If you’ve been experiencing hearing loss, excessive ringing, volume sensitivity, echo or change in pitch, Nissan has a new sound system that might perk up your ears. It’s called Personalized Sound, and it’s our favorite price — FREE! — on all 2026 Infiniti models and four well-equipped 2026 Nissans.
Sure, premium sound systems with big power and subwoofers are popular as a way for automakers to lure in audiophile car shoppers, but a lot of consumers would rather skip the window rattling and instead take a low-key sound system that fits their auditory profile.
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Enabled By Google Built-In
Announced Monday, the Personalized Sound feature comes embedded with the Google Built-in infotainment operating system at no additional cost. You can set your audio system the old-school way — by manually adjusting bass, treble, fade, and side-to-side balance — or you can let Personalized Sound do it for you, tailored to cope with whatever ear condition ails you.
If you have tinkered with the sound settings of a newer smartphone, this technology will be quite familiar. On these models with Google Built-in, you just use the car’s infotainment screen to download the Personalized Sound app and follow the directions.
Take A Hearing Test In The Car
You need to do all this in park. Take the time so the system gets to know how good (or bad) your hearing is. The system actually tests your hearing, kind of like when you visit the audiologist to find out what frequencies you’re struggling to hear. The program will play tones at different pitches and varying volume levels.
“The driver responds with how well they can hear each sound by tapping on the infotainment screen, and the program creates a bespoke listening experience based on that individual’s hearing profile,” Nissan says. “The entire set-up process takes about three minutes.” Individual profiles can be created if the car has multiple drivers.
For Those Of Us With Hearing Problems
In addition to all 2026 Infinitis, Google Built-in is standard on 2026 Nissan Armada (SL, PRO-4X, NISMO, Platinum, and Platinum Reserve grades), Murano (SL and Platinum), Rogue (Platinum) and the all-new Leaf (SV and Platinum).
I can appreciate Nissan’s interest in this technology because all of the ear ailments mentioned in the first paragraph have dogged me to some extent for more than six years. So I know what it’s like to get in a car to test drive and having to leave the audio system off, unless I have time to turn down the bass and adjust the treble and the speed-dependent volume so I can enjoy a little music.
When You’re Hearing Too Much
The car is a favorite place for many people to enjoy music. It was that way for me until a cold Detroit Saturday night in February 2019 after a gig with my rock band when I knew something was wrong. If I whistled, the pitch would change. The bell on the microwave oven sounded different.
Then came volume sensitivity. Yes, hearing tests in the past had confirmed some hearing loss, but now I was hearing too much. Running water in the kitchen sink caused echoing in my ears. A flushing toilet was too loud.
Yes, John Harmonizing With John
This meant going to a loud restaurant or a bar was out of the question, and that a pair of tiny foam earplugs would always be in my pocket. For several months the only music I’d play was on an acoustic guitar, softly.
What left me both terrified and fascinated was hearing the Beatles song “Help!” a few weeks after all this started. You know the song. John Lennon sings it. In the progression, there are no backing vocals, just him: “Help me if you can I’m feeling down / and I do appreciate you being ’round.” And yet, what I was hearing was two vocal parts from John. He was singing those lines in harmony — to himself. And it sounded good. But most other singers of songs I knew well (from Whitney Houston, for example) sounded like really bad karaoke. Mind blown.
Noisy Snow Hitting The Windshield
Yes, it was time to see an ear specialist, and dozens of visits to hospitals and the Michigan Ear Institute followed. And while my wife and I were driving to the first appointment on a snowy day, I remember complaining about the sound of snow hitting the windshield and crunching under the tires.
And I learned that I was suffering from hyperacusis, when everyday sounds can be unbearable. The doctors told me I was suffering from cochlear hydrops, stemming from fluctuating fluid levels in three chambers deep in my right inner ear. It’s very difficult to treat.
Protect Your Ears, People!
I’m grateful to report that after a few years the symptoms have subsided, or else I just learned to better cope with them by wearing noise-canceling headphones when I mow the grass or grind my coffee. I find myself reaching for the earplugs less and less, but I still wear them on airplanes and roll up the car windows when someone pulls up next to me at a stoplight with music blaring. But I’m generally enjoying car audio once again.
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No Connected Phone Required
This journey makes me glad Nissan and Infiniti are introducing Personalized Sound. It doesn’t require a connected phone to operate, but you can stream your favorite tunes from your Apple or Android phone via Bluetooth and try out the feature. It works with in-vehicle music sources too, like AM/FM radio and Sirius XM.
Even if you’re not in the market for a new car, a trip to a Nissan or Infiniti dealer might be worthwhile to check out Personalized Sound.
Source: Nissan/Infiniti