Denon and Audio Foundry Collaborate on Next-Gen Automotive Audio

Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Wales, UK, Audio Foundry unites industry heavyweights like Dirac, MediaTek, Polestar, Analog Devices, Tymphany Acoustic Technology, and more. The announcement at CES 2025 signals Denon’s commitment to redefining in-cabin audio experiences.

Developed in partnership with Dirac and other Audio Foundry members, the Denon Car Audio Concept debuted inside a Tesla Model Y at CES 2025, showcasing its adaptability to diverse vehicle platforms.

With 22 speakers and exciters, the system integrates Dirac’s optimisation and Dolby Atmos technology to deliver an in-cabin experience comparable to Denon’s home audio products. Key innovations include height and headrest channels with exciters placed in headrests and ceilings to enhance immersion.

Dirac’s digital audio solutions claim a seamless speaker integration and the promise to address acoustic challenges unique to automotive environments. The system also features dynamic immersion and EQ controls, allowing users to adjust audio immersion levels and equalisation dynamically.

Audio Foundry offers a collaborative platform for its members, featuring maker spaces and a team of engineers focused on advancing audio technology. Denon’s involvement represents an opportunity to contribute its expertise in sound quality to this innovative initiative. Matt Marchese, Automotive Business Unit Leader at Tymphany Acoustic Technology, highlighted this, commenting, “Creating unforgettable audio experiences starts with how we deliver sound to the customer. Denon’s involvement will be instrumental as we push the boundaries of what’s possible in in-cabin audio.”

Denon’s partnership with Dirac and other Audio Foundry members has a solid history. The two companies have previously collaborated on projects like the Denon PerL wireless earbuds, featuring Dirac Virtuo spatial audio technology and AV receivers equipped with Dirac Live room correction.

Hendrik Hermann, Dirac’s Vice President of Automotive, emphasised the significance of this collaboration:

At CES 2025, we debut the Denon Car Audio Concept System, featuring Dirac’s sound optimisation and spatialisation technologies. This partnership establishes a new benchmark in immersive, spatialised vehicle audio performance.

Audio Foundry members Trèves and Tymphany also contributed to the project. Trèves provided acoustic exciters for headrests and ceilings, while Tymphany’s new transducer designs aim to further enhance performance.

It's well understood that car audio systems face unique challenges due to complex cabin acoustics, non-ideal speaker placement, and high levels of ambient noise. Dirac’s technology aims to address these issues by enabling speakers to collaborate intelligently, co-correcting each other’s impulse response. Dirac’s up-mixing technology claims to transform two-channel stereo sources into spatial audio experiences without altering the original signal.

As automotive audio continues to grow as a multi-billion-dollar market, Denon aims to bring its expertise in consumer audio to this evolving field. Dan Shepherd, Vice President of Licensing and Partnerships for Masimo, (Denon’s Parent Company), described the launch of Denon’s first automotive sound system, optimised by Dirac, as a significant step forward for the company, stating, “At CES 2025, we unveil the world’s first Denon automotive sound system, optimised by Dirac, setting a new standard for immersive in-vehicle audio.”



While the Denon Car Audio Concept System offers promising features and innovative design, its real-world performance remains to be seen. However, Audio Foundry’s collaborative efforts demonstrate the potential to shape the future of in-cabin audio, setting the stage for a fascinating period of change in automotive sound technology.

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