Porsche Surround Sound

“3-D sound offers an unrivaled listening experience: the ultimate in immersive, natural, and emotive sound reproduction.” Mathias Renz is responsible for audio and acoustics in the Porsche development process.

The coloratura of a virtuoso tenor or the smooth tones of a female jazz singer? Music is a question of taste. Playback quality, however, is not. The Burmester High-End 3D Surround Sound System in the Porsche Panamera expands into the third dimension. For the first time in automotive history, the sports sedan will feature a new audio format heretofore used exclusively by Hollywood studios: Auro-3D translates the stereo signal into an immersive sound experience that differentiates not only left from right and front from back, but also above from below.

1 Powerful playback
The amplifier output is an impressive 1,455 watts—almost 50 percent more than its predecessor. The subwoofer musters 400 watts—a third higher than before.

2 Aided by algorithms
Using a mathematical procedure based on measurements by the world-renowned Galaxy Studios of Belgium, 3-D sound is distributed to twenty-one speakers.

3 Always plenty in the tank
During hundreds of hours of fine-tuning, acoustics engineers from Burmester and Porsche optimized the sound dynamics. The result: music reproduction that is emotive, precise, and highly dynamic.

4 Smartphones never sounded better
Burmester and Porsche developed software that compensates for frequencies omitted during the compression process and repairs coding errors as much as possible.

5 In the third dimension
The upper full-range speakers in the A-pillar carry the 3-D sound into the car. They were specially developed for the Panamera and meet the highest acoustic specifications in the smallest of spaces.

6 More watts per pound
The Burmester system only weighs roughly 17.6 ounces more than a conventional stereo system—due in no small part to the use of die-cast aluminum baskets in the speakers.

Text Johannes Winterhagen
Illustration ROCKET & WINK