Media Middle East

Reduce Noise? Chevrolet Malibu Engineers are All Ears

Sound experts use advanced technologies to make 2013 Malibu cabin quiet

2012-02-02

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DUBAI – A room full of audiophiles may not agree on a single style of music, but most concur that ordinary MP3 player ear buds don’t have the technology to deliver concert-quality sound. Likewise, Chevrolet noise engineers threw out conventional tools to evaluate the interior sound quality of the all-new 2013 Malibu sedan.

In the intensely competitive midsize car segment, customers expect refined, quiet interiors. The challenge for engineers is that sound – like music – is very subjective, and people respond to it differently. “To tune the sound properties to appeal to the widest possible audience, we need to make sure everyone hears the same thing,” said Kara Gordon, ’s lead acoustic engineer.

Gordon and her fellow engineers are using better sound reproduction in the lab to help make the 2013 Malibu sedan one of the most refined and quiet midsize sedans available when it launches in spring 2012 in the Middle East.

They are doing this by equipping pre-production with a mannequin-like recording device called an Aachen HEAD. Named for the headquarters of Head Acoustics GmbH in , the head is a digital recording tool that closely matches the way humans process sound with both their ears. The Aachen HEAD technology preserves the binaural attributes of the sound, regardless of whether it’s inside or outside of a moving vehicle.

The device mimics the head of an average-sized person and incorporates specially calibrated, highly accurate digital microphones in each ear position. The microphones use a precise, 24-bit recording resolution to enable dynamic range equal with human hearing.

 The Aachen HEAD is typically belted into the passenger seat or rear seat farthest from the driver. The recordings are made as the test are driven on a variety of road surfaces at a range of speeds.

At General Motors’ “Jury Room” in Milford, Michigan, groups of engineers listen to the Malibu’s interior noise recordings and rate them on several criteria.

The Jury Room is equipped with a high-fidelity audio playback system that features Stax SR-303 electrostatic ear speakers. Unlike those little white buds, the large, rectangular Stax units fit over the ear and feature a large, translucent electrostatic film for precise sound reproduction. 

The stock ear buds that come with a digital music player can reproduce sounds from a low end of 20 Hz to a maximum of 20,000 Hz, but all audio devices experience distortion as they approach the limits of their range.

In contrast, the Stax ear speakers’ range goes from just 7 Hz all the way up to 41,000 Hz, well beyond the range of the human ear. However, that extra head room means the speakers are always closer to their sweet spot for the sounds we can hear. That means everyone evaluating the sounds of a or any other Chevrolet hears the same sounds, regardless of which set of ear speakers is used, giving the engineers more consistent feedback on sound quality.

 “The typical acoustic memory of the human ear to discern subtle yet important differences is about 10 seconds – or about the time it takes to go from one vehicle to another. The Aachen HEAD, our Jury Room and high-tech headphones make it possible for us to give our customers the quietest, most pleasing interior sound quality possible,” said Gordon.

The new will feature components that prevent tire, wind and road noise from entering the cabin.  Several components such as noise-reducing outside rear view mirrors, laminated side glass and noise-absorption pads are strategically placed to make the cabin quiet and improve the overall quality inside.

About 2013 Malibu

The new Chevrolet Malibu will be sold in nearly 100 countries on six continents. It will be launched in the Middle East in spring 2012.

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet is celebrating its centennial as a global automotive brand. In 2010, about 4.25 million Chevrolets were sold in more than 120 countries or one every 7.4 seconds. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. Chevrolet has a strong heritage in the Middle East – stretching back more than eight decades – where it has established itself as one of the most trusted automotive brands in the region. The Chevrolet portfolio includes passenger cars, crossovers SUVs and pickups, from the Camaro and Corvette performance cars, to award-winning passenger cars including the Spark, Sonic, Cruze and Malibu, to crossovers like the Captiva and Traverse, to the Colorado and Silverado pickups.  Chevrolet offers fuel-saving engines, hybrids and the Volt extended-range electric vehicle, which provides up to 64 km of electric, gasoline-free driving and a total driving range of 570 km.  More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at http://media.chevroletarabia.com