Latin America Sennheiser has entered the automotive sector with the Ambeo immersive audio solution for in-car entertainment and communication in collaboration with Karma Automotive, a Southern California-based luxury automaker.
Meticulously engineered using high-level technology in microphones, premium speakers and 3D audio experience, the AMBEO sound system provides impressive surround sound as well as crystal clear audio for phone calls. The system will be experienced for the first time in a new 2020 Karma Revero GT, during Auto Week in Monterey, California from August 15-18.
"We are excited to bring the unique AMBEO immersive audio experience to cars, as well as to do so with Karma Automotive which has focused on the development of electric vehicles," said Daniel Sennheiser, co-CEO of Sennheiser. "With Karma, we are combining the future of mobility with the future to enjoy audio."
Distributed sound system
The AMBEO sound system on board the 2020 Karma Revero GT, consists of a multi-channel speaker configuration arranged in two main layers plus a subwoofer to provide authentic sound immersion anywhere in the cabin. To complete the experience, the vehicle's headrests have been integrated with the speaker concept.
Fundamentally, the ability to enjoy impressive immersive sound does not require specific 3D audio sources: the system's AMBEO upmix algorithm can turn any stereo material into an immersive experience.
Audio sources and levels are managed through a convenient graphical user interface, which allows the driver and passengers to customize the sound according to their preferences. The interface can also be configured to determine the preferred degree of immersion, as well as the position within the sound level.
Intelligible phone calls thanks to beamforming microphone arrays
With the AMBEO system, clear phone conversations inside the car are no longer a dream. The system employs beamforming technology to actively focus on the speaker with the beamforming microphone arrays integrated on both sides of the cockpit. The result is accurate voice capture, while wind, engine and tire noise is efficiently attenuated. Passengers can join the phone conversation, continue listening to music or the audio of a movie, without interruptions. This solution also has another advantage: It allows you to have a relaxed and clear communication between everyone inside the car.
A feat of engineering
Sennheiser engineers worked for more than two years on the development and tuning of AMBEO technology for the automotive sector. "The main challenge was to bring high-quality immersive audio to the complex and difficult environment of the car, which is very different from our usual use cases for immersive audio technologies and beamforming," said Dr. Véronique Larcher, Director AMBEO Immersive Audio at Sennheiser.
"We almost had to start from scratch with the goal of not only presenting a good solution to the market, but also creating the best that could be found. This AMBEO system now combines the gold standard AMBEO upmix algorithm for immersive audio with high-quality sound reproduction and the latest in beamforming technology for clear communications."
