Jeep goes McIntosh

[MacManus99]

This. Very few of the "premium" systems anymore are actually premium...just licensed names on garbage components. A recent example is the "Bang and Olufsen" systems in the Ford...atrocious in actual ability to create quality sound because it's a name tacked onto garbage. The name of the game now is see how many dozens of speakers we can put into a car, as quantity sells better than quality. For music, all this does is complicate the sound stage and makes it even more difficult to actually calibrate a system properly.

Very good points about calibration and soundstage. Automobiles inherently struggle with this as it is, adding more drivers in different locations only exasperates the issue. Also, if they use a 2-way design, the count that as 4 speaker. 3-way designs counted as six speakers. Plus, peak watts from the amp are advertised.

The average car shopper nowadays uses the internet to determine which vehicle they buy, and for a lot of them, it is a numbers game. They want the most horsepower, the most number of transmission gears, the lowest 0-60, the highest skidpad, the most speakers and wattage, etc. The car could actually drive like complete crap, but they're happy, because they got the "best".

There is so (and I cant stress this enough) so much more to a driving experience, and listening experience, than what the numbers tell you.

 

[JHZR2]

I know Im like the crotchety old person, grumpy way beyond my years, but that looks downright stupid. I like gauges and data as much as the next guy, for sure, but to have distracting, bright gauges in a location that looks like you have to pivot your eyes downward... Just seems like a poor design choice for safety and ergonomics.

No doubt the system is going to sound good though...

 

[JHZR2]

A radio in a Jeep..........cool!

And FM at that!

 

[OVERKILL]

I know Im like the crotchety old person, grumpy way beyond my years, but that looks downright stupid. I like gauges and data as much as the next guy, for sure, but to have distracting, bright gauges in a location that looks like you have to pivot your eyes downward... Just seems like a poor design choice for safety and ergonomics.

No doubt the system is going to sound good though...

That may just be an option, if they even offer it, to showcase the partnership. I expect it will look just like the system I posted in the SRT Durango thread as far as software goes, the speakers and the speaker badges will be what calls out the connection.

 

[OVERKILL]

A little update on this, there was an interview with McIntosh about the partnership:

McIntosh Labs Is Elevating the Car Audio Experience with the 2021 Jeep Grand Wagoneer - Worth

McIntosh’s co-CEO Jeff Poggi talked to Worth about how they came to partner with Jeep and how McIntosh will deliver an “amazing live sound experience” right in your car.

www.worth.com

The article, for those who don't want to click:
As we near the end of 2020, car companies have started rolling out their 2021 models. One of these is the 2021 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, custom-fitted with McIntosh Labs audio. McIntosh Labs has long been known for its home audio systems, but three years ago, the audio company decided to make a play in the car audio space, McIntosh Group’s co-CEO Jeff Poggi told Worth.

“Branded car audio systems are quite a mature industry now, almost 40 years old, and McIntosh has really never played in that space, just a limited capacity back with a Ford GT, years ago or so,” Poggi said. “But we never really entered that space, and we felt like it is a really good opportunity for us that we had a real good brand, we have the technology and the capabilities, and we thought we could really deliver an amazing authentic brand experience in a car.”

McIntosh systems have been featured in cars prior to the new Grand Wagoneer. In 2002, the company decided to expand into the vehicle audio market for the first time, working with Harley Davidson to create the riser mount radio, and just a year later, McIntosh designed a custom sound system for the 100th anniversary Ford GT, as Poggi mentioned. So then what led McIntosh to Jeep?

“It was really all about that brand fit and trying to find a brand that would really represent our brand DNA in the right way and do it in a collaborative fashion. So, Jeep was really top on our list,” Poggi said. “We’re an American brand with a 70-plus-year history. Jeep is the most American of car brands. And we’re really proud of that sort of designed in America, made in America—rugged, durable, long-lasting—brand pillars that McIntosh represents, of course with a high-performance characteristic as well. And when we sat down and looked at the Jeep brand pillars, it was like almost a perfect one-to-one match, and you know their brand is really perfect for us.”

When they brought up the idea to Ralph Gilles, head of design for FCA Group, which owns Jeep, he agreed.

