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

nachilus

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I picked up a new R1T at the Normal plant before Thanksgiving. I ordered the R1T and R1S in April of 2019. I picked up the R1S on March 14th at the Normal plant. I just asked my guide if the R1S has a Meridian sound system that I ordered. He informed me that it does not. It has the Rivian in-house audio system. I was never told by anyone at Rivian that there was a change to the sound system. I don't think this is right. I ordered an R1S with a Meridian sound system. Rivian did a bait and switch and snuck in a different sounds system without advising me.

I think the R1T Meridian system sounds much better than the R1S Rivian system.

Here is the guides explanation:

Hi Timothy,

Thanks for reaching out. I just checked your R1S and it looks like it comes with the in-house designed audio system.

We made the decision to develop our own audio solution in order to bring an auditory experience to our owners that is completely tailored to our R1 vehicle interiors. Our testing has shown listeners prefer the Rivian in-house audio through all dynamic ranges and music genres.

The in-house Rivian Elevation Audio system allows the R1 vehicles to use a common 1,200 Watt, 18-channel amplifier.

Stay adventurous,
William
Rivian Guide

Phone: 1-888-712-3204
SMS: +13092372791
Email: [email protected]
Hours of Operation: M-F 8:30 AM- 5:00 CST

Click here to schedule a call with me.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? You just can't trust Rivian.

Perhaps I have legal recourse against Rivian. I am so disappointed in this company. They just don't communicate with customers.

Tim

















Dr. Ann C. Collins, MD

I picked up my R1S earlier this month and it has the Meridian sound system, so i am not sure when they changed it.
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SASSquatch

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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.
I'll second your points. What I'd like to know is how Rivian has been secretly, and this is no small task, engineering electronics to replace the Meridian sound system, but it has been crickets since October of last year about a working tonneau redesign.

The difference is, the speaker change saves them money. The redesign will inevitably cost them even if the redesign is less expensive than the original to produce - they have to replace thousands of them for existing owners which will be a massive cash drain.
 

kyunam

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@Tim Dora, It sucks that you didn't get Meridian in your R1S. It would have been a bit better experience if Rivian called, texted or emailed about this before the delivery to inform you, especially for customers who are at right after the change.

I'm curious - Based on the screen shot in my R1S w/ Meridian, is yours any different in terms of the user interface? Do you still have "3D Surround Sound"? Does it say "Premium Sound"? In the bottom-left, instead of "Meridian", what does it say?

Rivian R1T R1S Rivian confirms no Meridian Sound System in my R1S. It has in-house audio system IMG_3651
 
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Tim Dora

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I am out of town right now and don't have access to the R1S. I do recall going through this screen with my wife to get her familiar with it. I believe the screen was identical to the R1T screen with the Meridian sound system. I suspect the word "meridian" is gone. I will check when I get back and post a pic.
 

s4wrxttcs

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

As in they fixed it or did you sell it to due the ridiculous amounts of money people were paying for it?

In the latest service appointment they did manage to get the noise down to a point where its livable. And, I would be okay with it if they stated on their blog what it was and what to expect. With audio samples so we knew what was normal.

I can't really describe why the sound is so jarring to me.
 

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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!
If I got a free pretzel I would do a lot of things.
 

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If I got a free pretzel I would do a lot of things.
Imagine if they were also giving out free arcade tokens to boot....

"Let me get this straight, Mister - all I have to do is say this Rivian thing sounds better then this other thing and I get a free pretzel and all I can play Street Fighter?"
 

COdogman

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Imagine if they were also giving out free arcade tokens to boot....
I would never leave the mall in those days. Playing Ivan Stewart's Super Off Road!

Rivian R1T R1S Rivian confirms no Meridian Sound System in my R1S. It has in-house audio system IMG_7865
 

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I would never leave the mall in those days. Playing Ivan Stewart's Super Off Road!

IMG_7865.jpg
Oh hell yes! That was my favorite game!
 

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Had?

As in they fixed it or did you sell it to due the ridiculous amounts of money people were paying for it?

In the latest service appointment they did manage to get the noise down to a point where its livable. And, I would be okay with it if they stated on their blog what it was and what to expect. With audio samples so we knew what was normal.

I can't really describe why the sound is so jarring to me.
He sold it on C&B, can anyone say free Rivian…😲
 

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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.
The road noise alone will be interfering enough to negate any subtle differences.

The only time one may hear any noticeable difference would be when parked and sitting in a quiet environment.

On Tesla, there are streaming services (Netflix, Disney+ Hulu) that encode multichannel immersive sounds and works quite well in the vehicle. It's great way to kill time while charging. Its been said that Rivian will update infotainment to include video streaming services in one of the OTA updates so maybe then you'll notice the void in midrange frequencies in the sound effects or dialogues.

As for music, its a vehicle and not a properly sound corrected room with sufficient volume and speaker placement to define the sound stage and fidelity so hifi in a moving vehicle is an oxymoron - just play it loud!
 

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I’m still irritated my R1S is missing frunk power and wood trim behind the headrest. Guess I should be happy with what I have 😆
 

Mysta

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I’m still irritated my R1S is missing frunk power and wood trim behind the headrest. Guess I should be happy with what I have 😆
I wonder if the harness is still there for the 12v? If not maybe that was the source of constraint if so then maybe you can retro add it.

Edit: I challenge anyone to buy a car for any price, I will sit in it with you and complain about so much stuff, if it makes you feel better. :)
 
 




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