio was the most popular way to listen to music for a very long time and it was not high quality until relatively recently. There was vinyl for a while, but many people just bought cheap turntables and didn't see a need to spend the money for a quality one. Audio cassettes were far from lossless, and people would put them into cheap stereos or they used cheap headphones. Cheap headphones have been used for many decades.

My point is that the general public has never really cared about audio quality, and the people who do care have always had ways to hear quality sound. I don't think that has changed at all (or if anything, quality has become cheaper to achieve, so more people can afford it).

16

metalefty t1_iy3sork wrote

I had these back in the 80's.

1

COmarmot t1_iy3t4ya wrote

But cars have speakers already….

11

Redeem123 t1_iy3td9o wrote

> I think it started with the acceptance of digital lossy audio formats, making its way into early bluetooth protocols, and it all went downhill from there.

You know what we had before Bluetooth and streaming?

  • Cassette players
  • Shitty plastic walkman headphones
  • AM/FM radios
  • Scratched records
  • FM transmitters for your car
  • Tiny desktop speakers bundled with a computer
  • Laptop speakers
  • Low quality burned CDs

High quality listening is cheaper and more accessible than it's ever been. Listening to Spotify over bluetooth on a stock car stereo is far better than the radio ever was, and that's without even getting into the convenience factor.

The truth is that people have never cared at large about audiophile level quality. The only difference now is that the baseline will get you far enough for most listeners, while you used to have to take some amount of effort to get to that level.

12

mekkasheeba t1_iy3u8qr wrote

I already have speakers built-in to my car, though.

2

MyNameIsRay t1_iy3umt4 wrote

Haven't heard these in particular, but I have used a bunch of transducers that turn solid panels into speakers (Clark Synthesis/Aurasound/multiple Dayton transducers, and the bass-specific IBeams and Buttkickers), and they all have the same issue.

The material you stick it to has it's own absorption/reflection/resonance properties, which become audible when you use it as a speaker. You can easily tell if it's attached to metal, plastic, wood, or glass. It doesn't sound "like the panel is a speaker", it sounds like "a speaker behind the panel".

For bass, thicker/stiffer materials (or those with less surface area) need more power, which means it effectively reduces the output when used with the same power. Same transducer, same signal, will have wildly different response curves if attached to a side window vs a rear window, or a window vs the dashboard.)

For highs, basically everything absorbs high frequency sound (that's why you tend to only hear low frequency bass outside a loud car or club). No matter what, the high end is neutered, they all lack the "sparkle".

7

Tyler_Zoro t1_iy3uy9k wrote

It's not the pitch that is the concern, so much as the "shape" of the sound.

Panels can be turned into incredibly good speakers (example) but that's when they are flat. The surfaces in a car are going to created much more complex wave-fronts because they aren't flat.

I presume that what LG is showing off is some sort of system that compensates for this. I wouldn't be perfect, but it could potentially be good enough to improve on the speakers you can otherwise get in cars.

Of course, 17 year olds will use it to vibrate the rivets out of their cars because that's what they do.

2

TunaOnWytNoCrust t1_iy3vfkw wrote

I hope they're built well enough that I can yank them out of trashed cars in 15 years at my local U-Pull.

1

djk29a_ t1_iy3w4iq wrote

There’s hopefully some feedback mechanisms for tuning the signal for better fidelity and giving some tips to users for better frequency response options. Hell, a calibration system that guides users to put the transducers on different surfaces and places would be pretty neat if you ask me. Something on the floor of a car or the dash would work better for sound than windows, especially because rolling the windows down would mean no more speakers.

2

cboogie t1_iy3y6mc wrote

You seen the project where you use the pink foam board insulation and a basic Dayton transducer on it?

Kinda look dumb and it seems like you need the right room and space but apparently they stack up pretty well against a pretty expensive cabinets and have a pretty flat frequency response.

I watched a YT vid where a very skeptical dude built and tested them and he was very surprised in the results.

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swettm t1_iy4014p wrote

These types of features (spatial audio, HRTFs, beamforming, etc.) are actually pretty straightforward and well known techniques, and like machine learning, we're just now getting to a point where we have the hardware to properly implement them.

1

poopiopeepio t1_iy41hk7 wrote

Could electrostats work the same way?

2

Youth-in-AsiaS-247 t1_iy425tm wrote

Great use of R&D funds LG! Add a Bluetooth speaker to a car full of speakers! Genius!

1

silverback_79 t1_iy43rjn wrote

>Known as the Thin Actuator Sound Solution (TASS)

Which is cute, because "tass" in Swedish means "paw".

