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

[s4wrxttcs]

Rivian has actually patented using cameras to track the cable to see if there's movement. Doesn't mean we'll ever see it implemented but it's definitely an interesting patent.

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/20230078631

I don't have a lot of confidence in alarms that are movement based. They tend to have a lot of false positives.

Right now I have the Gearguard alarm set to off. But, I'd have it enabled if it was tied to breakage of a window or a cable.

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[s4wrxttcs]

I think everyone just has to look deep within themselves and figure out if a brand new vehicle from a brand new manufacturer is the right fit for them.

I think a lot of this comes down to the responsiveness of a company, and the steps they take.

When I purchased my R1T I knew I'd come across a lot of bugs, and issues. I knew I was making a mistake by buying earlier than 1+ year after initial production (a general rule for buying a new model).

But, I was okay with that because I felt like Rivian would be responsive. That they would aggressively fix HW issues and fix bugs in timely manner.

That didn't really happen.

Instead there was long wait times to have my vehicle service (Bellevue, WA) and even when it was in service they prioritized new deliveries over fixing existing vehicles.

It took them 6+ months or so to solve the FM radio favorites bug while they spent 5 of those months denying the problem even existed.

I have to continuously report the TOK sound because they claim my vehicle is "within tolerance" and I don't except it. I've had multiple high performance EV's before my R1T and none of them have a mechanical tok noise on acceleration or declaration. In a poll elsewhere on this forum the majority of owners have a tok.

I'll stop reporting the TOK sound when/if Rivian ever publicly announces the cause and source of this tok in an explainer. So that they're transparent with what one should expect from this vehicle.

For now there isn't much I can do. No one else even makes a vehicle with the capabilities and driving dynamics the R1T/R1S offer. The most immediate item that needs corrective action is the wiper performance. I'm going to do some comparisons with other vehicles to see if I'm just imaging that the wiper is slower in the highest setting than my other vehicles.

There also isn't much I can do as I feel like we live in a post competency world. So I'd just end up trading one set of problems for another. Haha.

 

[dekeen]

Rivian is both a manufacturer and dealer. Give me an example of one car dealer you like and think wasn’t a horse salesman. It’s still a great truck.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

Then every single car company (and most other companies that advertise) are guilty. That's just not how it works.

Tesla didn't just cross over the line between what's right and wrong. They crossed over it by such a massive amount that they have to rely on the "you must be an idiot to believe that" argument.

I personally don't believe Rivian crossed the line.

Sure I'm not happy with a joke of heated steering wheel or Adaptive Cruise control that complains about blurred camera if its raining. I'm also "where is it?" when it comes to lane change assist.

The speaker branding I find psychologically interesting, but understandable from a supply chain and profitability aspect. I also think you need to give any new manufacture some room to operate. As long as there isn't a lot of damage done to the buyer.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I have to continuously report the TOK sound because they claim my vehicle is "within tolerance" and I don't except it. I've had multiple high performance EV's before my R1T and none of them have a mechanical tok noise on acceleration or declaration. In a poll elsewhere on this forum the majority of owners have a tok.

My Hummer EV had way worse drivetrain lash noise than my Rivian does.

 

[opnwide]

 

[harkco]

My Hummer EV had way worse drivetrain lash noise than my Rivian does.

@Dark-Fx Just curious - do you still have the hummer EV?

 

[Dark-Fx]

@Dark-Fx Just curious - do you still have the hummer EV?

Nah, I sold it shortly after the R1T came in. Ultimately it just wasn't for me, I like the size and capability of the R1T better.

 

[kewlasu]

 

[Fclmd]

preordered R1S Jan 2020.
Now waiting for delivery this week. Rivian Guide says the February Rivians will all have the native Rivian sound system instead of the Meridian sound system.
“Everyone thinks it’s better!”
She said I was welcome to listen to it, and if I didn’t like it, I could return the vehicle.
Basically: like it or lump it.
I’ve been excited about this for three years, and it seems a shame to have a sour note at the last moment.

 

[Flannelpants]

How many people are asking at delivery what might have been changed from when they put their preorder in, knowing that they signed an agreement that states things might be different? Has anyone asked for Rivian to limit their vehicles power to the original estimate of 750hp vs the 835hp they have now for example?

Or the tow hooks and bed compressor that were originally options.

 

[Zoidz]

I'd love to see a double blind audio test of both with a handful of listeners. With settings properly adjusted, my guess is that 90% of the people would not be able to identify the Meridian vs the "in-house" system.

 

[COdogman]

I'd love to see a double blind audio test of both with a handful of listeners. With settings properly adjusted, my guess is that 90% of the people would not be able to identify the Meridian vs the "in-house" system.

I would like to see that test as well. I would push that to 99% won't be able to tell.

 

[Deleted member 11292]

If you show a demonstration of a production-looking car doing something plausible, you’re advertising the feature. If you don’t deliver it, it’s false advertising. This is similar to the infamous Tesla FSD video, or the famous faked Nikola truck video which triggered a SEC investigation. Shameful, if you ask me.

FSD is a feature that Tesla has been promising and charging customers an EXTRA $15k for years. Nikola was a completely fraudulent vehicle. How are either of those are even close to the same thing? I ordered in 2021 and I don't ever recall seeing anything about tank turn on my build sheet.

So if there's a photo somewhere on the internet of a Rivian painted in purple is that false advertising too?

Crikey.

 

[SASSquatch]

All automakers have that language in the purchase order and all automakers change the builds based on all kinds of things, like parts availability (12v outlets), items that don't work as planned (powered tonneau), or items they feel they can maintain better as in house solutions (stereo system).

You may disagree with all of those decisions, but they are well within their rights to make those changes.

I do find it funny you had both systems for 2 weeks and didn't even notice there was a difference until you read about the change here. That is about as objective a test as one could get and you didn't catch it. Then, suddenly you feel the Meridian branded system is so much better?

If anything, this serves as confirmation that Rivian was actually on to something by making the switch.

I would like to know though who the customers are that prefer the Rivian system to Meridian that they reference in their post.

Did they do a blind sound test ala Pepsi vs Coke in the 80's and 90's? Did they send Rivian employees to malls around the country with little stands with labels hiding the speaker brands?

Did anyone get a free Aunt Anne's pretzel for participating in the blind sound test?

Enquiring minds need to know!

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