Mercedes-Benz has revealed that it is now one of the few carmakers in the world to have successfully integrated Dolby Atmos audio into its in-car audio experience for a number of its models.
Mercedes is the second carmaker to integrate this audio technology into their vehicles, following Lucid Motors' announcement in March of a similar upgrade for its range of luxury electric vehicles (EVs).
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound audio standard created by Dolby, a company based in the U.S. The audio enhancements will be available for Mercedes vehicles all across the world starting next year.
The intricacies of the Mercedes audio systems that will be upgraded to Dolby Atmos make for fascinating reading. It will be available with the high-end 4D and 3D sound system from German audio powerhouse Burmester, which is optional in various variants in the lineup.
These systems include 31 speakers in all, six of which are tuned for 3D sound and are located higher than the passengers. The front seats have four near-ear speakers and a total of eight transducers, two of which are placed per seat. With a rated capacity of 1750 watts, this system includes two amplifiers and an 18.5-litre subwoofer.
There's no doubt that a system this powerful will convey the finest of details in the music you listen to, especially when it comes to high-resolution audio files.
The Dolby Atmos layer adds width to the sound, allowing the listener to have a better sense of where the sound, or a specific piece in a track, is coming from.
Dolby Atmos ready music can include a lot more streams of data for a system's algorithms to analyze by default, unlike standard surround sound systems that adjust the left and right audio channel streams.
Mercedes-Benz and Dolby announced that the Maybach and S-Class vehicles that already have this system will be the first to get the update, followed by additional Mercedes-Benz and Dolby vehicles.
Despite the fact that surround sound formats have been around for a long time, Dolby Atmos, which debuted in 2012, improves on the sound envelope experience by placing speakers higher up - near the ceilings in a room or near the roof in a car.