4

llortotekili t1_iy44d45 wrote

Bass requires surface area and excursion (in and out movement) to be reproduced with volume. You can eq to make it more pronounced in comparison to the other frequencies, but you are still limited by the speakers physical characteristics for how low and loud they can play. Judging by the picture,these could maybe play down to 250-200 hz with good output. That's low enough to be a good midrange speaker, but it will still need a woofer to cover bass(20-80hz) and midbass(80-250hz). The good thing about speakers like this is that it allows for an engineer to design a speaker system with very good imagining. They can place these in spots in the vehicle where the sound should actually be coming from. With DSP(digital sound processing) they will be able to place these in a way that lets a car sound like it has a very wide soundstage. Doors for the widest sounds, the widest parts of the dash for most left and right content,and in the center of the dash for center stage content. Bass frequencies aren't as directional as the frequencies these will play so woofers in the doors or inside the bottom of the dash will sound convincing still. Sorry for the text wall, sometimes I get a little too nerdy about audio. Also, I'm going by the picture, didn't read the article. Edit: skimmed the article, what I said seems to be spot on. I would love to see a response graph for these.

TL/DR; They won't produce much bass, but they will allow for accurate sound placement in the frequencies that count for directionality.

1

CrazyCrackers14 t1_iy4axq2 wrote

> And at just 30% of the weight and 10% of the thickness of conventional car speakers, this can open up all kinds of options for placement, which will lead to a more immersive sound experience, while also freeing up space inside door panels and other traditional automotive speaker placement locations.

Wouldn’t this just rattle the shit out the internal parts and cause issues down the road? No pun intended

2

TryingToBeReallyCool t1_iy4edwa wrote

I had a vibration based speaker as a kid which operates on the same technology. Anything coming into contact with the surface immediately made the sound quality shit. Wonder if they've fixed that here

2

Ok-Professional5579 t1_iy4ehkf wrote

Audiophiles: the black leather seats sound so much better than the brown ones.

1

Annual_Strategy_6370 t1_iy4hy2j wrote

This is pretty cool, I assume it will sound better on select surfaces.

1

Redacteur2 t1_iy4j1bf wrote

I’d argue that in this particular case, what the tech is physically being used ON is what matters most. A headrest is a particularly bad place to use tech that depends on hard, flat surfaces to create sound with.

3

bflex t1_iy4jix7 wrote

Martin Logan speakers created tech like this more than a decade ago, not sure what happened to it though.

1

fatdjsin t1_iy4jl8o wrote

Again? We sold those for in-wall install like....15 years ago ..whats new now?

2

s33murd3r t1_iy4k706 wrote

I can guarantee without even hearing them, that these sound like crap.

0

ObscureD_Lee t1_iy4lwdv wrote

We need to lower our standards for sustainability. That needs to come first. If it means not making speakers in the masses then it’s worth it. Saving a huge amount of mfg costs and environmental waste for something that isn’t required by law to be apart of the car.

−9

gooftrupe t1_iy4n6en wrote

The frequency response of typical transducer/actuator speakers, as I’m familiar calling them, rely heavily on the material they are mounted to. The EQ can be tuned to account for this, but a good one should have high fidelity down past 200 Hz. That may not be low enough for some people but I only stop there as I haven’t actually seen the data below 200 Hz.

I can’t yet find the specs for the LG TASS, but once they’re available I’d compare to the linked transducer below, which has wonderful fidelity.

https://soliddrive.mseaudio.com/sd-1-ti.html

1

ennuinerdog t1_iy4n9w9 wrote

Cars have sound systems already. This is a technology in search of a commercially viable application.

1

r0b0c0d t1_iy4plbf wrote

Yeah they're going to have to design and tune parts of the car. Honestly it doesn't seem great; seems more likely to rattle and have weird characteristics at different volumes.

I will say, however, than the 'speakers' on the surface pro are kind of crazy. Pretty much all portable devices these days use the device itself to resonate. Not sure who the first one to do it was, but I'm honestly kind of a shocked at how good the sound is on that device, when it's being driven by these little things.

1

tinydonuts t1_iy4r4of wrote

Car manufacturers are missing a large untapped market here. They could start marketing their 100k luxury cars as affordable tiny home replacements given that the median new home sale price is now north of 400k. Just pop a 4K screen in for the windshield and add a coffee maker and you’re good to go.