“He loved the design aesthetics of McIntosh, such as the strong look and the feel of the brand, and the heritage and premium nature and felt that the Grand Wagoneer, which they were just starting to conceive four years ago at this time, would be like a perfect fit because it’s the best of the best of the Jeeps, you know, it’s the pinnacle of what their brand is going to bring to the market,” Poggi said. “And so, it really felt like it was a great opportunity to collaborate and work together.”

One of the most exciting aspects of this collaboration, Poggi said, is that the audio system McIntosh created for the Grand Wagoneer is unlike anything the company has created before.

“It’s all brand new. Nothing, none of the components that exist in this concept car existed three years ago. So, everything has been custom designed. We looked at every loudspeaker and custom-designed the requirements for that loudspeaker individually to work in this particular location in the vehicle,” said Poggi, who had worked on car audio systems for 20 years before joining McIntosh. “Every product was uniquely designed based on where it was going to go, how it was going to work with the vehicle, how it was going to interact with the other products. And we did this using some core McIntosh technology that we’ve…we can see it originally in our own products, and we were able to translate that into automotive variants because obviously the products we design today are being are made for the living room. The speakers and amplifiers and preamps that we develop are not to go in a car. So, we took design concepts and created these automotive variants really from scratch for this vehicle.”

While Poggi says that the McIntosh sound system might not be the reason someone purchases the car, it could be one of the aspects consumers love the most, as studies have shown that people listen to music most in their cars.

“I think for the Grand Wagoneer, McIntosh is going to deliver an amazing live sound experience to [Jeep’s] consumers. It’s going to be a surprise and delight factor that most consumers have not had a chance to engage with. When they get into that vehicle and turn it on, it’s going to be a goosebump-generating experience. It’s not the reason they’re buying the car, but it’s going to be one of the reasons they love the car. We know that the number one place that people listen to music is actually in your car…and so having the ability to have an amazing sound experience in your vehicle that you’ve just purchased is really going to give people just that extra level of ownership and loyalty to Jeep, satisfaction with the brand purchase. You know, for some it may be one of the bragging features about why they bought the car, and something that they can show off because it’s going to not only sound amazing, but it’s going to look amazing.”


Emphasis mine on the bolded bit, which seems to suggest there's more to this than just glowing McIntosh logos on the speaker grilles

 

[MacManus99]

A little update on this, there was an interview with McIntosh about the partnership:

McIntosh Labs Is Elevating the Car Audio Experience with the 2021 Jeep Grand Wagoneer - Worth

McIntosh’s co-CEO Jeff Poggi talked to Worth about how they came to partner with Jeep and how McIntosh will deliver an “amazing live sound experience” right in your car.

www.worth.com

The article, for those who don't want to click:
As we near the end of 2020, car companies have started rolling out their 2021 models. One of these is the 2021 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, custom-fitted with McIntosh Labs audio. McIntosh Labs has long been known for its home audio systems, but three years ago, the audio company decided to make a play in the car audio space, McIntosh Group’s co-CEO Jeff Poggi told Worth.

“Branded car audio systems are quite a mature industry now, almost 40 years old, and McIntosh has really never played in that space, just a limited capacity back with a Ford GT, years ago or so,” Poggi said. “But we never really entered that space, and we felt like it is a really good opportunity for us that we had a real good brand, we have the technology and the capabilities, and we thought we could really deliver an amazing authentic brand experience in a car.”

McIntosh systems have been featured in cars prior to the new Grand Wagoneer. In 2002, the company decided to expand into the vehicle audio market for the first time, working with Harley Davidson to create the riser mount radio, and just a year later, McIntosh designed a custom sound system for the 100th anniversary Ford GT, as Poggi mentioned. So then what led McIntosh to Jeep?

“It was really all about that brand fit and trying to find a brand that would really represent our brand DNA in the right way and do it in a collaborative fashion. So, Jeep was really top on our list,” Poggi said. “We’re an American brand with a 70-plus-year history. Jeep is the most American of car brands. And we’re really proud of that sort of designed in America, made in America—rugged, durable, long-lasting—brand pillars that McIntosh represents, of course with a high-performance characteristic as well. And when we sat down and looked at the Jeep brand pillars, it was like almost a perfect one-to-one match, and you know their brand is really perfect for us.”

When they brought up the idea to Ralph Gilles, head of design for FCA Group, which owns Jeep, he agreed.

