SAN FRANCISCO: Apple and Mercedes-Benz have teamed up to introduce Apple Music's premium immersive Spatial Audio in select vehicles from the German auto giant.
Mercedes-Benz vehicles will be the first-ever non-Apple devices to feature immersive Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, the company said. It comes fully integrated through the MBUX infotainment system.
Apple's superior, multidimensional soundscape is powered by the Burmester high-end 4D sound system. The Spatial Audio system includes 31 speakers, including six 3D speakers that emit their sound from above, four near-ear speakers in the front seats, and an 18.5-litre subwoofer.
There are also eight sound transducers, two amplifiers, and 1,750 watts of power.
Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos is now available for customers worldwide in Mercedes-Benz vehicles for the first time.
The system will be available in Mercedes-Maybach models, the EQS and EQS SUV, as well as the EQE and the S-Class, offering studio-quality sound for in-car entertainment.
The limited edition Mercedes-Maybach by Virgil Abloh released to consumers last month was one of the first cars in the world to have Apple's superior, multidimensional soundscape. It was also the first model in the Mercedes-Benz lineup with the system.
The technology will be rolled out to other models soon.
Mercedes-Benz drivers who already subscribed to Apple Music gain immediate access to a vast number of songs and albums available in Spatial Audio. Apple Music also offers curated Spatial Audio playlists.
In addition, subscribers can access Apple Music's entire catalogue of 100 million songs, thousands of editorially curated playlists, daily selections, and more.
"Spatial Audio is revolutionising the way artists create and fans listen to music, and it's an experience that is impossible to explain in words; you have to hear it for yourself to appreciate it," Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats, said.
"Together with Mercedes-Benz, we now have even more opportunities to bring wholly immersive music to our subscribers all over the world."
