Continental to market 'speaker free' technology.

Excerpt taken from Wards AutoWorld......

Next-Generation Car Audio  

"We expect luxury vehicles to have great audio systems, but Continental will unveil a vehicle with powerful, concert-quality sound without conventional speakers. Instead, tiny actuators that are similar to the core of a conventional speaker are used to excite materials in the vehicle interior to generate high-end audio that emanates throughout the cabin.

The speaker-free technology has the potential to reduce weight 33 lbs. (15 kg) and considerable space compared with today’s premium audio systems using 10 to 20 speakers. It provided stunningly good sound quality during a brief ride around Continental’s test track. The technology is similar in concept to the speakerless audio system in the Honda Ridgeline pickup bed, but this system delivers audiophile-level sound.

Invisible car-audio technology can be integrated into any car model.The invisible car-audio technology can be integrated into any car model from high-end luxury cars to small electric vehicles, Continental says. It also is scalable to provide several levels of sound quality, from entry level with three channels all the way up to matching super-premium systems with 12 channels and 20 tweeters, woofers and midrange speakers.

Instead of speakers, specific areas in the vehicle lend themselves to each of the required three main frequency ranges.

“The A-pillar is suited for high frequencies, while the door panels, for instance, have the right properties for generating medium frequencies. Similar to speaker technology, we use large components such as the roof lining or rear shelf to generate low frequencies,” says Dimitrios Patsouras, director-Competence Center NVH at Continental Engineering Services.

The system is expected to go into production around 2020."