Dolby, the sound company known for offering an immersive audio experience in the cinema or on platforms like Apple Music, wants to go a step beyond big screens, music services and gaming. It does this by including a Dolby Atmos sound system in one of the most advanced vehicles today; the Mercedes-Benz EQS, and soon, in more models of the brand, such as the Mercedes-Maybach and the S-class.
This electric car, announced in April, has interesting features that elevate the driving experience to the maximum. But, is a sound system of these characteristics really necessary in a vehicle?
To find out, you have to listen to it, so I did not hesitate to get on a plane to Munich and then sit, along with several representatives of Mercedes and Dolby, in the brand new EQS. The most powerful electric vehicle of the German manufacturer stands out for its spectacular design, its powerful engine and its advanced features, but also for its impressive sound system.
Specifically, the Mercedes-Benz EQS includes 31 speakers signed by Burmester that have up to 1750 watts of power. These are distributed throughout the interior of the vehicle: doors, front, roof, floor … it is practically impossible to locate them all. The cabin also includes eight sound transducers (two in each seat). In addition, two amplifiers are added to increase the power of the speakers. After learning about this detailed sound system, I understood why Dolby has chosen to make its technology compatible with the German vehicle.
Interestingly, Dolby Atmos technology has come a long way in recent years. Today, you don't need advanced equipment to enjoy an immersive sound experience. In fact, headphones like the AirPods Pro are compatible with music in Dolby Atmos format. To do this, algorithms capable of offering the best position for instruments , voices or any other sound included in the track are used. However, Dolby Atmos also knows how to take advantage of a sound system as complete as that of Mercedes, so the experience changes dramatically.
The magic of Dolby Atmos
But how is it possible to make a song compatible with Dolby Atmos? The sound technology of the American firm works in two ways. The best experience is achieved when a sound engineer remasters the song in a studio . It may be at the time of recording, or later, where in some cases the artist or producer is involved to agree on the trajectory of the voices, instruments, etc. Afterwards, it is the engineer who collects all the tracks and distributes them for a total of 128 channels and up to 34 speakers.
Once the mix is ready and remastered in Dolby Atmos , it can be played on any compatible speaker, since the company's algorithm does the rest. Therefore, Dolby Atmos can detect if the system has three, four or more than 30 speakers, like the Mercedes EQS, and play the music using each and every speaker.
It is not always possible to have remastered tracks. Therefore, those songs not compatible with Dolby Atmos can be reproduced in an immersive way thanks to the algorithm, which detects the instruments and “specializes” the audio through the speakers . However, the experience will not be as immersive as that of a mixed track in a studio. The Mercedes EQS creates surround sound on unmixed songs by default, but it is possible to disable this option and play the track in stereo.
The Mercedes EQS makes any song – even Justin Bieber's – magnificent
Even Justin Bieber's 'Yummy' can sound impressive on the Mercedes EQS. The surround sound quality is truly impressive, practically identical to that achieved in a cinema with Dolby Atmos . This, added to driving a vehicle with these characteristics, makes the experience when listening to music in the car completely change.
Specifically, during the sound check I was able to play different tracks adapted to Dolby Atmos. Among them, songs of the POP genre and of artists such as Billie Eilish, who for the production of her songs usually uses powerful sound effects. Also music like 'La Marcha Imperial', where there are a lot of sounds playing at the same time. In each of the tracks there are details that I had never heard before : instruments, voices, effects … it's like listening to a completely different song.
Live music on Dolby Atmos also sounds spectacular. The cheers and applause of the audience are reproduced through the rear and side speakers, while the voices and instruments are distributed in the front speakers, much like being in a live concert.
For the moment, yes, it is necessary to have remastered tracks to enjoy the full Dolby Atmos experience. Services that add compatible tracks, such as Apple Music, Amazon Music or Tidal, are not yet compatible. From Mercedes they assure that in the future companies that offer content with this technology, if they wish, will be able to make its services compatible with the Mercedes system, as Apple already does, for example, with its speakers and headphones.
However, the Dolby Atmos technology present in the Mercedes EQS is just a preview of what is to come . The high cost of this vehicle only means that few can enjoy surround sound. The future, however, looks very interesting. Especially when manufacturers start to make Dolby Atmos technology compatible with their speaker system.
