Harman is bringing a new audio technology to this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, meant to enable clear conversations between front and rear seat passengers, as well as for incoming calls.

Dubbed Premium Communications, the tech offers three key features: In-Car Communication (ICC), ClearChat with Far-End Noise Cancellation and Personal Communication Zones. All of them combined should lead to a more pleasurable experience while on the move.

In-Car Communication

This tech combines microphones, voice processing and in-vehicle audio signal processing in order to create a better environment for conversations within the car itself. Harman says that it enhances the sounds you want to hear, and reduces those you don’t.

In the end, ICC allows the driver to communicate directly with passengers in the back seats without having to turn their head or take their eyes off the road. The system works both ways too, meaning that second and third row passengers can communicate with the first row without having to raise their voice or lean forward from their seats.

ClearChat with Far-End Noise Cancellation

This works by using world-leading ‘beamforming’ microphones, echo cancellation and noise reduction algorithms to remove unwanted cabin noise so that you no longer have to hear the air conditioning system at work, road noise or even the rear seat passengers, while receiving a call.

Personal Communication Zones

This lets every occupant simultaneously interact with their personal voice assistant of choice or make a phone call knowing that the call recipients won’t hear any background noise (music, entertainment etc) from other people in the vehicle.

“With the regular use of voice-enabled devices, coupled with consumers’ always-on connected lifestyle, communicating clearly on the go, particularly in your car, is more important than ever before. As a result, in-vehicle communication is evolving to be a critical component of the overall passenger experience,” stated Harman exec, Michael Mauser. “Harman’s new Premium Communications leverages the latest advancements in smart audio to personalise the sonic environment and improve all communication occurring in vehicles – whether it’s with a voice assistant, someone on the other end of a phone call, or between passengers. At HARMAN, we’re focused on innovating smart, scalable and seamless solutions that provide the personalisation consumers today crave, and Premium Communications is no exception.”