- Kyle Chua
Mercedes-Benz Adding Support for Apple Music’s Spatial Audio To Select Models
For the first time since the feature launched, Apple Music’s spatial audio with Dolby Atmos is coming to cars.
Mercedes-Benz has announced it is adding native support for Apple Music’s spatial audio to select vehicle models. The only caveat is that it could set you back a hefty sum, as The Verge reports.
The automaker revealed last year that it would start offering optional Dolby Atmos-supported add-on stereos for high-end models like the Maybach and S-Class. These models will, of course, benefit from the new spatial audio implementation, along with the electric EQS and EQE models that ship with the latest MBUX interface and the 31-speaker Burmester 3D or 4D speaker systems.
The vehicles themselves cost upwards of US$100,000, and you'll have to shell an additional US$4,550 (3D) or US$6,730 (4D) for the Burmester speaker system, which in some models are sold as add-ons.
“Sound quality is incredibly important to Apple Music which is why we are so excited to be working with Mercedes to make Spatial Audio on Apple Music available natively in the car for the first time,” Oliver Schusser, Vice President of Apple Music and Beats said in a statement.
“Together with Mercedes, we now have even more opportunities to bring wholly immersive music to our subscribers all over the world.”
Apple Music spatial audio makes your listening experience more immersive by simulating a 3D audio space from your speakers. The feature was launched last year on the iPhone, Mac, HomePod and Apple TV. Songs that support spatial audio are labeled on the streaming platform.
What’s more, Mercedes-Benz is working with Universal Music Group (UMG) to label certain songs as “Approved in a Mercedes-Benz,” though it’s still unknown where these labels will appear. The automaker plans to lend UMG some of its vehicles for testing to ensure the sound quality of the final mixes of a song are up to standard.
Mercedes-Benz has announced it is adding native support for Apple Music’s spatial audio with Dolby Atmos to select vehicle models, such as the Maybach and S-Class, among others.
This is the first time Apple Music's spatial audio feature is coming to cars.
The automaker is also working with Universal Music Group to label certain songs as “Approved in a Mercedes-Benz".