“He loved the design aesthetics of McIntosh, such as the strong look and the feel of the brand, and the heritage and premium nature and felt that the Grand Wagoneer, which they were just starting to conceive four years ago at this time, would be like a perfect fit because it’s the best of the best of the Jeeps, you know, it’s the pinnacle of what their brand is going to bring to the market,” Poggi said. “And so, it really felt like it was a great opportunity to collaborate and work together.”

One of the most exciting aspects of this collaboration, Poggi said, is that the audio system McIntosh created for the Grand Wagoneer is unlike anything the company has created before.

“It’s all brand new. Nothing, none of the components that exist in this concept car existed three years ago. So, everything has been custom designed. We looked at every loudspeaker and custom-designed the requirements for that loudspeaker individually to work in this particular location in the vehicle,” said Poggi, who had worked on car audio systems for 20 years before joining McIntosh. “Every product was uniquely designed based on where it was going to go, how it was going to work with the vehicle, how it was going to interact with the other products. And we did this using some core McIntosh technology that we’ve…we can see it originally in our own products, and we were able to translate that into automotive variants because obviously the products we design today are being are made for the living room. The speakers and amplifiers and preamps that we develop are not to go in a car. So, we took design concepts and created these automotive variants really from scratch for this vehicle.”

While Poggi says that the McIntosh sound system might not be the reason someone purchases the car, it could be one of the aspects consumers love the most, as studies have shown that people listen to music most in their cars.

“I think for the Grand Wagoneer, McIntosh is going to deliver an amazing live sound experience to [Jeep’s] consumers. It’s going to be a surprise and delight factor that most consumers have not had a chance to engage with. When they get into that vehicle and turn it on, it’s going to be a goosebump-generating experience. It’s not the reason they’re buying the car, but it’s going to be one of the reasons they love the car. We know that the number one place that people listen to music is actually in your car…and so having the ability to have an amazing sound experience in your vehicle that you’ve just purchased is really going to give people just that extra level of ownership and loyalty to Jeep, satisfaction with the brand purchase. You know, for some it may be one of the bragging features about why they bought the car, and something that they can show off because it’s going to not only sound amazing, but it’s going to look amazing.”


Emphasis mine on the bolded bit, which seems to suggest there's more to this than just glowing McIntosh logos on the speaker grilles

Please forgive my skepticism, but this sounds like the same marketing jargon that B&O, Bose, Mark Levinson, etc. use when they sell out and have their name stuck on speakers made by a third party. Yet another example of badge engineering.

From a manufacturing standpoint, McIntosh would have to grow substantially in order to keep up with the added demand of distributing their product in a FCA vehicle. This makes me think that "took design concepts and created these automotive variants" means that they have hired a Chinese company to mass-produce amplifiers and loudspeaker drivers at a price point, apply these products to different interior locations, fiddle with the EQ, and ship it out at a hefty mark-up.

Nonetheless, I appreciate you sharing the information and creating new discussion points. I truly do hope that I may someday be proven wrong about these OEM supplied audio solutions. While I understand that I do come across as pessimistic, I also very much try to keep an open mind. Time will tell if McIntosh will be the manufacture to make me eat my words, and I welcome such a meal.

 

[OVERKILL]

Please forgive my skepticism, but this sounds like the same marketing jargon that B&O, Bose, Mark Levinson, etc. use when they sell out and have their name stuck on speakers made by a third party. Yet another example of badge engineering.

From a manufacturing standpoint, McIntosh would have to grow substantially in order to keep up with the added demand of distributing their product in a FCA vehicle. This makes me think that "took design concepts and created these automotive variants" means that they have hired a Chinese company to mass-produce amplifiers and loudspeaker drivers at a price point, apply these products to different interior locations, fiddle with the EQ, and ship it out at a hefty mark-up.

Nonetheless, I appreciate you sharing the information and creating new discussion points. I truly do hope that I may someday be proven wrong about these OEM supplied audio solutions. While I understand that I do come across as pessimistic, I also very much try to keep an open mind. Time will tell if McIntosh will be the manufacture to make me eat my words, and I welcome such a meal.

Hey, I'm skeptical too, that's why I'm trying to provide as much info as I can as I come across it. Will be interesting to see if more details come out.

 

[nthach]

Hey, I'm skeptical too, that's why I'm trying to provide as much info as I can as I come across it. Will be interesting to see if more details come out.

Does that mean a new JGC is joining the fleet too?

