The current ad campaign for VW Golf used the sound of the car to develop the sync track for the brands latest ad campaign. However, car manufaturers, unlike many other brands, have always understood the sonic importance of their products.

Car companies, especially at the high end of the market, have always traded on the ‘noise’ that their cars make, or in some cases the lack of it, as a major selling point.

The sound of a closing car door is not objectively related to the intrinsic qualities of a car, it’s an important subjective parameter for many consumers when they are looking to buy. That solid ‘thunk’ when the door closes, emphasises the quality that manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes are fanatical about.

Equally, you only have to put your foot on the accelerator of a supercar like the Bugatti Veyron to know that the roar that comes from the engine is a lot more satisfying to the average pertolhead, than the noise made by your average 4-door family saloon. While some luxury car makers even go in the opposite direction, making the driving experience of their cars as silent and as stress free as possible. The latest Rolls Royce Phantom may have a V12 48 valve 6.7 litre engine under the bonnet, but the noise inside the car, even at speed, would be unlikely to wake the snoozing billionaire in the back seat of his limo.

Car companies spend a lot of time and effort in trying to effectively dampen the sound of ‘environmental’ noise. The car’s engine makes noise, the wind rushing over the car makes noise, tyres generate noise, and other vehicles make noise. So to create a comfortable environment, car companies have to use lots of techniques to reduce and dampen the ’sonic clutter’ that can enter into your car.

But while we want to keep that ’sonic clutter’ outside, many of us want a great sounding noise coming from our in-car hifi systems. And cars, as you won’t be surprised to learn are not great when it comes to delivering great acoustics. The interior of a car is made up of a mix of reflecting surfaces and absorptive surfaces, that can helpfully impact on the sound entering the car, but also unfortunately on sound within the car itself. So it should come as no surprise that the car designers and in-car hifi manufacturers continue to look for ways to improve our in-car listening experience.

citizensound says:

With so many car companies allowing consumers an extended test drive these days, you’d expect car manufacturers to be doing everything possible to make their cars live up to their potential buyers expectations from not just a driving point of view, but also by delivering a great sonic expereince!