Denon Joins Audio Foundry, Debuts Dirac-Enabled Automotive Sound System

The Audio Foundry is a technology collaborative dedicated to advancing innovation in automotive audio and acoustics. Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Wales, UK, the group includes industry leaders like Dirac, MediaTek, Polestar, Analog Devices, Tymphany Acoustic Technology, and many others. At CES 2025, it was announced that Denon has joined its ranks as well, adding to an impressive list of OEMs, component manufacturers, and technology providers that can take advantage of Audio Foundry’s state-of-the-art makerspaces staffed by expert engineers. 

The group promises to foster groundbreaking developments in automotive audio, and Denon is already doing its part, joining with fellow member companies to develop the Denon Car Audio Concept System enabled by Dirac. The system, which made its debut at CES, “sets new standards in immersive, spatialized sound in the vehicle environment,” according to a press release announcing the venture. The project highlights the shared commitment to innovation among the Audio Foundry member organizations, all of which stand to benefit from what is already a multi-billion-dollar market. Together, they aim to develop “cutting-edge solutions that redefine in-cabin listening experiences for the next generation of vehicles.”

Creating unforgettable audio experiences starts with how we deliver sound to the customer. Denon brings a legacy of unparalleled sound quality to Audio Foundry, and their involvement will be instrumental as we push the boundaries of what’s possible in in-cabin audio. Together, we aim to create solutions that OEMs can deploy in vehicles of tomorrow.

— Matt Marchese, Automotive Business Unit Leader, Tymphany Acoustic Technology

Of course, Denon and Dirac have collaborated before joining the Audio Foundry, so the two companies already have a good working relationship from their extensive endeavors in the home theater and headphone markets. The companies worked together on the highly successful Denon PerL wireless earbuds, which feature Dirac Virtuo spatial audio technology. Since 2022, Denon’s top AV receivers have supported the Dirac Live room correction solution. Dirac is already an established leader in the automotive market, and its tech can be found in the audio systems inside a number of car manufacturers, including Volvo, Polestar, and Genesis. So for these two companies to combine forces in developing a car audio system makes plenty of sense. Audio Foundry members Trèves and Tymphany also contributed to the project. 

The demo system unveiled at CES was built into a Tesla Model Y, allowing show-goers to experience the concept tech inside a well-known car platform. But Denon says the concept system is highly adaptable and can be used in a wide variety of automotive environments.

Denon has long been synonymous with exceptional audio, and we’re excited to bring our heritage of innovation to Audio Foundry. We’re committed to enhancing lives through premium sound experiences. The Tesla demo at CES reflects our vision for automotive audio, blending artistry and technology to deliver unmatched in-cabin experiences.

— Dan Shepherd, Vice President of Licensing and Partnerships for Masimo, Denon’s Parent Company

The Denon demo system reportedly includes “key audio immersion technologies” from fellow Audio Foundry members, including a new transducer design from Tymphany. The exciters inside the headrests and ceiling come from Sonified by Trèves, a specialist in automotive interiors and acoustic environments. The Dirac-optimized and Dolby Atmos-enabled system uses a total of 22 speakers and exciters. Denon says that the use of height and headrest channels create an immersive experience “on par with Denon’s home audio products.”

Vehicle speakers can often interfere with each other to cause distortion and reduce audio clarity – and systems with more speakers create greater interference. A car cabin’s shape and materials can also lead to unwanted sound coloration, resulting in muddy, booming sound that makes it difficult to discern where sound is coming from. Dirac and Denon share the same commitment to pioneer the future of audio across all product categories and listening environments. At CES 2025, we will in partnership debut and demonstrate the Denon Car Audio Concept System that features Dirac’s sound optimization and spatialization technologies that establish a new benchmark in immersive, spatialized audio performance in the vehicle environment.

— Hendrik Hermann, Dirac’s Vice President of Automotive

From a business perspective, car audio has become increasingly important to the success of AV companies, but it presents a number of unique acoustical challenges that require significant resources to address. Dirac’s digital audio solutions address these challenges by enabling all the speakers in a car to work intelligently together and co-correct each other’s impulse response. (This is similar to Dirac Live Active Room Treatment, but optimized for the automotive environment.) Dirac’s tech is designed to remove the unwanted effects of the cabin and create “ideal loudspeaker responses for maximum fidelity and unparalleled bass performance.” 

The Denon concept system also integrates Dirac’s upmixing technology, which enables spatial audio experiences from regular two-channel stereo sources. Dirac’s upmixing technology is reportedly unique in that it does not add anything to the signal. Instead, it “only utilizes what is already present, which ensures a pure and enhanced listening experience.” Interestingly, this system allows the user to dynamically change the level of audio immersion and EQ within the car.

Denon has a rich and long legacy of developing products and pioneering technologies that have defined and redefined consumer audio, such as the earliest consumer CD players, Blu-ray players, and class leading AV receivers. At CES 2025, this legacy takes a significant step forward as we unveil the world’s first Denon automotive sound system, optimized by Dirac, that leverages decades of experience in the multi-channel home theater market to create a new standard in immersive in-vehicle audio. We look forward to showcasing the future of automotive audio with Dirac and our other Audio Foundry partners at CES 2025 and beyond.

— Dan Shepherd

More information: Denon Automotive Solutions; Audio Foundry