Harman has announced proprietary software which automatically analyses and improves the audio quality of all types of compressed, digitised music sources at the CES show in Las Vegas.
The technology, called Signal Doctor, is claimed “to naturally restore the full, satisfying sound that is forfeited in the compression process”. It is being launched in wireless home entertainment sound systems but the Tier One supplier plans to launch the technology in other home, multimedia and automotive products this year.
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Digital audio compression technology renders digitised music files smaller to make them more portable but the process fundamentally alters the music source to something other than what the artist had initially intended, Harman said.
In a typical digitised audio file, up to 90% of the audio content captured during the original recording can be discarded during file compression. Signal Doctor was developed to address this deterioration of audio quality, restoring what has been lost “to deliver a rich, uncompromised listening experience from any compressed music source”.
“With compressed digitised files, listeners are often deprived of the full auditory satisfaction and enjoyment that music is meant to bring,” said Michael Mauser, president, lifestyle division, at Harman. “We know from our research that listeners – even millennials, who have grown up with compressed music as their reference – prefer the best possible sound quality from every audio source. Building on our long-standing industry leadership and unrivaled expertise, Signal Doctor is a significant technological advancement that changes the listening experience in today’s mobile and streaming world, bringing life and emotion back to the music whether at home, in the car or on the go.”
The technology improves digitised audio file quality in a number of audible areas amd removes unwanted added effects like echo and distortion. It is claimed also to restore the crisp detail and clarity of high frequency sounds like cymbals, which can be muddied in compressed sources, sharpens dynamic sounds like percussion instruments, which can be smeared or dulled by compression, takes a flat, compressed vocal and brings back the intimacy of the original performance, rebuilds the stereo image that is often compromised by compression, creating a natural, wide soundstage, and restores the musical depth that is lost when instruments and vocals are compressed to the same volume.
“In contrast to competitor offerings,” Harman claimed, “Signal Doctor does not blindly add equalisation, bass boost, or other effects that alter the intended listening experience.” The proprietary predictive model intelligently and accurately recreates the lost information based on the existing compressed content, “unlike any similar offering”.
Signal Doctor works seamlessly and automatically and is always on, designed to run in the background without any user intervention. It adjusts the amount of correction it applies based on the quality of the input signal. For example, while it will add no correction to a CD-quality signal, it will add a heavy dose of correction to the most compressed signals, such as satellite radio.
The technology can be integrated into any Harman in-car audio system, via the amplifier or head unit, and will be in production vehicles this year.
