Tech company Continental and Sennheiser have presented CES 2020 with a speakerless audio system for inside a vehicle, revolutionising drivers’ listening experience.
The unique system uses Continental’s Ac2ated Sound, said to reduce weight and space by up to 90% in comparison to conventional systems, in combination with AMBEO Mobility technology from Sennheiser, immersing passengers in an astoundingly lifelike soundscape.
‘By integrating AMBEO Mobility with Continental’s Ac2ated Sound system, the in-car sound experience becomes completely immersive and natural, opening new audio perspectives and realities,’ Dr Andreas Sennheiser, co-CEO of Sennheiser said.
The Continental Head of Vehicle Networking and Information, Helmut Matschi, said the Ac2ated Sound system brings together superior expertise for acoustics, infotainment and design.
‘For Ac2ated Sound, we have brought together the highest levels of expertise in the areas of acoustics, infotainment and vehicle design. In Sennheiser we have found an audio expert who helped us make our pioneering audio system even better,’ he said.
‘Together, we have developed an audio system that creates premium sound out of nowhere. Additionally, Ac2ated Sound reduces space and weight. At Continental, we call this sustainability that’s music to your ears.’
Transforming the vehicle into an instrument
Inspired by the technology of classical string instruments, which use a wooden body as a resonance chamber, ‘specially developed’ actuators are said to excite specific surfaces in the vehicle’s interior.
The result is a superior natural sound experience for the occupants – who are made to feel as if they are sitting in a concert hall surrounded by sound, according to Sennheiser.
Additionally, the audio solution has a much lower weight and significantly reduced box volume in comparison to traditional speaker systems.
The speakerless audio system was on display at CES 2020 in Las Vegas today.
By Camilla Theakstone
