The SAI Blog is back, dear readers, and with one question: How was your summer? Because Shively Acoustics International’s was great! 😉 We hope the same was true for yours, so let’s keep the update brief this time as we all await the arrival of autumn.

The big event, of course, was the AES Automotive Audio International Conference held at the tail end of July in Detroit, with SAI’s Roger Shively returning as conference chair. This year’s edition was a marked improvement upon the last European (2024) and US (2022) conferences, with record-breaking registration and submission numbers and an expanded range of content providing a glimpse of the future of automotive audio and the pathway (or expressway) leading us all to it. The conference chair had this to say:

“During three, 12-hour days of the conference, full of great technical presentations and workshops, with a constantly busy exhibit floor, and a steady stream of listeners in the Immersive Audio room, we worked to provide a balanced experience for everyone.”

(Photo: Glen Keune)

For the full event recap—from the broad strokes to the nitty-gritty-techy details—check out Roger’s article for industry magazine and SAI media partner audioXpress, co-authoredwith Editor-in-Chief João Martins, aptly titled “A Report from the 2026 AES Automotive Audio Conference in Detroit”. If you read the (shorter) version originally published in The Audio Voice newsletter #572, please note that the full and final report is available directly on audioXpress. In any case, it’s well worth reading twice!

On that note, don’t forget to check out Roger’s earlier article, “Strategies in a Software-Defined Landscape”, which appeared in the August issue of audioXpress. Get your copy for his insights and a fresh market update on SDVs, a key topic at this year’s and all future automotive audio conferences.

“I am deeply grateful for the support from AES and the wonderful team that was the conference planning committee,” Roger went on to say. “It was truly an honor. I am very proud of their work and the results we achieved after two years of planning. I look forward to immediately planning for Europe 2028 and advanced planning for US 2030.”

Yes, you heard that right, but you’re also not surprised at this point: immediate planning for Europe 2028! Doing the good work never stops, but is it really “work” for the SAI chief? Nah. But just as much as we’re looking years ahead, there’s plenty keeping us occupied right here in the present.

First up, and just around the corner of this weekend, is the CEDIA Expo 2026, taking place in Denver, Colorado, over four days (conference + expo) from September 1–4. Roger and Shively Acoustics will be there, so don’t miss your chance to meet us in person, especially if you missed out in Detroit!

How about fresh business opportunities? Only just last week, Roger was in Atlanta, Georgia, meeting with Brad Olschansky of immersive entertainment specialist Immersive Sound Technologies (IST). Previously, Brad and brother Scott Olschansky founded Exerfun in 1982, inventing many of the tension-based Life Fitness exercise equipment used in gyms across the US. Not exactly related to audio, sure, but a fine example of their history and experience in bringing new ideas to market. More recently with IST, the focus is on immersive media, down to the furniture used to consume it, including their Immersive Bass Chair, for which they started R&D about eight years ago. Now they’re ready to bring it to market, which means now they’re ready for SAI. More blog updates to come on this new collaboration as it continues to take shape.

In addition, Shively Acoustics is in talks with a California-based technology company developing driverless vehicles that provide mobility as a service (MaaS); in other words, taxi services. At present, we can’t reveal any other details, but hopefully that changes soon. 🙂

Last but not least by any measure, a small update on the activities of our summer intern, University of Washington mechanical engineering student Nathaniel Jocson. For the last two months, Nathaniel has been getting the crash course, and more, on all things loudspeakers and learning how to use the simulation software crucial to SAI’s work, COMSOL’s Multiphysics. He was also present with us at AES Automotive in Detroit, not only attending demos and talks, but also getting a firsthand feel for this side of the industry while lending an indispensable hand in documenting the event for us. We hope to have a more thorough retrospective from Nathaniel here on the SAI Blog in an upcoming post. Stay tuned for that.

That’s all for now, with more always headed our way. Enjoy the last days of summer! ■

Shively Acoustics International — Modern Audio Solutions, Worldwide

SAI August Update

AES Automotive Audio 2026 Is Revving Up