Audio pioneers Dirac and Dolby cooperate for high-end car sound system
Both Dirac and Dolby have invested decades in developing technologies designed to deliver the best possible audio experiences in all spaces, and to create a connection between artists and listeners, whether at home or in the car.
With their collaboration, the two companies, considered alpha leaders in the audio industry, are demonstrating how the combination of their technologies – Dirac’s patented audio optimization algorithms and Dolby Atmos Immersive Audio – can deliver the ultimate immersive audio experience in a vehicle. This will now initially be showcased in Dolby and Dirac demo vehicles around the world.
To date, the two companies have approached automotive audio challenges from different directions. Dirac uses digital signal processing to improve sound system performance and overcome acoustic challenges in cars – such as suboptimal speaker positioning and reflective surfaces that muddy the sound – so that the system reproduces any content without unwanted coloration and without hardware upgrades.
Dolby Atmos has changed the way artists make music. Instead of recording in stereo with just two channels, Dolby Atmos allows any sound – any instrument or voice – to be placed anywhere in the three-dimensional space of the recording. Dolby Atmos enables an immersive in-car listening experience that fully engages occupants with the music.
The combination of Dirac and Dolby’s complementary technologies creates an immersive in-car listening experience, setting a new standard in automotive audio, according to the two companies.
“The car is a natural place to listen to music, but vehicle cabs are also the most acoustically challenging listening environments,” said Lars Carlsson, Head of Business Development, Automotive, at Dirac. “For 20 years, Dirac has been developing custom solutions for some of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers, optimizing sound systems to achieve a whole new level of audio performance. By working with Dolby, we are now combining the world’s most sophisticated audio algorithms with the world’s most immersive content for the first time to set a new standard in automotive sound.”
“Reproducing a faithful Dolby Atmos experience in a car that translates well from its creation in the studio to the challenging acoustic environment of a vehicle cabin is a challenging task,” said Andreas Ehret, Director Automotive at Dolby. “We found that the results in our demo vehicles were outstanding – with excellent detail, accurate staging and a balanced sound field at all seating positions. Dolby works hand-in-hand with the entire automotive supply chain to deliver an authentic in-car entertainment experience.”
Dolby and Dirac will use the Dirac automotive audio solution to optimize sound system performance in Dolby and Dirac demo cars that will be deployed to offer the immersive performance of Dolby Atmos in cars. The system is expected to be one of the first manufacturers to make it available in electric vehicle manufacturer Nio’s ET 7 model, starting as early as this year.
https://www.dirac.com/dirac-for-business/automotive/
https://professional.dolby.com/music/dolby-atmos-for-cars/
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