Mercedes, BMW and Co. lure visitors with the latest in-car entertainment

Dozens of speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers with 1800 watts. In addition, structure-borne noise converters that transmit music signals in vibrations in the seat: Modern entertainment systems in luxury cars from Mercedes and Co. sound impressive even on paper. Sound and entertainment systems are increasingly becoming a sales argument.

"Boom, Boom, Boom" - the song "Boom" by DJ Tiësto is jumping through the interior, digging into every fiber of the body. "Music lives in space, it needs air to move," says Frank Schweickhardt at a demonstration of Apple Music Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.

This is a sound system that until now has only been available in cinemas or in very high-quality systems for the home, says the head of sound development at Mercedes. The technology creates a virtual 3D surround sound effect in which you are in the middle of the music, like in a concert hall.

But not only new songs can be streamed in Dolby Atmos. Sound engineers freshen up older songs, like John Lennon's "Imagine" "To do this, the songs have to be rearranged so that listeners can place them spatially," says Derek Ali, mixing artist for international pop and hip-hop greats like Kendrick Lamar.

"It's the sound of tomorrow, like a jump from mono to stereo. The song gets its own personality that every listener recognizes immediately.”

Disadvantage: The beautiful sound is expensive. The Burmester 4D sound system described above is initially only available in luxury models and costs more than 6000 euros for the S-Class.

BMW recently introduced its Operating System 8. There is an optional cinema for the back seat for the 7 Series. According to BMW developer Katharina Mödl, films can then be viewed on a 31-inch panorama display in 32:9 format and a resolution of up to 8K (7680 by 4320 pixels) via the theater screen in the rear.

In recent years, the quality of entertainment systems in all vehicle classes has improved. Sven Hansen from the computer magazine "c't" still advises music-loving buyers of new vehicles to get a better, albeit more expensive, system.

“More speakers usually mean better, richer sound. Additional loudspeakers can only be integrated into the vehicle afterwards with great effort,” he says.

Anyone who can test the right sound system when buying a car should try it with their own music. This also ensures that hearing ability, musical taste and sound system go well together.

Sven Hansen advises mirror technologies such as Android Auto or Apple Carplay, which are now offered in all vehicle classes. "Almost all drivers have a smartphone and use it for music, addresses, telephone and voice control."

This also includes the navigation function of Google and Apple Maps. This means that drivers do not need an internal navigation system in the entertainment system.

If you want smooth streaming without a connected smartphone via the integrated entertainment system, you should order a system with a data package. These options are usually more expensive than the monthly data packages for smartphones.

But there is also a cheaper way. Michael Zeitler from the car hi-fi specialist dealer dr-boom Soundklinik in Cologne advises three things when retrofitting a new entertainment system: hands-free system, Apple Carplay or Android Auto. He also refers to the good navigation functions of modern smartphones. You can replace a built-in sat nav.

When it comes to new radios, he recommends devices with a receiver module for the DAB digital radio standard. Depending on the age of the car, the antenna may need to be replaced.

"Depending on the vehicle, this is a great deal of work, since newer cars do not have proper external antennas for optical reasons and the DAB antennas have to be retrofitted without being noticed."

An important point is the professional installation of new devices: "A new entertainment system must be installed and connected correctly, as must the microphone for the hands-free system and the antenna," says Zeitler.

“Otherwise the reception performance and sound will not satisfy the driver. In addition, the electronics in the car are sensitive to incorrect connections and can be damaged.”

For the future of in-car entertainment, Sven Hansen from "c't" sees a larger range of video streaming services in addition to larger displays.

If more vehicles are highly automated and pilots have more time for things other than driving, they could also watch videos. "The hardware allows it, and there are a number of playable areas in the car," says Hansen.

Also in the literal sense: BMW 2023, for example, offers “Casual Gaming”, a games platform that can be used on displays in the car.

The graphics card giant Nvidia wants to stream its cloud gaming offer Geforce Now in cars in the future. Models from Hyundai, Polestar and BYD will start.

"Everything on shares" is the daily stock exchange shot from the WELT business editorial team. Every morning from 7 a.m. with the financial journalists from WELT. For stock market experts and beginners. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music and Deezer. Or directly via RSS feed.