At CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Continental and Sennheiser have presented a speakerless audio system for the vehicle interior. The system fuses Sennheiser’s AMBEO 3D audio technology with Continental’s Ac2ated Sound system. The concept abandons conventional speaker technology altogether, exciting select surfaces in the vehicle interior to produce sound.
In comparison to conventional audio systems, Ac2ated Sound enables a reduction of weight and space of up to 90%. This means the system is suited for electric vehicles, where saving space and weight is a high priority.
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.
Conventional audio systems weigh up to 40kg, by using already existing surfaces, Ac2ated Sound achieves a reduction between 75 and 90% in contrast to existing conventional systems on the market.
At the same time, the invisible audio technology gives vehicle designers and manufacturers the freedom to do more with an automobile’s interior, as they no longer need to account for large speaker faces taking up valuable space.
With Ac2ated Sound, many components are unnecessary because the surfaces in the vehicle vibrate just like speaker diaphragms. Actuators cause components such as the A-pillar trim, door trim, roof lining and rear shelf to vibrate so that they emit sound in different frequency ranges.