DETROIT – Bongiovi Acoustics and Johnson Controls are taking car audio to higher highs and deeper lows than ever before with the incorporation of Bongiovi Acoustics’ DPS technology, and a completely new speakerless design that offers many advantages over conventional in-car audio designs. The technology is on display at the North American International Auto Show.

This new approach has the potential to change not only the in-car audio experience, but also promises innovations that will benefit automotive interior design, and offers advantages in vehicle engineering and manufacturing. The revolutionary design also promises to be environmentally friendly by reducing raw material use and disposal issues in vehicle production and upcycling after the ownership experience.

The heart of the system is the Bongiovi DPS Technology , an innovative audio processing approach that delivers studio-quality sound without the need to add costly audio hardware. Tony Bongiovi, creator of the system, put it this way: “The first thing a kid does when he buys a new car is tear out the sound system, replacing the speakers and amplifier and spending a lot money in the process. The DPS hardware uses sound processing algorithms that get the most of a factory-installed unit at a fraction of the cost.”

Bongiovi should know; a critically acclaimed leader in the audio recording industry, Bongiovi was instrumental in creating the famed “Motown Sound” in the late ’60s and went on to earn more than 50 gold and platinum records with artists like Talking Heads, Ozzie Osbourne, Madonna, and many others. He also helped his cousin, Jon Bon Jovi, break into the recording business. Bongiovi is the correct spelling of Jon’s last name.

Automobile manufacturers have to meet cost targets when they build a car, and they also have to ensure that the speakers and audio components they install will last a long time in a pretty harsh environment. That means a typically low-quality audio experience for most buyers. The DPS system actually samples and “re-masters” the audio signal in real time. The result is the best audio quality possible from a given system design. Bongiovi claims that adding the DPS technology can really change the listening experience for the car owner.

It gets better when Bongiovi and Johnson Controls team up to create the first “Speakerless Car of the Future.” Using cutting-edge audio engineering technology, they enabled speakers to be removed from the door panels. As a replacement, they developed a transducer that actually uses a custom-developed headliner material and other interior trim panels as the “speakers.”

The listening experience is unique; sound seems to surround the occupants of the vehicle without an identifiable source. Added to the DPS circuitry, the results are truly impressive. Because door speakers aren’t a part of the interior design, substantial interior space is made usable, and road noise is greatly reduced. Johnson Controls and Bongiovi Acoustics are currently negotiating with several manufacturers to get the “speakerless” design into production.

In addition to availability on Toyota products sold in Canada, Bongiovi Acoustics’ DPS technology will be available on the 2012 Hyundai Veloster. Other products will no doubt benefit from the DPS technology in the near future.

The Bongiovi Acoustics prototype demo vehicle, a specially-outfitted Toyota Versa, is located in the Cobo Hall Lower Level in the Smarter Living section.

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