High-end audio brands have been aggressively pushing into the luxury car market over the past five years, but few have taken the approach that Swedish audio specialists Dirac bring to the table. Unlike most that focus on speaker count or brand cachet, Dirac is tackling the real challenge—automotive acoustics—and applying solutions that have already proven their worth in high-end home systems.
Now, in partnership with EV innovator NIO, Dirac’s most advanced in-car audio technologies, including Reference Room Mode and Dirac Dimensions, debut in the third-generation NIO ES8 SUV, setting a new benchmark for authentic, lifelike sound inside the cabin.
From Audio Capture to Listening Experience: How Dirac Transforms In-Car Sound
The in-car audio magic here isn’t just marketing fluff—it’s Dirac’s Reference Room Mode doing the heavy lifting. By pulling real acoustic measurements from world-class studios and concert halls, Dirac captures both the reverberation and the directional qualities of sound, then drops that spatial accuracy straight into the ES8’s cabin. Every seat gets the benefit of this trickery, backed by a 23-speaker system that’s clearly not messing around.
NIO and Dirac even give you three “venue rooms” to play with: Legendary Studio (small), Pinnacle Stage (medium), and Golden Hall (large). Translation: pick your mood—intimate, performance, or full-blown concert hall—and the system reshapes the sound field accordingly.
It’s not a gimmick either; the differences are noticeable, and they’re designed to make the ES8 feel less like an SUV and more like a rolling hi-fi experiment you actually want to sit through.
From Hendrik Hermann, Vice President of Automotive at Dirac: “Delivering a truly immersive sound experience in a car requires more than powerful speakers,…This collaboration with NIO brings the unique acoustic signature of world-class spaces into the ES8, providing passengers with an authentic and emotionally engaging sound experience. Every note and nuance is reproduced as it would be in the original reference environment.”
Most car audio systems try to fake spaciousness by slapping a layer of generic reverb on top—like putting too much cologne on a bad suit. Dirac takes a completely different route. By capturing both the direction and natural decay of sound reflections, it uses the ES8’s entire 23-speaker arsenal to rebuild a coherent, three-dimensional sound field. The payoff? Music that feels richer, more balanced, and genuinely immersive—less “car stereo trick” and more “why does this SUV sound like an actual venue?”
In addition, the NIO ES8 integrates Dirac Dimensions, a patented true-to-source spatial upmixer that transforms any stereo content into an immersive multichannel experience. Leveraging Dirac’s proprietary MIMO (multiple-input/multiple-output) impulse response correction and advanced sound field control, every speaker contributes intelligently to a more precisely tuned, balanced, and spatially coherent soundstage.
The NIO ES8: China’s Leading EV Maker Takes Aim Beyond Tesla
Launched in 2018 as NIO’s first production model, the ES8 immediately staked its claim as a flagship three-row SUV with cutting-edge tech and bold design. Fast forward to the third generation, and NIO isn’t just refining the formula—it’s rewriting the playbook, this time with a serious focus on immersive in-car audio thanks to its deepening partnership with Dirac.
That collaboration keeps paying off. From Dirac Pro delivering pristine sound quality, to Dirac Dimensions Infinity crafting 3D surround sound, and now Reference Room Mode recreating the feel of world-class studios and concert halls, NIO is showing how software can become a new form of luxury. In the ES8, it’s less about just getting from A to B, and more about making the entire cabin feel like the best seat in the house.
The Bottom Line
The Dirac–NIO partnership makes a lot of sense. NIO is one of Tesla’s fiercest rivals in China, and pairing with Dirac gives them a unique angle in the luxury EV race—software-driven audio that actually solves the cabin acoustics problem instead of just bolting in more speakers.
The catch? The ES8 isn’t coming to North America yet, so no pricing or availability to share, though NIO’s San Jose outpost suggests they’re keeping the door open if U.S. trade conditions ever tilt in their favor.
Don’t be surprised if the ES8—with its 23-speaker Dirac-powered sound system—makes a splash at CES 2026. And let’s not forget, this isn’t their first dance: Dirac and NIO already teamed up back in 2022 on the ET7 EV, so the collaboration is built on proven ground.
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