Factory Tour: Inside the Development of Pioneer’s Speakers in Japan

“If you don’t like it, you can ride in the trunk,” my dad yelled at me one morning on our way to elementary school. He reached down with his left hand to pop the trunk of his black Honda Civic as we came to a stoplight in Mexico City’s busy Reforma Avenue. Michael Jackson had been playing loud—very loud—and just as he was chanting the chorus of “Man in the Mirror,” I reached out from the front passenger’s seat to turn down the volume. After he opened the trunk, I politely declined his offer to ride in the back, but he instructed me to step outside and shut the trunk before the light turned green. My 9-year-old self had his feelings hurt that morning, but my dad seemed to have forgotten by the time we got to school. “Smile, and the force will be with you,” he said, like every morning, as I got out of the car.

I wasn’t a fanatic of loud music playing in the car until I started driving myself. Just like my dad experienced on the way to school, there seems to be a connection with melodies and lyrics every time I get behind the wheel, and it is in the car where I listen (and sing) most of my music. But I’m not alone. Research done by Pioneer found that most Americans listen to music in their car, whether it’s on their way to work or during a long road trip. And to them, that’s an opportunity to bring high-quality speakers to consumers.

The Japanese company, founded in 1938, is launching two new lines of high performance automotive speakers—the Z series and next-generation D series—as well as a new marketing campaign called “Hear More.” To learn more about the new speakers, subwoofers, and the brand, I traveled earlier this summer to Tendo, Japan, where I toured the Tohoku Pioneer factory and witnessed the work that goes behind a speaker.

The Z series is composed of higher-end speakers and subwoofers that have the goal of reproducing sound that’s closer to its original performance. They have been designed to deliver sound that’s clearer, sharper, and more complex. A 29 mm aluminum alloy dome tweeter engineered with Pioneer’s Vertex Drive System and a dual layer cone construction reduces distortion and produces a clear and crisp sound. The Z subwoofer was designed to work really well with Hi-Res Audio recordings and deliver a detailed and accurate bass, according to Pioneer. Its placement can be optimized for better sound quality and bass reinforcement. I was able to listen to Rebecca Pidgeon’s “Spanish Harlem” inside a Subaru XV equipped with the TS-Z65CH speakers and a TS-Z10LS4 subwoofer, and the result was a sharp and very well balanced sound. To be fair, the XV was parked inside a garage with the engine off, but I could hear a deep sound from the driver’s seat. The combination of this system has a price of about $750 plus installation ($400 for the speaker system and $350 for the subwoofer). However, there are two other affordable Z series speakers available. The speakers will be on sale in October, and the subwoofers will make their way to the market in December.

At a more budget-friendly level, the D series is built with the purpose of delivering a wide sound stage with a well-balanced frequency response. The speaker is constructed with a 26 mm polyester soft dome tweeter that was designed to resist to the temperatures, humidity, and vibrations felt inside the car, reducing levels of distortion and transmitting a smooth and natural sound, according to Pioneer. For a superior experience, the D speakers use the same unique swivel mount as the Z component speakers, and they are designed with a universal woofer basket for a flexible installation and sound quality. Pioneer says that the D subwoofer was tuned to deliver excellent performance in acoustic suspension and bass reflex. The increased size of the magnets and voice coil provides greater control of the woofer and higher power handling. To listen to the D series, I hopped in a Nissan Versa Note equipped with the TS-D65C speakers and a TS-D10D4 subwoofer. Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” sounded strong and resonant, with a symmetrical balance from the driver’s seat. The D series package installed in the Versa Note will be available in October at a price of $480. There are other combinations available that range from $440 to $510.

Although the Z and D series will be produced in Vietnam, the plant in Tendo was responsible for its R&D, design, and testing. One of the things that stood out to me during the factory tour was the attention to detail that the workers put into the manufacturing of the speakers. Unlike what I was expecting, there’s a lot of manual labor in the plant, and I was impressed by the absence of robots. Tohoku Pioneer is responsible for the construction of higher-end car and home speakers. For instance, Pioneer’s Carrozzeria subbrand is a prestigious speaker marque that sells in Japan, and its units are manufactured in Tendo. But before any speaker goes to market, it undergoes a series of significant tests that include water and salt water spray, UV resistance, and vibration endurance. The speakers are also put in thermostatic chambers in order to pass a temperature test control, and once they are ready, they’ll hit the market. To develop the best sound possible, engineers spend hours in listening rooms measuring the sound and using computer modeling. The plant in Tendo had three rooms with sound-deadening materials in order to listen and measure the sound coming from the speakers. The plant tour also included a visit to three theater rooms where TAD speakers, also a division of Pioneer, played different types of music.

With the Z and D series, Pioneer hopes to increase its presence in the U.S. market. The executives that I talked to in Japan weren’t shy to talk about its competition and its position in the current market, but they were positive that the new speakers will not only give them a better ranking in North America but also deliver high-quality sound to people who like to sing when they drive, just like my dad and me.

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