Case Study: Harman International achieves faster virtual tuning of automotive audio systems with COMSOL Multiphysics

Harman International - Customer Case Study

Harman International, a market leader in connected-car infotainment and premium audio, needed to design and tune vehicle-specific loudspeaker systems early in the car development cycle when geometry and materials are often incomplete. To accelerate development and reduce costly prototype iterations, Harman turned to Comsol, using COMSOL Multiphysics together with LiveLink for MATLAB to run integrated mechanical, acoustic and electrical simulations.

Using Comsol, Harman developed validated multiphysics cabin models—combining 3D scans, optimized meshes, MATLAB preprocessing, and microphone-array validation (e.g., a Mercedes‑Benz ML study)—to correlate simulated and measured sound pressure levels. The Comsol-based workflow created a library of validated models that let engineers virtually tune speaker placement and enclosure behavior, replace much in‑car listening and prototype rebuilding, speed concept delivery, lower redesign costs, and achieve strong agreement between simulated and measured SPLs.

Harman International

Michał Bogdanski

Project Leader in Virtual Product Development