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Industry NEWS JUNE/JULy 2009 Shaken and Stirred Two days with the Aston Martin DBS and Bang & Olufsen Sound System It’s not easy upstaging a car with the star-power of the Aston Martin DBS. Better known as the “James Bond car” and the co-star of the movie Quantum of Solace, the DBS is by any standard an object of electrifying beauty, a hand-finished marvel of aluminum/carbon-fiber technology. The rapturous exhaust note produced from its V-12 is a high-rev bark so fierce that even Cesar Millan would likely take a cautious step back. Actually with a sticker of $272,000 pretty much everyone takes a step back. But I had the Bang & Olufsen audio system to assess, so no sooner did the media representative hand me the transceiver “key” than I was off. B&O, the Danish audio conglomerate, knows this terrain well. The premium automotive audio systems it’s been developing for Audi and AMG Mercedes vehicles have given it a wealth of experience in grafting high-end audio onto unwieldy automotive platforms. For a supercar like the DBS B&O responded with a thirteen-speaker (in custom enclosures in ten interior positions), 13-channel, DSPcontrolled setup with 1000 watts of Class D ICE power and a feature called Dynamic Tuning which (via rearviewmirror–mounted microphone) continually tracks interior noise levels and equalizes accordingly. Included are B&O’s proprietary Acoustic Lens tweeters at the right and left front positions. They control horizontal dispersion across a wide area while limiting diffraction effects and reflections in the lateral and vertical domains. Controls are basic, restricted to a minimalist series of buttons and the small display menus of the six-CD changer. Once you master the system’s logic, uaing the controls becomes second nature. Sonically, the performance of the Bang & Olufsen system takes on a completely different dimension in the tight confines of the DBS compared to the voluminous cabin 16 June/July 2009 The Absolute Sound in a luxe sedan like the Audi A8L W12—another B&O partner. The sound was warm with a unified soundstage running along the horizon of the waterfall-style dash— images were focused at driver/passenger ear levels rather than resting in one’s lap as most car stereos do. Midrange tonality was full, natural, and a bit forward. A smidgen of added lower treble presence made up for the lack of perceived upper-octave extension (even at idle, engine noise is omnipresent). Curiously the sonics were more typically British in the sense of being posh and well padded, and to their credit lacked some of the sibilance I encountered in the A8L. The Acoustic Lens tweeters were sweeter in the DBS and a better match with the center and side midrange channels than in the Audi. The less said about the timbre-challenged bass the better, although in its defense overcoming engine and tire noise at the levels produced by the DBS would be hard for any system. And whereas Audi’s über-sedan gives you a greater sense of dimensional space, rear-channel specifics, and some added soundstage depth, the B&O/Aston system in surround mode is more cocoon-like and concentrates on reducing localization artifacts—providing an immersive almost seamless experience, while keeping the driver’s focus centered on the road ahead, where it should be. In fact, listening in stereo mode was markedly inferior, unbalanced, and less continuous. As well intentioned as B&O’s efforts are here, unleash your inner-James Bond and even the finest audio plays second fiddle to the mechanical symphony going on beneath the Aston’s long hood. On the other hand, since the real James Bond doesn’t get stuck in traffic, you’ll be all the more appreciative that B&O came along for the ride. Neil Gader
overture a/V hosts World premier of the Magico M5 loudspeaker overture Ultimate Audio/Video in Wilmington, Delaware, will host the world consumer premier of the Magico M5 loudspeaker on Saturday, May 16, from 11am to 4pm. Magico founder and designer Alon Wolf will demonstrate the M5 and answer your questions. The playback system will include the Spectral SDR-4000 Professional CD player, DMC-30SS preamplifier, and DMA-360 power amplifiers, all connected with MIT’s top-of-the-line Oracle MA interconnects and loudspeaker cables. TAS Editor-in-Chief Robert Harley will be on hand to talk with attendees and sign copies of his books The Complete Guide to High-End Audio, Introductory Guide to High-Performance Audio Systems, and Home Theater for Everyone. Complimentary food and beverages will be served during the event. RSVP to (800) 838-1812. Industry NEWS JUNE/JULy 2009 Digital Subscriptions to taS and Hi-Fi Plus now available We’re pleased to announce that The Absolute Sound and our sister magazines, Hi-Fi Plus and Playback, are now available for instant download at our new digital store, NextNewsStand. com. The digital editions are in PDF format and are exact reproductions of the print magazine, complete with advertising. Once downloaded, you can read the magazine off-line at your leisure or print it. Best of all for international subscribers, the digital editions will be available simultaneously with the print edition— no more waiting for the mail carrier to finally deliver your copy. Previous issues of TAS are available going back to 1999. Digital subscriptions are available worldwide for $19.95 per year for TAS ($4.99 for individual copies), $24.95 per year for Hi-Fi Plus ($5.99 for individual copies), and $8.95 for Playback ($1.49 for individual copies). you can see the entire range of digital download offerings at NextNewsStand.com. The Absolute Sound June/July 2009 17
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