ADS will offer a new Maestro AR that can work in partnership with Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) from aftermarket companies so that they can process the factory audio signals BEFORE the factory amplifier in many cars.
Supplier partners can include a serial port in their DSP that will link to the Maestro AR. Then the DSP will connect to the CAN bus of the car to read data directly from the audio system before it reaches the factory amplifier so you get a clean signal, undistorted by all the processing loaded in the factory amplifier.
ADS said, “The Maestro AR will convert the vehicle CAN bus messages into control messages for the DSP. The factory audio signals are routed directly to the DSP inputs so the unprocessed factory audio signal ‘before the amplifier’ can be used to generate the DSP outputs audio signals.”
It eliminates the need for expensive channel summing in many cars with factory amplifiers.
Rockford became the first company to use this technology in a full collaboration with ADS that lead to a new Rockford DSP with embedded ADS technology. Rockford’s DSR-1, officially announced at the SEMA Show this week, will ship March at $249.
Now, with the Maestro AR, other suppliers will be able to benefit from ADS’ ability to process audio “before the amplifier.”
The Maestro AR will be available around March 2017 at a price to be announced.
Three T-harnesses will be available at launch. The first covers 2011 and up Ford vehicles with My Ford Touch and Sony amplifiers. The other two cover 2011 and up Chrysler vehicles with 8-inch screens and factory amplifiers.
Some car audio suppliers may announce Maestro AR compatible devices at CES in January or early in 2017.
Bummer the shipping date has slid till March 2017 now.