Driver priority
Maximum image focus and tonal control around one documented head region. Passenger results remain limits, not assumptions.
Vehicle Audio Design Contract And Seat Priority
A system contract is the testable statement of what the finished vehicle must do. It comes before the parts list. It defines the listeners, seats, sources, functions, output, package, safety, service, and evidence required for approval.
Choose The Listening Modes First
Front row
Shared image, tonal, level, and function targets for driver and passenger, with explicit compromise or separate presets.
All seats
Coverage, level, intelligibility, safety audio, and worst-seat limits across every occupied position.
Demo or competition
Defined microphone or judge position, source, level, duration, vehicle opening state, electrical state, and stopping conditions.
Immersive or rear-seat entertainment
Native formats, decoder and renderer support, channel roles, displays, calls, prompts, and fallback behavior.
Required Contract Fields
| Area | Record | Example acceptance evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle | year, model, trim, audio option, seats, cargo, openings, roof, powertrain, sleep behavior | photographs, service data, state matrix |
| Sources and functions | music, calls, navigation, assistants, alerts, emergency audio, test signals, fallback | source-path and priority tests |
| Listening region | seat and ear coordinates, head movement, weights, presets | position map and repeatable fixtures |
| Acoustic target | passband, response tolerance, image, stage, coverage, output, distortion, noise | per-seat measurements and listening protocol |
| Electrical and thermal | supply, current, voltage drop, average and peak duty, cooling, recovery | loaded and thermal-soak records |
| Mechanical and safety | packaging, mass, visibility, airbags, glass, drains, restraint and crash structures | clearance and vehicle-function signoff |
| Service and durability | access, labels, replaceable parts, environmental states, revision control | as-built record and reinspection plan |
Pass, Warning, And Fail Must Be Explicit
- Pass: the requirement is met in the specified seat, source, level, duration, and vehicle state.
- Warning: the requirement is met with a documented compromise, reduced operating envelope, or preset restriction.
- Fail: the design cannot meet the requirement without changing hardware, placement, routing, protection, or the contract itself.
Do not silently change the goal after fabrication.
If the project changes from driver-only to front-row, stereo to immersive, daily to demo, or retained factory audio to replacement, revise the contract and re-run the channel, electrical, packaging, and verification plans.