Mercedes-Benz Is Adding Dolby Atmos Audio To Its Vehicles
Automotive fans know that there's a lot more to a car than its exterior style and how it performs. Sound is a big deal for automotive enthusiasts, whether the sound comes from a rumbling engine under the hood or a high-end audio system playing your favorite music. Mercedes-Benz has announced that it is expanding the capability of its vehicle audio systems with Dolby Atmos.Mercedes plans to offer Atmos in its top-of-the-line S-Class models to deliver vehicle owners the best car audio experience. In addition, Atmos will be integrated into the optional Burmester high-end 4D and 3D sound system and the Mercedes-Maybach audio system. Mercedes says the integration of Atmos into its car audio systems will turn the vehicles into concert halls on wheels.
The audio systems have an impressive array of speakers with a total of 31 loudspeakers and eight sound transducers, which are also called exciters. The eight sound transducers will be mounted into the seats to offer a more immersive soundscape while driving. Mercedes points out that it's one of the first luxury car brands in the world to integrate Dolby Atmos technology into its vehicles.
The 31 speakers include six 3D speakers that emit sound from above drivers and passengers. For the speakers are located near the ears in the front seats. The high-end audio system also has a large 18.5-liters subwoofer. Each seat in the vehicle gets a pair of sound transducers, and two amplifiers power the system with 1750 watts of power.
The purpose of Dolby Atmos Music is to deliver a more immersive audio experience while adding space, clarity, and depth to any type of music played via the system. Mercedes says the Atmos technology lets creators place audio elements and objects in a three-dimensional sound field, delivering a music experience that goes well beyond the capabilities of a stereo system. Essentially, the system makes the driver and passengers feel like their favorite music surrounds them.
The system can adapt to any playback environment allowing the audio experience to be as near to what the artist intended as possible. The first car in the Mercedes-Benz line to feature the system will be from Maybach, and Mercedes believes the feature complements the other high-end luxury features found inside the vehicle. The Maybach vehicle featuring the new audio system will be available in the summer of 2022.
Shortly after the sound systems debuts in that vehicle, it will be rolled out to other models that have a new Mercedes MBUX system inside that was introduced on the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Mercedes recently revealed its new Mercedes-AMG SL, which is a complete reworking of the iconic SL convertible. The new SL has a completely revised exterior and interior and a V-8 engine offering two different outputs. In the SL 63, the V8 produces 577 horsepower and 590 pound-foot of torque. The SL 55 uses a V-8 making 469 horsepower and 516 pound-foot of torque.