10

Minuenn t1_iy4sj5r wrote

Now they can look how they sound

1

ObscureD_Lee t1_iy4uxnh wrote

Manufacturing a speaker isn’t worth it anymore if this works. Quality isn’t to be a subject if the words are understandable. Putting mfg and waste at the front of a decision on a feature. No need to build speakers in cars if these work good enough. It makes a traditional speaker obsolete.

−6

jawshuwah t1_iy4v81u wrote

I also skimmed. Pretty neat!

He does mention the need for a sub

I can definitely see the appeal of a large minimalist flat panel speaker. My girlfriend probably wouldn't let me put speakers in the living room, but these she would like design wise.

Could you not hang it like a picture frame, so the string is hidden behind?

He says they cost $30 to make

5

ObscureD_Lee t1_iy4y85o wrote

If this works good enough then there is no logical reason to create waste from other methods. I play music, I def. Know a good speaker cab from shit. Or nice JL sub vs kicker. It’s not needed and that’s what people are missing. If it’s good enough for a radio then we don’t need more. Need, not want. Want can be aftermarket.

−3

wilk007 t1_iy4zpth wrote

I feel like I’ve seen this tech at a few times at past CESs

1

PrancnPwny t1_iy52woh wrote

I feel like a car is the last thing that needs this? You pay more for sports cars that are lighter with no speakers in them. I can’t think of a reason other than someone with a broken head unit

1

VevroiMortek t1_iy54szv wrote

AoE Liquid Drum and Bass, looking forward to it

0

kaze919 t1_iy57d92 wrote

So I’ve had this idea for years but is it possible to use speakers like this on a apartment wall and have it run active noice cancelling to cancel out your neighbors conversation / tv if you have thin walls? Or is that just a pipe dream?

2

HuckleSmothered t1_iy57e7h wrote

My car has speakers. They reproduce noises. Unless this does that significantly cheaper, who cares?

1

luckyfucker13 t1_iy57oev wrote

I’ll have to dig into this, out of pure curiosity. “Hearing” a phantom center speaker is a real thing in music, and is part of how soundbars get their stereo image, but I’d like to know how they’re processing the audio to create such a wide spread. Pretty cool stuff!

13

Tartarus216 t1_iy580a4 wrote

So it’s just electrostatic speakers basically?

1

Tathanor t1_iy58ehc wrote

I'd be interested if they can be integrated with existing sound systems. Can I hook these up with the same Bluetooth device as my car stereo? They'd make for a sick addition for surround sound, but I'd be worried about signal delay.

1

WalkerBRiley t1_iy59akb wrote

I've seen these before. They just vibrate the surface. The bass sucks. The treble is tinny as fuck, if even there. It was a horrible idea twenty years ago and it's still a horrible idea now.

0

Fuzzy_Logic_4_Life t1_iy5h3od wrote

Imagine using this tech in a vibrator. Ladies could feel the music of their favorite love songs, “all night long!”

−1

trapezoidalfractal t1_iy5lgc2 wrote

The worst is when a game has really high quality chatter as ambient noise. So many times I’ve taken off my headphones and looked around because I swore I could hear someone right behind me.

2

HeavyLogix t1_iy5mqlj wrote

I’m not going to dig into it for Sony but will add that phase usually does this. If you have one speaker in phase and one out of phase on the opposite side the sound “comes from everywhere” which is undesirable when it comes to setting a front sound stage.

I’d imagine if you those Sony units use multiple drivers that could switch phase live by driver it could use it in cool ways.

Totally bullshitting here though

1

rumncokeguy t1_iy5nxqs wrote

This is the very thing I didn’t know I didn’t need.

1

SamsaricNomad t1_iy5r2lz wrote

Now THAT is a fucking cool ass innovation right there.

1

ttturtle24 t1_iy5rf00 wrote

We are finally getting close to Vogon technology!

1

SamsaricNomad t1_iy5s2il wrote

I am optimistic that the technology has advanced leaps and bounds. Esp if a giant like LG is involved.

Phone cameras were garbage 20 years ago when they came out and now a days a person can take a close up photo of the moon at 100x zoom.

1

BrewKazma t1_iy5w4cq wrote

I mean, when I got in the beta, and turned it on, it was radically different. The software was very much doing something, and I wasnt in a different room.

1

SamsaricNomad t1_iy5weuo wrote

Science evolves. It always works with the limitations of known sciences from a particular frame of time, but it evolves.

They thought Newton was the end all be all until Albert Einstein came. My point is technological advancement, limitation is the first barrier that is broken during advancements.

