The Man with the Golden Ears Who Helps Fine-Tune Nissan Audio Systems

The Whoopi Goldberg character in Star Trek: The Next Generation was said to come from an alien race of “listeners.” She chose to apply those inherent talents as a bartender, but one might think that others from her planet may have found satisfaction as audio engineers. As far as we know, Patrick Dennis is a human born on Earth, yet he has built a career out of listening, which he utilizes to optimize Nissan sound systems. Dick Smith Nissan of Columbia has the story. 

Dennis has spent nearly 20 years at Nissan Technical Center North America, where he helps shape the sound of Nissan and Infiniti audio systems. The entire audio team in Detroit is dedicated to making Nissan sound systems the best they can be. From the 12-speaker Klipsch audio system in the top-level Armada to a basic 4-speaker system in the Versa, Dennis helps optimize all the product line’s audio systems. His official title is Principal Engineer for Audio Sound Quality, but around the office, he’s simply “Golden Ears.” 

Dennis makes it clear that he is not naturally gifted in this area. “It’s not that my ears are naturally better than anyone else’s – it’s that I’ve been trained to identify certain things in the music that other people might not be able to catch,” he said. 

Automobiles have both advantages and disadvantages as venues for music listening. On the upside, they are a familiar space. Aside from height, you know exactly where the ears will be located; the captive audience isn’t moving about. On the downside, “You’re competing with noise from the powertrain, road, wind and surrounding traffic.” You also can’t place speakers wherever you want, which is most likely where the windows need to be.   

“We can now manipulate sound to give it the best quality possible, even with just a few speakers,” Dennis said. “We can make audio coming from door speakers sound higher in the vehicle than it actually is.” Still, this may explain the growing use of dual speakers in the headrests, like in the upper-level models of the Kicks. It is described as wearing high-end headphones without ever putting them on. 

Dennis is equally involved in working with third-party audio brands like Klipsch, Bose, and Fender. These are all firms that know how to create great sound reproduction products, but Dennis and his team are key in helping them optimize their products for vehicle use. Dennis is not shy about stating that speaker count can make a difference.  “With additional speakers, you get a more focused sound and a better sense of space. It allows us to provide that concert-like feel.”  

It may be 2025, but Dennis, his team, and suppliers are already at work on systems that won’t see the light of day until the 2028 model year and later. The sound systems have to be treated individually, as there are too many factors for a set of components to work well across multiple vehicles.  

Dennis states that the most satisfying moments in his job are when he and his team achieve the desired tuning. “You have to work with the system to get it to pop. When it does, you know it – you feel that fun factor immediately. And you can’t wait for the customer to experience it too,” he said. 

Now that you know a little more about what goes into a Nissan audio system, bring your favorite music with you and visit Dick Smith Nissan of Columbia for both a driving and listening experience.