Mercedes-Benz marries 31-speaker Burmester sound system with Dolby Atmos for its top-spec cars

Mercedes-Maybach sound-system with Burmester hardware and Dolby Atmos
(Image credit: Mercedes-Benz)

To say that Mercedes-Benz will be offering Dolby Atmos in its top car models feels like an understatement. That is because here, unlike an upgraded system (the type we expect to see following the recent Dolby Atmos collaboration between infotainment service provider Cinemo, where Dolby Atmos does its magic using your car's existing speakers) this is a purpose-built Atmos car setup. And, as you might expect, it's not just any purpose-built setup; the Mercedes-Benz in-car Dolby Atmos experience will be built into an optional Burmester high-end 4D and 3D sound system, powered by a total of 31 loudspeakers and eight sound transducers.

This system will be integrated into the Mercedes-Maybach, and shortly afterwards into the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, thus turning said vehicles into what the firm is calling "state-of-the-art concert halls on wheels".

Those 31 loudspeakers and eight sound transducers (two per seat) will be mounted into the seats, powered by two separate amplifiers to deliver a total of 1750W of power.

This isn't the first time that Dolby Atmos has been implemented in an automobile (that would be the 21-speaker-toting Lucid Air, first seen in March) but the German luxury car firm is upping the driver count by 10 and using Burmester hardware; it's safe to say we'd love to get behind the wheel and hear it for ourselves. 

When done well, Dolby Atmos Music adds more space, clarity and depth to music, allowing sound engineers to place audio elements within a three-dimensional immersive soundfield that goes far beyond the capabilities of mono or stereo. 

The Maybach is the first model in the Mercedes-Benz cars line-up to offer what promises to be a superior, multidimensional Dolby Atmos sound experience. 

The Dolby Atmos integration option in the Mercedes-Maybach will be available starting summer 2022 and will be offered for select S-Class models shortly thereafter. We don't currently have pricing, but we're not sure we want to know... 

MORE: 

Want Atmos at home? Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars 

Looking for movies to test your setup? Here are the best films to watch in Dolby Atmos

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Becky has been a full-time staff writer at What Hi-Fi? since March 2019. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, she freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 20-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance is of course tethered to a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo, This is Cabaret and The Stage. When not writing, she dances, spins in the air, drinks coffee, watches football or surfs in Cornwall with her other half – a football writer whose talent knows no bounds.