2

ImGCS3fromETOH t1_iy6fy60 wrote

Not surround sound systems though. At least not the ones I drive. Hearing speakers that are mixed and balanced but still playing the whole audio track is one thing. Hearing isolated sounds from the rear speakers would be something else entirely.

0

Poggers4Hoggers t1_iy6q4w0 wrote

I had a couple things like this like a decade ago. It was fun to plug an oscillator into each one and play around with beat frequencies

1

buffalohands t1_iy6y4os wrote

Ok, i might be able to help with this. I'm an artists and I discovered the existence of this technology a few years ago. I wanted to make some art Installation with it and started experimenting.

The problem is: in a speaker, the vibration (just like what tass would produce) is basically just already "stuck" to the perfectly shaped and perfectly resonating surface ... And that's what we call a speaker. The perfect shape for sound into air is somewhat like a cone... Think megaphones etc. We all learn this as kids when screaming into various tubes and stuff. The perfect surface to resonate would be something thin and flexible but also not to thin because then it just wobbles away. So that's why you have these cone shaped cardboard things in your speaker. A speaker is basically a TASS that comes with its own built in perfect resonating surface.

You can of course improve this technology a bit with as was mentioned buit in equalizers to make up for "sub perfect" resonating surfaces that are too rigid or not cone shaped at all. But the principle will remain the same. There is nothing one can improve about how sound is transported through air. It's just how it works. And yes you can use almost any surface to vibrate it and it will transport these vibrations into the air. Just like you can hear loud music outside of a car. The whole care becomes the resonating surface that vibrates the air around you to reach your ears.

But all the comments that say: yeah it works but it sound funky are correct. Because any surface that is not cone shaped and not of a flexible yet rigid enough material will sound less nice as what we have in speakers.

The basic idea of an actuator is very old. Is a bit how old gramophones created their sound. The fact that we still went through all the trouble of inventing the speaker still speaks for itself.

Edit: some spelling (I'm on mobile sorry for format)

1

Tricamtech t1_iy6zvhz wrote

It’s all time and phase based, in addition to multiple drivers that are individually controllable.

If you are interested in it - look into Klang in-ear monitoring; it’s designed for live music but can be used for all kinds of things.

2

Sunstang t1_iy78ej6 wrote

Sounds like a riff on the distributed mode loudspeakers audio nerds have been making for years. DML is pretty neat. You can make a pair yourself with some rigid foam insulation board and a $20 pair of sonic exciters from Dayton audio etc.

1

jaywastaken t1_iy7u1ul wrote

But why? Everywhere my car has speakers has plenty of space behind them. There’s no need for them to be thinner.

1

timg528 t1_iy8epam wrote

Yes, but your first message indicated you have issues with reading, which is why I want to know what specific statement you are misreading this time.

My overall point was that if you were to replace 50lbs of traditional speakers with these new flat ones, you'd only save 35lbs, which is miniscule compared to the overall vehicle weight.

If you assume 20lbs of speakers replaced, it's even less weight saved.

1

Allidoischill420 t1_iybgeds wrote

Think forward. Speakers complicate aerodynamics, sound proofing, and add weight where you do not want weight. Cars are just drones that don’t know how to fly yet. We’ll all want to be wrapped in the most aerodynamic space and weight conscious vehicles possible, because it’s going to be a balance between comfort, range, and economics.

Weight is the only valid argument here, and even then you're talking a miniscule fraction of the total vehicle's weight. As long as crumple zones are mandated, there will always be room for speakers (think between the outer and inner panels of doors. Soundproofing is more for road/vehicle noise and will tend to be on the outer panel of any body section.

I couldn’t disagree more. Weight and space required for things like speakers complicate an engineer’s job, requiring compromises. Crumple zones require empty space to crumple. They don’t work properly if they smash a speaker into your kneecap. There are huge advantages to minimizing the space required by the most space wasteful components of vehicles, and speakers are obvious low hanging fruit

A speaker is an insignificant intrusion into a crumple zone and no engineer cares about a speaker going into your knee. Speakers themselves are already pretty thin to the point where if it's going to happen, you've got larger issues based on the fact that a 6.5" speaker is around 2.5" deep, held together by paper, and weighs around 2lb.

As for weight, these will save at most 35lbs (assuming a heavy set of speakers at 50lbs total and the fact that these are only 70% lighter) on a 2000-6000lb vehicle.

If anything, these would get put into flat panel TVs, but a car? There's too much dead space behind nearly every panel to justify it.

Finally, keep in mind, we've had flat panel speakers for decades, and this isn't the first article to proclaim their use in cars.

Like I needed to waste my time doing this.

0