Maximum musicality with Symphoria® from Fraunhofer IIS: The new Audi Q7 convinces with compelling 3D sound | ©Audi AG/Audi MediaServices
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Maximum musicality with Symphoria ® from Fraunhofer IIS: The new Audi Q7 convinces with compelling 3D sound

January 22, 2015

The New Year has just commenced and with it comes a special surprise. Passengers travelling in the new Audi Q7 have the opportunity to experience sublime driving pleasure as well as an unrivalled audio journey. Thanks to Symphoria from Fraunhofer IIS, every music genre can be played back in unprecedented 3D sound. Whether it’s rock, jazz or classical music, Symphoria makes car driving a musical experience. Audi is presenting the Q7 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and highlighting how Symphoria creates spatial soundscapes inside the new SUV.

Symphoria® – a new standard

Together with Bang & Olufsen and Fraunhofer IIS, Audi presented the first Audi Q7 concept car equipped with Symphoria at the Consumer Electronics Show 2013 in Las Vegas. The cooperation enabled a spectacular 3D sound experience inside the car.

The Fraunhofer technology Symphoria complements Bang & Olufsen’s Advanced Sound System in the Audi Q7  and facilitates a first-class hearing experience with a realistic, spacious sensation. The series production of the Q7 will start this year. The new SUV is the second Audi production car to be equipped with Symphoria, following on from its deployment in the Audi TT Coupé during 2014.

Full speed ahead with Symphoria®

The Fraunhofer algorithm used for post-processing and playback of audio signals generates impressive sound dimensions inside the car. The result is a well-balanced sound image for every passenger with a new sense of dimensionality and spaciousness. Regardless of the audio source (radio, mp3 or CD), the input content (stereo, 5.1 surround and 3D audio), or the automotive sound system, Symphoria convinces with superlative 3D or surround sound quality.

How Symphoria® works

During the first step the individual sound components within the audio signal are analyzed and separated. Thanks to this analysis, room information such as reverberation or reflections is obtained, which can be used to define the recording location. Following the separation of the individual sound components, Symphoria intelligently distributes the separated audio objects inside the car through the integrated loudspeakers. The Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System uses 23 loudspeakers inside the Audi Q7 to create impressive sound images together with Symphoria.

In this way a realistic sound impression can be created so that passengers feel like they are sitting in the audience at the opera or a rock concert.

Would you like to find out more about Symphoria? Please contact us. We would be glad to answer all your questions.

Header image © Audi AG/Audi MediaServices

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