I Didn't Know How Good Car Audio Could Be Until I Got In This Lamborghini

Unlike a lot of the staff here at SlashGear, I have not driven many high-end cars. That Toyota Rav4 Hybrid that I reviewed a few months ago was arguably in the top five of nice cars that I've driven — and that's because I bought it. So, it would be fair to say that I felt confidently uninformed when I pointed out the center speaker in a Porsche Macan that I demoed at CES 2025, and asked, "That's a thing, huh?"

While attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada last week, I was invited by Bose to come down to the T-Mobile Arena and demo the audio from a few high-end cars, and I was completely unprepared for what awaited me. On tap was the aforementioned Macan, a GMC Denali, a 2025 Lamborghini Revuelto, and a 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S, each with their own unique sound characteristics.

It was a very interesting afternoon.

Some of what I demoed isn't available for the public yet, but much of it is. The Denali in particular sported 24 speakers placed around the car for an immersive audio experience. For reference, I'm not sure I have 24 speakers in my house, and that includes Bluetooth speakers.

You're probably familiar with Bose. The company has been in the sound business since 1964 and been producing car audio systems for decades, but it was its purchase of McIntosh and Sonus Faber in 2024 that brought me to T-Mobile Arena. Before that, Bose's claim to fame was in noise-cancelling headphones like the QuietComfort series, but car audio is certainly in its tool bag as well. Now that it owns McIntosh and Sonus Faber, those tools are even more powerful.

To start off the demo, Bose picked me up with a Jeep Grand Wagoner fitted with a McIntosh sounds system. This was a very informal session, as the driver and I chatted about musical tastes while he cranked the stereo to Lindsey Stirling and Anthrax. When I found out he was into hip hop, we pivoted to Anthrax and Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" which was a compromise for the two of us. Then we arrived at T-Mobile Arena and the demos really started.

First up, was the Porsche Macan with a full, 14-speaker Bose sound system. This SUV's sound system is designed with Bose's Centerpoint 360 algorithm. To demonstrate its capabilities, Bose had us periodically switch places in the cabin to see if the sound differed from seat to seat. I felt that if the sound changed, it wasn't by much, and it was really good to start with, so I didn't particularly care.

Next, we all slipped into the GMC Denali with the 24 speakers around the cabin. This was designed to demonstrate Bose's Dolby Atmos surround sound system. It's a little trippy listening to surround sound in a car, and it's remarkable. The thought that kept ringing through my head was it was like being wrapped in a blanket of sound.

From there, we entered a new room with the Lamborghini and the Jeep Wagoneer S. The Lamborghini Revuelto is a hybrid that pairs a massive 12-cylinder engine with hybrid electric motors. As a result, this is a seven-speaker system with no subwoofer, but you really can't tell. It also doesn't come through in the video very well.

Finally, I hopped into the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S, which is Jeep's first full EV in North America. It's equipped with a McIntosh sound system which includes the company's signature blue meters that you have seen on their sound systems for years. It's a nice touch and an impressive sound system blasting through 19 placed speakers.

From four premium vehicles I listened to three premium audio systems and that may have ruined me. This audio gear feels like it should be in your living room, or even a music studio, not a vehicle that can blast down the highway.

The thing is, so many people spend so much of their lives in their cars, they want the same audio performance that they can get in their home theaters — or in my case, far, far better than you can get anywhere in my house. The detail of the sound is exquisite, which it should be in vehicles that all cost as much as they do.

I should say that ruined is a relative term. Having since returned home from CES and listened to music in my Rav4, it's fine. I'm not sitting up nights thinking about the audio experience that I'm missing. Still, for about an hour in the Nevada desert, I heard what was possible, and it's pretty great.