Speakerless Immersive Sound: Continental and Sennheiser Revolutionize Vehicle Audio

• Speakerless 3D immersive audio system by Continental and Sennheiser achieves excellent acoustics by exciting surfaces inside the vehicle to produce sound
• Continental’s Ac2ated Sound reduces weight and space by up to 90% in comparison to conventional systems
• Helmut Matschi, member of the Continental executive board: “Together, we have developed a premium sound system that reduces space and weight. At Continental, we call this sustainability that’s music to your ears.”
• AMBEO Mobility technology from Sennheiser immerses passengers in an astoundingly lifelike soundscape
  

Hanover, Germany/Las Vegas, January 6, 2020 – At CES 2020 in Las Vegas (January 7-10, 2020), technology company Continental and audio specialist Sennheiser present a speakerless audio system for the vehicle interior. The unique system fills the vehicle interior with lifelike immersive sound. The two partners are integrating Sennheiser’s patented AMBEO 3D audio technology with Continental’s Ac2ated Sound system. Continental’s innovative concept abandons conventional speaker technology altogether, exciting select surfaces in the vehicle interior to produce sound. Combined with Sennheiser’s AMBEO Mobility, the concept achieves a breathtaking 3D sound reproduction that envelops passengers in an incredibly detailed and vivid soundscape and lets them enjoy their in-car entertainment to the fullest. In comparison to conventional audio systems, Ac2ated Sound enables a reduction of weight and space of up to 90 percent. In this way, the system not only produces the highest audio quality but is also perfectly suited for electric vehicles, where saving space and weight is a high priority.

“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,” said Helmut Matschi, member of the Executive Board and Head of the business area Vehicle Networking and Information at Continental. “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.”

Inspired by the technology of classical string instruments, which use their wooden body as a resonance chamber, specially developed actuators excite specific surfaces in the vehicle interior. The result is an extremely natural sound experience for the occupants, who feel as if they are sitting in a concert hall surrounded by sound. Additionally, in comparison with conventional speaker systems, the audio solution has a much lower weight and significantly reduced box volume. In comparison: With a multitude of components, conventional audio systems weigh up to 40 kilograms (more than 88 pounds). By using already existing surfaces, Ac2ated Sound is distinctly more efficient in saving space. It achieves a reduction between 75 and 90 percent in contrast to existing conventional systems on the market.