Rivian confirms no Meridian Sound System in my R1S. It has in-house audio system

[COdogman]

No, but you should be told about things that have changed when you purchasing the vehicle or during your walk through. Especially because things/features are changing so quickly. It's impossible to keep up with. I feel like every week there is something new in this forum.

That's fair. But I think you just answered your own question as to why it's not happening. Things are changing frequently at the factory too. They have tons of parts and components to source every month and trying to quickly train all of your company's employees on every one of them in real time would be literally impossible.

They announced the change to the audio system. It wasn't soon enough for some people, but even if they had telegraphed this much earlier the complaints would have been that people couldn't hear it before taking delivery. They can't win either way.

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[COdogman]

If it's "mostly meaningless", it's probably good enough for me. If there's a dramatic quality difference, it should be mostly apparent by someone.

Well, OP is the perfect example. They already had an R1T with the Meridian system. Took delivery of an R1S with the Rivian system and drove both for 2 weeks without noticing a difference. He was testing it and wasn't even aware of it until he read about the change here.

 

[pc500]

Well, OP is the perfect example. They already had an R1T with the Meridian system. Took delivery of an R1S with the Rivian system and drove both for 2 weeks without noticing a difference. He was testing it and wasn't even aware of it until he read about the change here.

He starts out with " I think the R1T Meridian system sounds much better than the R1S Rivian system." so I can't say.

Although since it's physically a different soundstage, I didn't place too much value on it.

Two vehicles, compared side by side with "enhancing" audio off, should make quick work of it.

 

[pc500]

Counterpoint:

I have an early R1T (3500ish vin) and a just built R1S (6500ish vin) and I think they both sound great. The R1S does seem to allow for a higher maximum volume as well, with no perceptible distortion.

But my take is too boring, I know.

Is the just built one non-meridian?

 

[dleepnw]

i understand the sentiment, though not a deal breaker for me, sounds like it is for you. i think both sides are right here.

 

[COdogman]

He starts out with " I think the R1T Meridian system sounds much better than the R1S Rivian system." so I can't say.

Although since it's physically a different soundstage, I didn't place too much value on it.

Two vehicles, compared side by side with "enhancing" audio off, should make quick work of it.

He only said the Meridian sounded better AFTER he was made aware it was different.

Another person in the thread who has both said they are both good systems.

 

[Tim Dora]

I noticed a difference when I drove the R1S back from the factory in Normal. It never crossed my mind that the system had been changed. I would have to inspect the sound system equipment. I learned that I could look at the speakers covers to see the name on the speaker cover changed. All they had to do was tell me when I took delivery. It is not a big ask.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

It’s moot, not mute, which is what you do to your TV.

People gonna be up in arms if Rivian decides to put on GoodYear or Michelin tires, instead of Pirelli?

Brand name components dont matter, so long as long as they perform to spec

Fixed the moot. Thanks I glitched.

This was only an interesting topic because it was Sound related where there is a lot of brand recognition.

That it's less about how it actually sounds versus the what's on the label.

I personally don't care about the brand name of an Audio system especially in a car, but I know other people do.

There is no question in my mind that people bought the higher end audio system because of brand name recognition.

 

[electruck]

I don't think anyone will stick their neck out to defend Rivian's comms dept but the reason OP is getting so much hate is because most of us see these cool features advertised and think they would be great but also recognize they may not come to fruition or may take time to do so. Then there are others like OP who see something advertised and view it as a promise or commitment from Rivian.

True that. Happiness in life is all about managing expectations.

 

[kylealden]

I dunno why I'm falling for the idea that I can constructively engage here, but here goes:

If Rivian tries to indulge every single feature they once thought they could, at launch, with no compromises, they will fail. Full stop.

Is that an unlimited excuse? No. The penny pinching and excuse making around little things (12V outlets come to mind) certainly are frustrating.

But there are also meaningful component changes that drive down costs and complexity at scale, like simplifying or removing major high-cost electrical/mechanical components (over-fancy roof, too-clever-by-half magic tailgate, etc.). I think it's safe to say that a small handful of these changes (electrochromic roof, trick tailgate, and frunk/gear tunnel finishes alone) probably keep the MSRP down by at least $10k, which is critical when you need to minimize SKU complexity.

And then there are things that just have to be sequenced so Rivian can focus on scaling to survive - things like the Gear Shuttle, Camp Kitchen, Tank Turn (maybe), Yakima tent, etc. And for good measure, throw in honest mistakes like the tonneau

So is the speaker simplification "penny pinching" like the 12V outlet, or is it a reasonable cost reduction? I guess it's in the eye of the beholder, but it's still a very good sound system, and Rivian is likely saving quite a lot by not paying a licensing fee for the name. And I'd wager that none of us would have noticed by the evidence of our own ears. Did you really buy the vehicle for the brand cachet of the 12V system?

