What do JBL, Lexicon, Harman Kardon, Infinity, DBX, BSS, AKG and HARMAN/ Becker have in common? Each of these brands is a part of the family of brands offered by Harman International. Beginning with JBL in the 1940s, The Harman family of brands represent an unmatched dedication to sound quality. “JBL was the company that built the speakers for the first talking movie ever produced,” says Chris Dragon, Director of Consumer Field Marketing in the United States. From this auspicious beginning, Harman has grown to the point where the company is now uniquely positioned in the world of sound and sound systems. From music being created in the studio and live music at concerts, to the music coming from your home audio system, the odds are good that Harmon is there. In fact if you listened into the Beijing Olympics or the 2010 Fifa World Cup, it was Harman sound that you were listening to. “Airports and churches, anywhere sound matters it’s likely that you will find one of our products”, says Dragon. While you can hear a Harman product anywhere, From 2010 onwards, the release of the JBL MS-8 car audio kit means that it is increasingly likely that the best sound you are going to hear is in your car. The JBL brand exemplifies Harman’s dedication to producing great sound “When you listen to a JBL speaker, our intention is to deliver the excitement of a live performance in every speaker from a 99 dollar pair of car speakers to 65 thousand dollar pair of loudspeakers,” says Dragon. And the MS-8 is no exception to that dedication in the persuit of sound excellence, winning the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) best in class designation award in June of 2010 to prove it. The MS-8 addresses the problems encountered in sound optimization in modern day vehicles. As vehicle design has developed, auto manufacturers are now able to deliver far better sound quality in cars straight from the factory and car audio systems have become progressively more difficult to change or make additions too. The MS-8 caters for those who wanted to upgrade without the possibility of ruining the upholstery or for those who simply wanted the bestsound possible out of their existing system. “We really saw the need to deliver a single box solution that would make significant improvements to the overall performance of the car audio system without violating the interior of the car” explains Dragon. “The MS-8 is, in reality, a amplifier/processor that can be layered into any system”. The MS-8 is easy to install, and once installed the user takes the system through a set up routine using the set up disc, wireless controller and head mounted microphone provided with the system. In setting up, the system measures the distance between each speaker and the driver’s ear as well as the audio curve that the speaker is delivering. It is then able to re-equalise and realign all the frequencies and the time arrival of the entire car audio system. It changes the behaviour of the factory-installed system and optimizes it to much more pleasing curve, improving the performance of your factory installed sound system without lengthy installations and the risk of damage to the car interior. The MS-8 also includes a unique feature in that, unlike other processors, the MS-8 can be optimized for up to four seats. “In the past, it was always kind of a front left seat world, that’s not the case with MS8, it actually optimizes the performance of the system for all seats”, says Dragon. And the performance is spectacular. Using Harman’s logic 7 digital surround circuitry, it is now possible to create a realistic sound stage from any seat in your vehicle; “if you close your eyes up front you can basically say, alright the drummer is in the middle the vocalist is in the middle. The guitar player is on the left, the background singers are on the right, and so on”, elaborates Dragon. The MS-8 allows anybody to make their car audio system sound better. For the serious sound enthusiast, the MS-8 also offers significant improvements. It can be added into a more elaborate, after market, system as a pre-amp processor. “It can be put into a factory system and then additional amplifiers can be installed and speaker changes can be made so for the person that really wants to go crazy and really get a system that shakes the pavement”, says Dragon. The flexibility to serve any consumer from mild to wild and the fact that the MS-8 is the only product of its kind currently on the market has led to a huge amount of consumer interest. “We forecast it optimistically and have blown away the forecasts, so the product is far exceeding even our expectations. We’re very pleased”, says Dragon. While the JBL MS-8 is a triumph for Harman, there is still a need to keep up with, and help mould, the changing needs and desires of the consumer. With the current, financially challenging, market, active product promotion has become important; “For example, for our multimedia products, the customer can walk up, press a button and listen to the product. There is a visual that tells the story and helps them make a buying decision”, explains Dragon. This is a big change from more traditional merchandising techniques where consumer browse a vast array of similar products, each with a product tag to help in decision making. “We recognized that consumers are presented with a million choices and that we needed to go the extra mile to deliver our message to the consumer and help them make the appropriate decision” says Dragon. The AKG brand is an excellent example of how to make the decision making process easier for consumers. AKG is a recognized brand in the world of quality headphones. This brand recognition makes things easier for prospective consumers who will choose what they know. However, Dragon explains that further consumer help is at hand. “We’ve actually been driving product displays that are activity based both in-store and online, to help the consumer narrow his focus and understand what he’s buying”. Using the AKG, colour coded, activity based, system, the consumer is easily able to narrow down what headphone model they are looking for. “I think that’s very meaningful for the consumer especially in a category that is as developed and as convoluted and as confusing as headphones are”, adds Dragon. As consumers are being far more mindful of what they spend their cash on these days, the Harman team is challenged to ensure that every product the company delivers is both compelling and something that a consumer would want to have. In pursuit of this goal, Harman has invested a great deal of time and effort into consumer research. “Starting about 2 years ago we launched a rather robust consumer phasing research initiative that is driving the industrial design of our products,” says Dragon. No Harman product makes it to the market place without having first made it through a panel of three thousand consumers. In September, the JBL brand will be launching two new iPod docking products whose creation has been driven by consumer research. In addition, the JBL brand will be launching a whole new line of traditional box loudspeakers that all HARMAN LOGO_LARGE use a design language called ‘the weave’. “That was driven from consumer research,” says Dragon, “so we’ve migrated that weave design into multiple categories, to our knowledge this is really the first time any consumer electronics company has done that.” The design language that’s in the multimedia docks is also in the home loudspeakers and is going to obviously manifest further throughout the JBL line in direct response to consumer feedback. When discussing future products for the Harman family, Dragon is determined not to give anything away. “Next spring we’ll be launching some products that are going to, are going to be very cutting edge,” he says. The company is currently looking at and acting upon recent changes in the way consumers are listening to their music. Among the questions the company is addressing are: how are consumers listening to their music, how are they getting their content and where is that content coming from, and how are consumers wanting their audio products to integrate with their homes, their cars, and when they are on the go. “We’re very tuned into the changes in the world and they are rapid. Especially when it comes to sharing content and music, moving sound throughout the home and car, and moving sound wirelessly. That’s about as much of a tease as I’m going to give there." top - home