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Rivian confirms no Meridian Sound System in my R1S. It has in-house audio system

s4wrxttcs

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And slow when the action is a cost like 15k tonneau covers that need to be replaced.
And 4-5 months slow when its fixing a regression FM radio favorites bug.

That bug sure bugged me.

On the plus side I have a lot more Spotify favorites due to the 5 months.
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Tahoe Man

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So they removed 2 mid range speakers from the back, so now the tweeters and woofers do the work. I guess there are two empty speaker holes in back now. Probably doesn't impact the front area much but it sounds like a Munro cost cutting thing. But really 18 speakers?? Sounds like Rivian designed too many into their sound system and is trying to cut back.
 
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R1Tom

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So they removed 2 mid range speakers from the back, so now the tweeters and woofers do the work. I guess there are two empty speaker holes in back now. Probably doesn't impact the front area much but it sounds like a Munro cost cutting thing.
I think the funniest part is trying the "less rare earth magnets" is good for the world angle....that is some seriously funny stuff in a vehicle with 835hp worth of motors and 7776 Li-Ion batteries.
 

Tahoe Man

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I think the funniest part is trying the "less rare earth magnets" is good for the world angle....that is some seriously funny stuff in a vehicle with 835hp worth of motors and 7776 Li-Ion batteries.
Agree, It's all marketing BS. Rivian knows it too, they're not idiots.
 

Zoidz

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Still, I would expect it to be nontrivial to source components and setup the supply line, rework the electronics and wiring since there's a different number of speakers, develop the software to control both different systems, tune it for the vehicle, run user studies, deploy to the assembly line, etc.

Unless they were planning to only do a short run of Meridian vehicles and the in-house system has been on their roadmap since before the R1 launch, I'm surprised that they decided to make the change, and did all the engineering+productionizing+testing+etc. in just a few months.
What you mention above is certainly non-trivial. And that's why they more than likely didn't do most of that. I certainly don't know, but I can take an educated guess. I'm going out on a limb and guessing that the primary difference between the Meridian and the Rivian system is at most only the audio hardware - i.e. amplifier and speakers. I'll guess that the head unit didn't change, so no or very minimal software changes were needed. Speakers can be removed with no rewiring. And I'm still not convinced that the amplifier hardware is even changing, other than speaker deletes which require no change to the amplifier or wiring. It could be just a a rebranding at a cost savings.

As an example, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag and JennAir are all Whirlpool manufactured products with different options enabled. Thermador also uses mostly Whirlpool hardware. Exact same "guts" with different appearing control panels, features and aesthetic design at different price points. Rivian branded and Meridian branded could be the same hardware...
 

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emoore

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I agree with you. I think they need to work on their communications. From day one, their communication to reservation holders has been terrible. I am hoping they can build a brand following like Apple or Tesla. I know they have financial issues but alienating their most loyal customers doesn't seem like a good plan. I think the WSJ had an article about Rivian alienating its early reservation holds a few weeks ago. Worst case is they go bankrupt. Rivian still has a lot of value, they could be sold in bankruptcy. Perhaps the new buyer would have more expertise in auto production.
Hahaha. Apple seriously? i love apple products but they are the king of not communicating and hiding things.
 

noev4me

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Picked up our R1S on Wednesday. I saw this thread just prior to pick-up, so was aware but didn't think to even mention it during delivery. This thread was probably only 1-2 pages long, so I wasn't aware of the removal of the mid-range speaker in the rear door. I was curious to hear how it sounds vs my R1T with the Meridian system, so I played a few of my favorite tunes to compare. I literally said to myself that the R1S seemed to have much better tweeters and base, but lacked the mid-range. Now maybe the tweeters and base just seemed to be more powerful due to the lack of mid-range, but I seemed to have picked up on the difference and I'm no audiophile to say the least. The r1S is still very good, but IMO probably not quite as good as the R1t with the Meridian labeling (maybe it's just that with 2 more speakers.

Would be interested to know if you could easily add a couple mid-range speakers to the new system.
 

