At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, Pioneer showcases an immersive in-vehicle listening experience that combines Apple CarPlay, which now includes support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos®, with a 4-channel solution applicable to many vehicles, including the majority of automobiles on the road today. Installed in a late model mid-size sedan for demonstrations during CES 2025, this immersive listening experience focuses on hearing what is possible using only speakers installed in the vehicle’s original front and rear locations and utilizing only 4 discrete amplifier channels, demonstrating a potential solution for adding Dolby Atmos playback capability to both aftermarket in-dash receivers and OEM vehicle applications.
Pioneer’s proprietary processing, developed from over 30 years’ experience in DSP based software cabin tuning, combined with Dolby Atmos playback technology, showcases how music mixed in Dolby Atmos can be enjoyed using only speakers installed in the conventional left/right and front/rear positions.
“Over the last decade, Pioneer has developed and brought to market several key audio innovations for Apple CarPlay users. Today, we are leveraging our history of CarPlay development and extensive experience in automotive sound quality to extend the Dolby Atmos listening experience to the car with a solution that could be applied to virtually any vehicle with CarPlay support,” said Hiroshi Ikeda, Executive Officer and CEO of Mobility Consumer Company, Pioneer Corporation. “We are excited to showcase this immersive audio experience during CES 2025 and are currently developing plans to bring this unique solution to market as quickly as possible.”
The Pioneer 4-channel solution for CarPlay is potentially a significant first-to-market suite of key technologies applicable to both future aftermarket and OEM products. Regardless of application, reducing the required number of amplifier channels and individual speakers, plus eliminating the complexity of physically installing speakers in true vertical space, such as the vehicle headliner or roof, greatly simplifies the implementation of Dolby Atmos in the vehicle.
Pioneer believes this aftermarket in-dash receiver offering has the potential to increase exposure to Dolby Atmos, offering an upgrade path for many consumers’ existing vehicles. In an OEM CarPlay application, the simplified amplifier/speaker system minimum requirement of only 4 channels increases the potential for car manufacturers to add Dolby Atmos capability as a factory installed feature, without the need to significantly redesign or retrofit existing models or vehicle types.
Pioneer has a long history of innovation in the automotive industry, both as a leading aftermarket manufacturer and an OEM supplier. Pioneer has introduced industry-changing technology, products, and features through the automotive aftermarket that has provided comprehensive upgrade solutions, helping to meet consumer demand for the latest technology and a better listening experience since the 1960s, when the company launched its first line of car stereos in the United States. The OEM division has been a trusted Tier 1 supplier to automakers for over 40 years, maintaining longstanding relationships with popular and well-respected global automotive brands.
To request more information about Pioneer’s 4-channel immersive audio integration for Apple CarPlay powered by Dolby Atmos, and to discuss integration opportunities, please visit Pioneer in the West Hall of the Convention Center, booth #3528.
SOURCE: Pioneer
