Added on October 26, 2017  The News Wheel  Ac2ated Sound , CES tradeshow , Continental , January , speaker-less audio system

Continental to Unveil Speaker-Less Audio System at CES in January

Ever wish your car’s audio system had more invisible speakers? Continental, a German auto parts company, is making this idea a reality.

Its new speaker-less audio system, Ac2ated Sound, is based off of a violin’s sound technology; it has actuators instead of speakers. These are small transducers similar to a conventional speaker’s interior core. The actuators anchor behind the car’s panels where they create micro-vibrations it then transmits across the vehicle’s surfaces.

Dimitrios Patsouras, Continental’s engineering director in charge of noise, vibration and harshness, describes how different parts of the car generate different frequencies: “The A-pillar is suited for high frequencies, while the door panels […] have the right properties for generating medium frequencies. Similar to speaker technology, we use large components such as the roof lining or rear shelf to generate low frequencies.”

Not only does it have less obtrusive speakers, but it’s also 90% lighter than conventional audio systems. The company claims that the new technology will be especially compatible with electric vehicles, since the system runs on less power and takes up less interior space.

Continental hopes to gear the new technology toward high-quality, middle-end vehicle models. The new Ac2ated Sound technology will debut in January, at the annual CES tradeshow in Las Vegas.

Although the company is still tweaking the new technology, the new Ac2ated Sound promises to offer a smart alternative to high-end audio systems like Bose and Bang & Olufsen that deliver lush acoustics via a bulkier, heavier network of speakers. We eagerly anticipate more details about this fresh contribution to the vehicle audio system market.

News Source: The Verge