At the end of the day, no brand in the world (not Rivian, not Toyota, not Range Rover, not Bentley) is going to email you an itemized update every time they make a supplier change or spec revision on your preorder. It's not just that they aren't obligated to, it's that it would be an utterly unmanageable logistical problem mostly for the benefit of a couple grouches on the internet.

The fact is that you had a chance to inspect your vehicle and make sure it's what you wanted when it arrived. And you have seven days to return it if you weren't sure. It's your responsibility to vet your $80k+ purchase.

And yes, at the end of the day, it's reasonable to be frustrated if you feel like this was a bait and switch, although I think it's a silly hill to die on. But don't be surprised that you lose the mob when you start invoking "legal recourse."

 

[DuoRivians]

I dunno why I'm falling for the idea that I can constructively engage here, but here goes:

If Rivian tries to indulge every single feature they once thought they could, at launch, with no compromises, they will fail. Full stop.

Is that an unlimited excuse? No. The penny pinching and excuse making around little things (12V outlets come to mind) certainly are frustrating.

But there are also meaningful component changes that drive down costs and complexity at scale, like simplifying or removing major high-cost electrical/mechanical components (over-fancy roof, too-clever-by-half magic tailgate, etc.). I think it's safe to say that a small handful of these changes (electrochromic roof, trick tailgate, and frunk/gear tunnel finishes alone) probably keep the MSRP down by at least $10k, which is critical when you need to minimize SKU complexity.

And then there are things that just have to be sequenced so Rivian can focus on scaling to survive - things like the Gear Shuttle, Camp Kitchen, Tank Turn (maybe), Yakima tent, etc. And for good measure, throw in honest mistakes like the tonneau

So is the speaker simplification "penny pinching" like the 12V outlet, or is it a reasonable cost reduction? I guess it's in the eye of the beholder, but it's still a very good sound system, and Rivian is likely saving quite a lot by not paying a licensing fee for the name. And I'd wager that none of us would have noticed by the evidence of our own ears. Did you really buy the vehicle for the brand cachet of the 12V system?

At the end of the day, no brand in the world (not Rivian, not Toyota, not Range Rover, not Bentley) is going to email you an itemized update every time they make a supplier change or spec revision on your preorder. It's not just that they aren't obligated to, it's that it would be an utterly unmanageable logistical problem mostly for the benefit of a couple grouches on the internet.

The fact is that you had a chance to inspect your vehicle and make sure it's what you wanted when it arrived. And you have seven days to return it if you weren't sure. It's your responsibility to vet your $80k+ purchase.

And yes, at the end of the day, it's reasonable to be frustrated if you feel like this was a bait and switch, although I think it's a silly hill to die on. But don't be surprised that you lose the mob when you start invoking "legal recourse."

The 12v is a parts shortage issue, with a 1 year supplier wait. Either Rivian can produce and deliver cars by rationing them, or stop production altogether

 

[Deleted member 11292]

I'm not sure why OP is getting so much hate. They didn't tell him that he wasn't getting the Meridian sound system. That's pretty annoying and frustrating.

My problem is having the expectation that Rivian is supposed to personally look out for you and your needs, but you don't give a crap about the reality of what Rivian is dealing with. It's a 2 way street. They're not looking to screw over their customers. How does that benefit a new company? They're dealing with current economics and just trying to survive. This isn't Elon charging an EXTRA $15k for FSD that doesn't exist.

All of that list of removed features was there BEFORE he made the purchase. They're making changes because they built you a crazy cool truck and didn't charge nearly enough for it in the first place.

And how is the audio system some kind of deal breaker when he didn't even notice? It's a front and center every day feature.

If you don't want the truck, don't buy the truck. Or return it. Who else even let's you return a vehicle you've been driving around without some kind of penalty??

 

[s4wrxttcs]

They should have never honored pre-order pricing. It would have been better to take a one-time hit, then to have to deal with the whine of people complaining: “why aren’t preorders getting their cars first?!”

I agree with that, but at the end of the day the whiners one.

For me personally despite being a reservation holder I was opposed to honoring the reservation price for the following reasons.

There was very real inflation and honoring the reservation price meant that Rivian was transferring that difference to their customer at the cost of investors.
It didn't reflect the true street pricing of the vehicle. If I had a wife there is a good chance that she would have had me sell the vehicle to pocket the money as a $100K vehicle is still a $100k vehicle.
It locked Rivian in to honoring the reservation price for quite a few vehicles which would take a long time to bail out of that commitment.
It created different revenue amounts depending on when a person placed their reservation. This caused suspicion that new reservation holders were getting their vehicles more quickly.

 

[Tim Dora]

Agreed. Very good comments.

 

[Deleted member 11292]

The 12v is a parts shortage issue, with a 1 year supplier wait. Either Rivian can produce and deliver cars by rationing them, or stop production altogether

Yep. The Audi we bought last year was supposed to have a wireless charger and a toll booth module. It has neither because they didn't have the chips and chose not to wait for them.

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