McIntosh, the luxury home audio brand, last week announced that its first automotive reference system is going into a Jeep. This partnership makes sense.
If you’ve never owned a Jeep, you might not realize how passionate people are about the brand. Jeep owners are part of a rich subculture that dates to World War II. This culture extends to a traditional wave that Jeep drivers give each other when they cross paths on the road. They even have a nebulous system for determining which driver waves first, based on the model of their Jeep.
Somewhere there’s a weird Venn diagram where Jeep owners and audiophiles intersect, and in the center of that overlap is the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. This vehicle is the pinnacle of Jeep luxury. A major contributor to its luxury status is the McIntosh MX1375 reference entertainment system.
McIntosh moved out of the home and into cars in 1990s with the release of their aftermarket AM/FM Tuner and CD Player. In the early 2000s, McIntosh teamed with Ford and Harley-Davidson. But in 2020 the company announced its return to the automotive sector by partnering with Jeep. What they’ve done together with the Grand Wagoneer is impressive.
The MX1375 reference audio system is comprised of a 12-inch subwoofer and 23 specifically tuned speakers, all powered by a 24-channel 1375-watt amplifier. These speakers have been carefully integrated so that every seat in the Wagoneer has its own sweet spot. That means that every passenger is positioned to become fully immersed in an optimal audio experience.
The Wagoneer also sports adaptive 3D surround processing capabilities for an immersive listening experience. This 3D technology uses a cutting-edge algorithm that adds just the right amount of reverb to your sound. It’s designed to give you the richness and depth of a live performance. You should be able to intuitively pick out individual instruments from the music you are playing.
McIntosh also created a more affordable MX950 Entertainment System that you can find in lower-trim models. This is exciting, because it could mean that in the future, all premium Jeeps might come with premium audio.
Don’t get it twisted: The Grand Wagoneer is not the Nissan Kicks. We’ve had the displeasure of driving a Kicks -- slapping branded speakers into a compact SUV does not make for a great audio experience. The Bose speakers might not rattle, but the window in the door does. Creating great automotive audio takes care and dedication. There are tons of cars on the market with brand-name speakers that differentiate them from the base model, but these cars fall far below the bar that McIntosh and Jeep have set.
