What a difference eight days makes.
On July 7, Dynaudio announced that it would cease commercial operations in North America and permanently close its U.S. subsidiary in the fall of 2026. The Danish loudspeaker manufacturer said it was redirecting its market development efforts toward Europe and Asia, despite acknowledging that North American sales had grown in recent years.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the high-end audio industry. Dynaudio had just shown major new products at AXPONA 2026 and HIGH END Vienna, including the $7,000 Legend bookshelf loudspeaker and Symphony Opus One immersive audio system. eCoustics had to cancel multiple forthcoming Dynaudio reviews, including our planned evaluation of the Legend.
Now Dynaudio’s parent company, Goer Dynamics, has announced a strategic partnership with IMAX and IMAX China to create what the companies describe as the world’s first IMAX branded in-vehicle entertainment system.
The system is expected to enter commercial production by the end of 2026 and will initially be marketed to premium automakers in China, although none have been named at this time.
North America may no longer justify the cost of maintaining a traditional high-end loudspeaker business. China’s enormous electric-vehicle market, apparently, is another matter.
What Are IMAX and Goer Dynamics Building?
The proposed system combines an IMAX certified 4K HDR flip-down display with an IMAX developed multidimensional acoustic architecture.
The large display will use custom image processing and ambient-light adaptation intended to preserve picture quality as conditions inside and outside the vehicle change. That matters in a car, where sunlight can turn an otherwise respectable display into an expensive black mirror before you have reached the end of the driveway.
Goer Dynamics and IMAX also promise high dynamic range audio, substantial low-frequency output and controlled bass distortion. Modular configurations will allow automakers to adapt the system to different vehicle platforms, cabin layouts, speaker counts and trim levels.
The companies are positioning the system primarily for autonomous vehicles, where the cabin can become what the automotive industry insists on calling a “third living space.” That phrase sounds considerably more appealing than “the place where you spend three hours moving six miles on the Garden State Parkway.” As someone who has spent enough time trapped on New Jersey highways to watch the extended edition of Lawrence of Arabia, I understand the opportunity.
The Dynaudio Connection
The partnership is between IMAX and Goer Dynamics, not directly between IMAX and Dynaudio.
Goer Dynamics was founded in 2020 under China’s Goer Group and owns and operates Dynaudio, XEO and Libratone, and also holds a minority stake in fellow Danish high-end manufacturer Gryphon Audio Designs. Its businesses cover home audio, professional studio monitoring, automotive systems, consumer electronics and audio-visual technology. The company claims to have supplied in-vehicle entertainment systems for nearly three million new-energy vehicles.
Dynaudio became part of the wider Goertek organization when the Chinese electronics manufacturer acquired a majority interest in the Danish company in 2014. Dynaudio said at the time that the acquisition would give it access to additional engineering expertise in electronics, wireless technology and manufacturing.
Automotive audio is not a side project that appeared after someone discovered a large dashboard and an empty licensing agreement. Dynaudio has worked with Volvo, Volkswagen and Bugatti, and more recently developed premium systems for Chinese automaker BYD. The BYD Seal, for example, offers a 12-speaker Dynaudio system rated at 775 watts, while the Yangwang U8 luxury electric SUV uses a 22-speaker Dynaudio Evidence system.
That history gives Goer Dynamics considerable automotive acoustic experience, even though the announcement does not confirm whether Dynaudio engineers, drivers, DSP technology or branding will appear in the finished IMAX system.
Why China Comes First
China is the logical starting point.
More than 13 million electric cars were sold there in 2025, representing approximately six out of every ten EVs sold worldwide. The International Energy Agency expects electric vehicles to approach 60% of Chinese new-car sales during 2026.
Chinese manufacturers are also competing aggressively over cabin technology. Large displays, premium audio, karaoke, gaming, streaming video, reclining seats and smart-cockpit features have become important differentiators, especially in higher-priced electric vehicles.
Neither company has identified a launch partner, although Goer Dynamics’ existing relationships offer some obvious possibilities. Dynaudio currently supplies systems for BYD vehicles including the Seal and the premium Yangwang U8, while Goer Dynamics has also announced cooperation with Hongqi and Voyah. Those brands would be logical candidates for the first IMAX-equipped vehicles, but there is no confirmation that any has signed on.
