‘Golden Ears’: Meet the Man Fine-Tuning Nissan Audio Systems

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 30, 2025--

Patrick Dennis is a good listener. In fact, he has built a career on his ears. Countless hours of listening to music in cars, homes and concert halls have enabled him to precisely tune automotive speakers.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250430662246/en/

Dennis has spent nearly 20 years at Nissan Technical Center North America, helping shape the sound of Nissan vehicles across the lineup. He also lends his tuning expertise to select INFINITI models. At the R&D facility near Detroit, the audio team is dedicated to making sound systems the best they can be – whether it’s a standard four-speaker system or the premium Klipsch 12-speaker studio experience available in Armada.

Dennis’ ears help make that possible. His official title is principal engineer for audio sound quality, but around the office, he’s simply “Golden Ears.”

“It's not that my ears are naturally better than anyone else's – it’s that I've been trained to identify certain things in the music that other people might not be able to catch,” he said.

Concert-like sound in the car

Everyone remembers their first concert. Nissan audio engineers aim to recreate that excitement inside the vehicle.

“We want the customers to feel like they're at a live show. That's the vision,” Dennis said. “We want to transport them there.”

Providing a high-quality listening experience in an environment with many other noises comes with challenges.

“A car is not an ideal space for an audio system,” he said. “You’re competing with noise from the powertrain, road, wind and surrounding traffic.”

Plus, car speakers are oftentimes mounted far from passengers’ ears – for example, low in the doors. Thankfully, technology has enabled Nissan audio teams to precisely direct the music so it feels closer to the listener.

“We can now manipulate sound to give it the best quality possible, even with just a few speakers,” Dennis said. “We can make audio coming from door speakers sound higher in the vehicle than it actually is.”

With available premium audio systems like Bose Personal Plus 1 in the Nissan Kicks – featuring innovative speakers mounted in the headrests – the sound is immersive, like wearing high-end headphones without ever putting them on.

Software also plays a role in reducing external noise. For example, Active Sound Management uses an interior microphone to identify low-frequency engine sounds and neutralize them with sound waves of the opposite frequency. The system works similarly to noise-canceling headphones.

“The tools to tune audio and negate unwanted noise have become incredibly advanced,” Dennis said.

Brand partnerships provide a premium boost

Dennis fine-tunes in-house and co-developed systems, including premium partnerships with Bose, Fender and Klipsch — audio brands known for excellence in car sound systems.

In each partnership, the brands work closely with Nissan throughout the vehicle development process to create an optimal listening experience. They carefully position speakers and adjust them for metrics like treble, bass and clarity. Engineers monitor the sound with equipment and their own ears, making small tweaks until the sound is just right.

Dennis’ skills are critical in this stage.

“I've spent a lot of time listening to music in all forms. I got a feel for it and started building up my brain's database. Now, I know what to listen for,” he said.

Premium branded systems undoubtedly enhance the listening experience, but Dennis says the larger speaker count is what makes the biggest difference.

“With additional speakers, you get a more focused sound and a better sense of space. It allows us to provide that concert-like feel,” Dennis said.

Nissan audio engineers are currently collaborating with brands on systems that will debut in model year 2028 and beyond, including next-gen EVs and future flagship SUVs. By joining early in development, Dennis and his team fine-tune the sound system for each vehicle’s unique interior. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. “There is a ton of collaboration,” Dennis said. “It’s nice to have the ‘Golden Ear.’ It’s even nicer to get feedback from a group.”

After two decades of creating sonic magic, Dennis said the best part of the job is the moment he realizes the team achieved the desired tuning.

“You have to work with the system to get it to pop. When it does, you know it – you feel that fun factor immediately. And you can’t wait for the customer to experience it too,” he said.

About Nissan USA Stories

The Nissan USA Stories page explores the best of Nissan’s people, products, technology and more. New to the page? Subscribe here to receive alerts when a new story is published.

 

Patrick Dennis is a good listener. In fact, he has built a career on his ears. Countless hours of listening to music in cars, homes and concert halls have enabled him to precisely tune automotive speakers. Dennis has spent nearly 20 years at Nissan Technical Center North America, helping shape the sound of Nissan vehicles across the lineup. He also lends his tuning expertise to select INFINITI models. At the R&D facility near Detroit, the audio team is dedicated to making sound systems the best they can be – whether it’s a standard four-speaker system or the premium Klipsch 12-speaker studio experience available in Armada.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation likely remained elevated last month as the cost of electricity, groceries, and clothing may have jumped and continued to pressure consumers' wallets.

The Labor Department is expected to report that consumer prices rose 2.6% in December compared with a year earlier, according to economists' estimates compiled by data provider FactSet. The yearly rate would be down from 2.7% in November. Monthly prices, however, are expected to rise 0.3% in December, faster than is consistent with the Federal Reserve's 2% inflation goal.

The figures are harder to predict this month, however, because the six-week government shutdown last fall suspended the collection of price data used to compile the inflation rate. Some economists expect the December figures will show a bigger jump in inflation as the data collection process gets back to normal.

Core prices, which exclude the volatile food and energy categories, are also expected to rise 0.3% in December from the previous month, and 2.7% from a year earlier. The yearly core figure would be an increase from 2.6% in November.

In November, annual inflation fell from 3% in September to 2.7%, in part because of quirks in November's data. (The government never calculated a yearly figure for October). Most prices were collected in the second half of November, after the government reopened, when holiday discounts kicked in, which may have biased November inflation lower.

And since rental prices weren't fully collected in October, the agency that prepares the inflation reports used placeholder estimates that may have biased prices lower, economists said.

Inflation has come down significantly from the four-decade peak of 9.1% that it reached in June 2022, but it has been stubbornly close to 3% since late 2023. The cost of necessities such as groceries is about 25% higher than it was before the pandemic, and other necessities such as rent and clothing have also gotten more expensive, fueling dissatisfaction with the economy that both President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden have sought to address, though with limited success.

The Federal Reserve has struggled to balance its goal of fighting inflation by keeping borrowing costs high, while also supporting hiring by cutting interest rates when unemployment worsens. As long as inflation remains above its target of 2%, the Fed will likely be reluctant to cut rates much more.

The Fed reduced its key rate by a quarter-point in December, but Chair Jerome Powell, at a press conference explaining its decision, said the Fed would probably hold off on further cuts to see how the economy evolves.

The 19 members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee have been sharply divided for months over whether to cut its rate further, or keep it at its curent level of about 3.6% to combat inflation.

Trump, meanwhile, has harshly criticized the Fed for not cutting its key short-term rate more sharply, a move he has said would reduce mortgage rates and the government's borrowing costs for its huge debt pile. Yet the Fed doesn't directly control mortgage rates, which are set by financial markets.

In a move that cast a shadow over the ability of the Fed to fight inflation in the future, the Department of Justice served the central bank last Friday with subpoenas related to Powell's congressional testimony in June about a $2.5 billion renovation of two Fed office buildings. Trump administration officials have suggested that Powell either lied about changes to the building or altered plans in ways that are inconsistent with those approved by planning commissions.

In a blunt response, Powell said Sunday those claims were “pretexts” for an effort by the White House to assert more control over the Fed.

“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President,” Powell said. “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.”

FILE -American Giant clothing is displayed at the company's showroom in San Francisco, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

FILE -A cashier rings up groceries in Dallas, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)