While high-end car audio systems do allow users to tweak the various sound frequencies to their liking, the average non-audiophile may get lost in the process. The YourSound system is designed to make things easier, by guiding users via sound samples.
Created by engineers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT), YourSound is already being integrated into vehicles manufactured by the Mercedes-Benz Group. The technology can also be incorporated into home audio systems, TVs and portable music players.
When the in-car version of the system is initially being set up, the user is guided through a step-by-step calibration process on the vehicle's infotainment touchscreen.
In the course of doing so, they are asked to select a pleasant listening volume for sounds including chimes, a piano, and drums. They're also tasked with selecting both a minimum volume at which each sound can be heard, and an optimal balance between all three sounds – this means that no one sound drowns out any of the others.
The process reportedly serves the same purpose as messing around with much more complicated equalizer displays, or going through multiple sub-menus. And once it's complete, the person's user profile is saved, then subsequently applied to all music that they listen to through the sound system. That said, fussy types can still fiddle with the settings if they like, in order to get things "just right."
The setup process is demonstrated in the following video.
Source: Fraunhofer