 

[Oildudeny]

how much? i don't know who needs a $4,000 audio package

 

[OVERKILL]

how much? i don't know who needs a $4,000 audio package

The HK system was a $1,995 option on my SRT, so if it was $4K for the McIntosh setup, providing it's actually a true upgrade, it's really not that bad

 

[97prizm]

Used to be fun in the 90s upgrading car audio systems. Glad I didn’t make it my life path. Crazy how good stock systems are now days.

I'm bummed at how many car audio businesses have gone away. When I was a kid I had three local places, and a sound track ( those were the days) car toys, Circuit City, and others only 20 minutes or so away.

 

[y_p_w]

I'm bummed at how many car audio businesses have gone away. When I was a kid I had three local places, and a sound track ( those were the days) car toys, Circuit City, and others only 20 minutes or so away.

There's still one around here and I can't figure out how they stay in business with so many new cars using OEM systems where so much required functionality goes into the factory setup.

Also - the big names I remember from the 80s/90s are no longer in it, and as many stated here a lot of names were just slapped on (and integrated into factory setups) like Mark Levinson, McIntosh, etc. I remember when the big names included Pioneer, Sony, Nakamichi, Soundstream, Blaupunkt, etc. I think some just discontinued car audio but others just went away. I suppose the companies that are still around are primarily contractors for carmakers now, like Alpine.

 

[Malo83]

The HK system was garbage...certainly can't get any worse.

Try the BOSE system in my Regal.

 

[Malo83]

There's still one around here and I can't figure out how they stay in business with so many new cars using OEM systems where so much required functionality goes into the factory setup.

Also - the big names I remember from the 80s/90s are no longer in it, and as many stated here a lot of names were just slapped on (and integrated into factory setups) like Mark Levinson, McIntosh, etc. I remember when the big names included Pioneer, Sony, Nakamichi, Soundstream, Blaupunkt, etc. I think some just discontinued car audio but others just went away. I suppose the companies that are still around are primarily contractors for carmakers now, like Alpine.

Can't forget Kenwood and Concord.

 

[OVERKILL]

The centre channel in our RAM says "Alpine" on it, lol. That's another big name from "back in the day".

 

[y_p_w]

Can't forget Kenwood and Concord.

Don't remember that much about those. I did have a Kenwood CD player though. It was their proprietary 6 disc caddy with a single-disc tray. But everything went through their disc-changer mechanism and even a single disc might take a few seconds to clamp.

There were a lot of different makers of head units. Some factory stereo setups were amenable to nearly direct drop of of a standard chassis size, but there's no way these days.

 

[y_p_w]

The centre channel in our RAM says "Alpine" on it, lol. That's another big name from "back in the day".

I don't know who made the setup in my WRX, although the CD changer no longer works. But the remote was clearly made by Alpine. I can see the just replacing the battery.

 

[LDB]

View attachment 40156

UConnect 5 on the new Grand Cherokee "L", with audio provided by McIntosh (previously it has been HK, that's what's in my SRT):

My parents had a friend, a neurosurgeon, who collected McIntosh stereo equipment. He had a room in his home with over three dozen components of all sorts. I've always been very positively inclined toward them since then.

 

[14Accent]

This just occurred to me: OEM car audio follows the same industry trends as any other ridiculous piece of equipment.

Think about it... OEM audio systems have grown much the same as OE wheel diameter. For example: my first Cadillac, a '94 STS, cam equipped with a FOUR SPEAKER Bose sound system. Yes, the factory audio upgrade included four speakers.

That being said, there was a method to the madness: the door speakers utilized the common (at the time) 3.5" Bose full-range driver in a custom enclosure. 6x9 full-range units were used in the rear. Each speaker was equipped with it's own power amplifier, attached to the assembly.

5 short model years later, and my '99 came equipped with a Bose "4.0" audio system, rated at 425w. It included 8 speakers: 3 2.5" dash units, 8" front door mid-woofers, 6.5" full-range rear door speakers, and a 12" subwoofer on the rear deck. That system could blow the doors off any OEM system I've heard to date, and that includes my brief demo of the 19-speaker HK system in a '19 Ram the other day.

Just goes to show, more isn't always better.

 

[Revving2Redline]

I liked Klipsch speakers and Onkyo and Denon units for home. Used to go crazy over Clarion Pro Audio car units then got sensible money wise, settled and just bought JVC Digifine head unit with whatever speakers were on sale at crutchfield.