Dirac and electric automobile innovator, Polestar, have expanded their collaboration to elevate the audio performance of the new Polestar 3 electric SUV’s with a new Bowers & Wilkins audio system using Dirac’s Opteo Professional car audio optimization platform.
Bowers & Wilkins System Highlights
The Polestar 3 incorporates a 1,610-watt Bowers & Wilkins surround sound audio system that has been specifically designed for the Polestar 3. It includes 25 high-performance speakers, 3D Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos, and the brand’s proprietary Tweeter-on-Top and Continuum Cone drivers. The stainless steel speaker grilles provides sturdy and attractive accents.
In addition, each front seat headrest is fitted with two tuned 40 mm full-range speakers. In addition to adding to the immersive audio environment, these speakers also allow the driver to receive targeted navigation instructions and answer calls without interrupting the listening experience of the passengers.
Speaker breakdown
- 5 x 25mm Nautilus Double Dome tweeters
- 7 x 80mm Continuum midrange speakers
- 4 x 170mm Woofers
- 8 x 40mm Fullrange speakers
- 1x 250mm Subwoofer
Sound modes
- Studio
- Individual Stage
- Concert Hall
- Multiband Equalizer
Sound processing
- Dolby Atmos
- QuantumLogic Immersion
- Dirac Unison
- Vehicle Noise Compensation Technology
- Virtual Venues Live
Getting The Sound Listening Experience Right
One of the most difficult things in audio is to get great performance within the automobile environment. In-car speakers traditionally can’t perform as well as high-end home or theatre audio systems, regardless of their price point and design.
In the car environment, speakers can’t always be positioned in the right spot to direct sound properly. As a result, speakers can interfere with each other, causing distortion and reducing audio clarity. The interference increases when more speakers are added to the system. Also, the car cabin adds unwanted sound coloration, resulting in a muddy, diffuse sound that makes it harder to determine where the sound is coming from.
Enter Dirac
Featuring patented multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) mixed-phase impulse response correction technology, the Dirac Opteo Professional solution, combined with the Bowers & Wilkins Surround Sound speaker system, enables all the speakers in a car to work together and correct each other’s impulse response.
Dirac’s Opteo is designed to remove the car cabin from the sound equation by minimizing the unwanted effects of that environment. In addition, loudspeaker response for maximum fidelity and bass performance are both optimized. The end result is a more balanced sounding presentation with improved clarity and accurate spatial cues within the cabin for listeners.
Dirac Opteo Professional solution is built on Dirac’s Intelligent Audio Platform (IAP). It is a data-driven measurement system that provides semi-automatic tuning tools, integrated sound optimization algorithms, and middleware for any hardware platform. This enables manufacturers to provide car audio systems with perfected sound faster, more easily, and consistently across vehicle models.
From Roger Hjelm, Head of Connected Car at Polestar: “With Polestar 3, we wanted to deliver a high-end audio experience that allows passengers to feel the depth and breadth of the soundstage, experiencing every subtlety, no matter where they’re sitting in the car…To accomplish our goal, we collaborated with Bowers & Wilkins to provide class-leading in-car audio, then relied on Dirac to ensure the speakers sound their best. Our collaboration with Dirac, a fellow Swedish innovator, helped us ensure that our customers experience the market’s best automotive sound system.”
From Lars Carlsson, Dirac General Manager of Automotive Audio: “Dirac is leading the world in automobile audio optimization, pioneering technologies that push the boundaries of automotive sound…As modern vehicles become increasingly complex, automakers like Polestar continue to rely on Dirac to help achieve their signature sound. Our Dirac Opteo Professional solution digitally optimizes speaker performance and ensures the perfect listening experience in any vehicle.”
Price and Availability
The starting price for the Polestar 3 is $89,300 and it is available through authorized Polestar dealers (aka Spaces).
Tip: Volvo is the biggest shareholder in Polestar.
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