For Dynaudio’s parent company, the potential scale is vastly different from selling $7,000 bookshelf loudspeakers through a shrinking network of specialist North American dealers.
That does not make Dynaudio’s withdrawal from North America any less disappointing. It does help explain where the company’s owners believe the larger opportunities now exist.
IMAX Has Already Been Inside a Car
The claim that this is the first IMAX branded in-vehicle entertainment system requires some qualification.
IMAX Enhanced content has already been offered in select Mercedes-Benz vehicles through Sony Pictures Entertainment’s RIDEVU service. The platform delivers selected films with IMAX’s expanded aspect ratio and remastering process, accompanied by DTS audio. It can distribute content across as many as six built-in or connected screens, although the driver can watch only while the vehicle is parked.
We experienced the Mercedes-Benz demonstration at CES 2025 and gave the IMAX Enhanced DTS system a Best in Show award. The sound was far more convincing than anyone had a right to expect inside an E-Class sitting in a convention center.
The new Goer Dynamics project appears to go further by offering automakers a complete IMAX branded hardware and acoustic platform rather than adding IMAX Enhanced content to an existing infotainment system.
That is a meaningful distinction, but IMAX is not entering the automotive market from a standing start.
What We Still Do Not Know
The announcement contains a substantial amount of language about immersion, dynamic range and cinematic detail, but very few specifications.
IMAX and Goer Dynamics have not disclosed:
- The size, resolution beyond 4K, brightness or display technology of the screen
- The number or type of loudspeakers
- Amplifier power or system frequency response
- Whether Dynaudio drivers or acoustic technologies are involved
- Whether the finished product will carry Dynaudio branding
- Support for DTS, Dolby Atmos or another immersive audio format
- Compatibility with IMAX Enhanced movies
- Streaming, rental or download partners
- Available content libraries
- Connectivity requirements
- Subscription costs
- Which automaker will become the first confirmed customer
- Which markets will follow China
- Whether the display can be used only by rear passengers or while the vehicle is parked
We also do not know what IMAX certification means in this specific environment. A cinema auditorium is built around controlled light, fixed seating positions and carefully placed loudspeakers. A vehicle cabin contains glass, reflective surfaces, road noise, moving passengers and seats that may recline, rotate or slide.
Producing consistent immersive sound inside that environment is not impossible, but it requires far more than placing a logo on a screen and adding enough bass to shake loose the toll receipts.
The Bottom Line
The IMAX and Goer Dynamics partnership is more significant than another oversized rear-seat display. It combines IMAX’s entertainment brand and image technology with a company that has already supplied systems for nearly three million new-energy vehicles and owns one of the most respected names in loudspeaker engineering.
It also arrives at an uncomfortable moment.
Dynaudio is preparing to leave North America, close the subsidiary it built to support dealers and customers, and focus on Europe and Asia. Multiple eCoustics reviews disappeared from our schedule almost overnight. One week later, its parent company unveiled a potentially large automotive partnership aimed squarely at China.
The message is difficult to miss. Traditional high-end audio remains culturally important, but automotive entertainment may offer the scale, recurring technology partnerships and overseas growth that selling passive loudspeakers through North American dealers no longer provides.
Whether any recognizable Dynaudio technology reaches the finished IMAX system remains unknown. So do the screen size, speaker arrangement, audio format, content services, automakers and price.
Watching Oppenheimer on the New Jersey Turnpike may soon be technically possible. Missing your exit near Secaucus because the Trinity test sequence was getting interesting will remain entirely your fault.
[Source: businesswire.com]
Related Articles:
- Dynaudio Will Shut Down U.S. Subsidiary And Exit North America In Fall 2026
- Dynaudio Legend Bookshelf Speakers Debut At AXPONA 2026 With Hand-Matched Rosewood Cabinets That Will Seduce You: But That’s Not Why You’ll Want Them
- Best in Show CES 2025: Here are the Audio/Video Products That Impressed Us Most
- Dirac Spaces Brings Immersive Car Audio And Spatial Sound To Vehicles