SANZC02

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Picked up our R1S on Wednesday. I saw this thread just prior to pick-up, so was aware but didn't think to even mention it during delivery. This thread was probably only 1-2 pages long, so I wasn't aware of the removal of the mid-range speaker in the rear door. I was curious to hear how it sounds vs my R1T with the Meridian system, so I played a few of my favorite tunes to compare. I literally said to myself that the R1S seemed to have much better tweeters and base, but lacked the mid-range. Now maybe the tweeters and base just seemed to be more powerful due to the lack of mid-range, but I seemed to have picked up on the difference and I'm no audiophile to say the least. The r1S is still very good, but IMO probably not quite as good as the R1t with the Meridian labeling (maybe it's just that with 2 more speakers.

Would be interested to know if you could easily add a couple mid-range speakers to the new system.
The R1S Meridian system had 20 speakers, the R1T had 18. One of the moves for this is so they can use the same hardware between the 2 platforms. I think they want to use the same amps as well.
 
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Tim Dora

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In the R1T there is a meridian amp (?) under the back seat. Where is that piece of equipment in the R1S? I could see who is the manufacturer of the amp in the R1S.
 

dleewla

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Just picked up my R1T. VIN 19xxx, has the Elevation by Meridian system. FYI, mine is a Launch Edition.
 

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Baiting and switching is Rivian's MO. They have been doing it for years....Thanks for sharing.
For years? How many do you think? I shouldn't post but have been drinking for a celebration and taking a break from work but really 10 years 20? I got my R1T in May and have a very low VIN number so I expect is isn't years. Do you want to talk about my CyberTruck reservation and bait and switch. I have some thoughts on expectation and reality, oh and delivery timeframes.
 
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Hi all, I'm new to the forums and stoked to finally have my R1T delivered next month. I was at the service center last week and talking with one of the employees. He was super passionate and knowledgeable about the vehicles, and left me with a very good impression of the company. None the less, when I asked him about the change over from Meridian his exact words were "If you rate the Meridian system as a 10, this one is about an 8.5. It's still really good, but not as good as the Meridian". I found that interesting coming from one of their own people, and I'm a little bummed about it to be honest. I'm thrilled to be finally getting my truck, but the powered tonneau cover, the missing outlets, the sound system change, it's hard to stay 100% positive.
 

COdogman

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Hi all, I'm new to the forums and stoked to finally have my R1T delivered next month. I was at the service center last week and talking with one of the employees. He was super passionate and knowledgeable about the vehicles, and left me with a very good impression of the company. None the less, when I asked him about the change over from Meridian his exact words were "If you rate the Meridian system as a 10, this one is about an 8.5. It's still really good, but not as good as the Meridian". I found that interesting coming from one of their own people, and I'm a little bummed about it to be honest. I'm thrilled to be finally getting my truck, but the powered tonneau cover, the missing outlets, the sound system change, it's hard to stay 100% positive.
First, it’s great that he even knew about the change and had apparently listened to both. I would still not make any judgments based on 1 or even several random individuals opinions. How your ears hear it would depend on so many other factors. What music you commonly listen to, your age, etc to start with.

Also, you haven’t spent significant time listening to the Meridian branded system to be able to immediately hear differences. As you saw in this thread, OP has both systems and didn’t even know it until he read about the change here. Others who have both say they are both good. People with only the Rivian system also say it sounds good. And at least for now, the components under the speaker covers are still meridian.

If it sounds good to you, that’s all that matters.

Also, welcome!
 

R1Tom

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Personal opinion time....

In audio systems in vehicles brand names matter in particular at this price point. That said...makes more sense to either charge extra for it or package it with other premium features. Since Rivian can't handle the options yet, then I say at this price point...audio system should have a brand name on it.

Audio brand names carry value. And removing it...especially when coupled with stupid comments like less magnets is good for the earth....is misguided.

And these types of changes and the dollars associated with them....aren't going to make or break this company...it will be much larger things...
 
 




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