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Ac2ated Sound

iridium

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https://www.continental-automotive....ment-Systems/Multimedia-Systems/Ac2ated-Sound

Ac2ated Sound – Exciting sound experience for all vehicle classes
Inspired by the functional principle of string instruments, Continental is reinventing the car audio system by replacing conventional loudspeakers with actuators that create sound by vibrating certain surfaces in the vehicle.
The speaker-less audio system brings many advantages:

  • At considerably lower weight, with dramatically reduced box volume and lower electricity consumption, the new Continental solution delivers excellent acoustics – even to the most discerning ear
  • In direct comparison to a conventional high-end vehicle audio system a speaker-less solution can reduce the system volume by a factor of ten or higher, while bringing down the system weight to a fraction of a speaker solution
  • The invisible car audio technology can be integrated into any car model from high end sedans to small electric vehicles
iridium.
 

Kal Rubinson

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With the caveats that I have not heard this but that I have heard other "actuator" transducers: The only advantages are the lower weight and lower volume. Quality will appeal only to the least discerning ears but that, probably, is their target audience.

N.B.: There are reasons that there is so much research, engineering and design work on speaker diaphragms and their suspensions.
 

DonH56

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I was going to dissect and refute all the reasons why I think this is a bad idea and not terribly original. I was going to start with the whole "just like strings" analogy then realized it's just not worth the effort. I am, after all, a brass player. :)
 
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iridium

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I should have added QUOTES; everything in the Original Post is from the article.

My opinion is that it would be interesting if the music/sound was of a decent auto-audio quality in some applications.

iridium.
 

Old Listener

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https://www.continental-automotive....ment-Systems/Multimedia-Systems/Ac2ated-Sound

Ac2ated Sound – Exciting sound experience for all vehicle classes
Inspired by the functional principle of string instruments, Continental is reinventing the car audio system by replacing conventional loudspeakers with actuators that create sound by vibrating certain surfaces in the vehicle.
The speaker-less audio system brings many advantages:

  • At considerably lower weight, with dramatically reduced box volume and lower electricity consumption, the new Continental solution delivers excellent acoustics – even to the most discerning ear
  • In direct comparison to a conventional high-end vehicle audio system a speaker-less solution can reduce the system volume by a factor of ten or higher, while bringing down the system weight to a fraction of a speaker solution
  • The invisible car audio technology can be integrated into any car model from high end sedans to small electric vehicles
iridium.

Boom box on wheels.
 

Cosmik

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I think it must cross every audio person's mind at some point: Why not replace the speaker and its box (that's going to sound 'boxy', right?) with a much larger vibrating surface that doesn't have to move as much? And hey! We could use the surfaces that are ALREADY THERE...!!!!!!

But it is a solution that's looking for a problem - and doesn't work very well. The requirements for an audio transducer that works well are quite strict, and yet it is not expensive or difficult to make one: a conventional moving coil speaker.
 
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