The Aston Martin Rapide Sports Car Offers a Customized Automotive Sound System by Bang & Olufsen
The four-door Aston Martin Rapide sports car combines a commitment to power, beauty and soul with space and practicality for every eventuality — the same can be said for Bang & Olufsen’s tailor-made BeoSound Rapide sound system provided in this exceptional car.
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Rapide continues a tradition of innovation established by two brands with an unrivalled history of design and engineering excellence within their respective fields.
Aston Martin and Bang & Olufsen share a common approach. Both companies were founded by pioneering engineers at the beginning of the 20th century, and through a commitment to unique design values, technology and manufacturing skills, each has grown into a global icon, bringing together technological and design excellence with the strongest possible emotional appeal.
A new icon
Everything about The Rapide looks lovingly sculpted, and is wrought of the finest materials. With such a work of art, it takes a sound system, which is extraordinary in every respect, to complete the experience. And this is exactly what Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Rapide does.
The BeoSound Rapide sound system will be available in the eagerly anticipated sports car from the start of production, with 15 active speakers and a total amplifier power of more than 1,000 Watts. All the speakers are mounted in closed cabinets to optimise the sound and provide absolute clarity and precision, and also to prevent the sound from escaping the car. The well known Bang & Olufsen magic is provided by the two acoustic lenses which emerge automatically from the dashboard when the system is activated.
The BeoSound Rapide system is 100% integrated with the control unit in the car, and the system is able to detect how many passengers there are in the car and automatically adjust the sounds focus accordingly. The adjustment will happen when the seatbelts are plugged in at the different seats in the car. For such a versatile car as the Aston Martin Rapide this is a very convenient feature that offers a unique sound experience to all passengers at all times.
Intelligent technology
The BeoSound Rapide system incorporates proprietary ICEpower technology; a fusion of high output power and hi-fi sound quality with ultra-compact design and low power consumption. The motorised tweeter units demonstrate Bang & Olufsen’s patented and automatically operated ALT (Acoustic Lens Technology), with their placement enabling 180° horizontal dispersion of high frequency sounds, giving listeners an improved sense of space, staging and realism regardless of their location in the car.
As Bang & Olufsen automotive sound systems also adapt automatically to changing noise conditions, there is no need to turn the volume up or down due to a change in the wonderful engine sound or changing road or weather conditions. The system takes care of the volume and adapts the level of bass, mid-range and treble according to the vehicle’s speed and noise conditions in the cabin. These noise conditions are constantly monitored by means of an integrated microphone. The result is that the driver and any passenger can concentrate on the pleasure of the driving and listening experience.
Through the use of pioneering acoustic competencies and proprietary technologies such as these, Bang & Olufsen has – in conjunction with Aston Martin – established the perfect relationship between the sound system and the unique aluminium structure of the car, resulting in an incomparable ambience. This ensures the listener is enveloped and engaged in a complete acoustic experience which effortlessly complements the outstanding power and supreme balance, handling and ride that are hallmarks of an Aston Martin.
Designed to match
BeoSound Rapide is the embodiment of the art of shaping sound to the interior contours of performance cars, focusing not only on horsepower or output power, but on the overall experience and musicality in every sense of the word.
The system was developed exclusively for Aston Martin to be perfectly matched to the Rapide, both acoustically and physically. The BeoSound Rapide design — which builds on the already known concepts from the BeoSound DBS, DB9 and Vantage – follows the inherent quality and understated beauty of the car, with smoothly contoured, aluminium loudspeaker grilles that integrate seamlessly into the hand crafted interior.
Both Aston Martin and Bang & Olufsen appreciate the value of individuality. Bang & Olufsen ensures the human element is integral at every stage of the design and manufacturing processes, from the key role played by the sound designers to the hand finished products. Aston Martin takes the same approach: All their cars carry the name plate of the engineer who completes the final inspection.
Together, Bang & Olufsen and Aston Martin present another product enhancing the partnership of two innovative companies with a proud tradition in technology and design. Both Bang & Olufsen and Aston Martin blend an unrelenting quest for technical excellence with an uncompromising commitment to quality and style, and both have the courage to go far beyond the conventional.
About the Rapide About Bang & Olufsen Automotive For the 2008/09 financial year, Bang & Olufsen Automotive achieved a turnover of DKK 174 million against DKK 123 million for the same period last year. The launch of the BeoSound Rapide will contribute to the continued positive development of Bang & Olufsen Automotive.
The Rapide is Aston Martin’s first true production four-door sports car blending elegance, the practicality of four seats and large boot space with an uncompromised sporting feel. The car which sits low and appears agile even when at a stand still provides each occupant with the customary level of refinement and comfort expected of an Aston Martin. The Rapide will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motorshow in September 2009.
Bang & Olufsen Automotive offers its partners car audio systems with unprecedented sound quality and listening pleasure for the driver and passengers. In addition to the company’s traditional craft skills within manufacturing and aluminium finishing, the systems incorporate the radical synthesis of emotional appeal and technological performance that has long been the hallmark of Bang & Olufsen.
