Audi, B&O Using Auto Show to Showcase 3D Advanced Sound System

Audi and Bang & Olufsen are using this week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit to showcase the Audi Q7 with B&O’s 3D advanced sound system, the companies said Tuesday. In what the companies are calling “their most revolutionary collaborative sound solution to date," B&O “has tailored the system’s sound to perfectly fit every inch” of the Audi Q7’s interior, they said. It’s based on B&O’s patented “acoustic lens" technology, said to deliver 180 degrees of “horizontal sound dispersion” across 23 integrated speakers, they said. “This technology ensures that every occupant experiences the same direct and spatially realistic sound stage, delivered with clarity and precise tonal balance.” The system takes the horizontal dimension of conventional surround sound, and introduces the additional dimension of height, they said. Though height information isn’t included within traditional sound sources, they’re “extracted via intelligent signal separation and semantic analysis,” using technology from Fraunhofer, which also is participating in the Auto Show showcase, they said.