B&O's Advanced Sound System for Audi includes pop-up speakers for the dash

We're sure you can figure this one out on your own, because seriously, what's to know? Bang & Olufsen and Audi have teamed up to toss 14 speakers with 1000 watts of power into some Audi A8 and S8 vehicles, and then gone and named the whole mess Advanced Sound System. The big development in the "why would I want that" department is the Acoustic Lens speakers that rise up from the dashboard to do their thing. Their $7,000 sound system thing.

[Via Gadget Review]

[Kazer @ Jan 13th 2006 6:22AM]

That would be cool, yet utterly pointless, to have, but $7000??????



What a waste.

[Doug @ Jan 13th 2006 6:26AM]

// lmao... You guys are so slow sometimes :P This is waaaay old.



And just a question - but where can I complain? There's a quality issue at engadget and it isn't getting better (Quality of Journalism...objectivity and much much more .... )



Not this article in particular...being a little late is ok...but a lot of other stuff has been rather disappointing in the last few months. It's like you guys went all cheap on the humour side of things... maybe you hit a wider audience with that sort of thing. But you are not really pleasing the old faithful ^^

[Jeff Kent @ Jan 13th 2006 6:34AM]

Why would you ever want to give your sound system the acronym A.S.S?

[Adam @ Jan 13th 2006 6:40AM]

$7000 worth of ASS?

[bstar @ Jan 13th 2006 6:43AM]

"And just a question - but where can I complain? There's a quality issue at engadget and it isn't getting better (Quality of Journalism...objectivity and much much more .... )"



Maybe your all a little worn out from CES?

[Doug @ Jan 13th 2006 6:57AM]

@ bstar...





that could be it ;)

[Q @ Jan 13th 2006 7:15AM]

Oh, and it's 'Bang & Olufsen'. :p

[Cyberwhore @ Jan 13th 2006 7:19AM]

Oi Muppets, stop complaining that it is old news and do something about it next time. When you find something new, submit it to engadget. It can only help.



Back on topic (sort of) does anyone else apart from B&O offer pop-up speakers? My budget wont allow for B&O branded speakers (if they can be purchased seperately that is).

[Droopox @ Jan 13th 2006 7:19AM]

It should be Bang & Olufsen....not Band & Olufsen



Droopox

[felix @ Jan 13th 2006 7:43AM]

who doesn't like ass?

[vador8088 @ Jan 13th 2006 7:54AM]

#2 Have you listen to the podcasts covering CES? The Engadget crew were busting there a$$ to bring people like YOU some awesome coverage! Most days they were posting more than 90 stories live from CES, taking very little time to eat or sleep�Show some respect.

[Mark @ Jan 13th 2006 8:04AM]

Why should they pop up? Why would you put them back down? They don't appear to be in the way. It's just something that can quit working.

[David Clark @ Jan 13th 2006 8:18AM]

A message to the people laughing at the $7,000 -- Someone willing to spend the amount of money that an Audi costs won't fret too much over spending an extra $7,000 for a powerful and unique sound system.



Different strokes for different folks.

[Doug @ Jan 13th 2006 8:18AM]

@11



Did I mention the CES? No, I actually rather enjoyed the coverage.



I'm talking about the Press, i.e. the journalists at Engadget using their position as Bloggers here to make opinions about things that are unfounded, and often unfair. That is not what journalism or online-journalism is about.



I like engadget don't get me wrong, but I don't like it when things get slayed for not being amazingly fast/brilliant/uptodate or in Engadget's high opinion, "good", when the only problem is that some guys here review with their own interests at heart, and not the consumers for which some gadgets are aimed at. Also slaying mini-me is just wrong!



Hope I have explained myself better now, so you can cool off and agree ;)

[tr @ Jan 13th 2006 8:38AM]

"I'm talking about the Press, i.e. the journalists at Engadget using their position as Bloggers..."



hold on a sec...this isn't a BLOG? this is a dedicated, official news site now, like CNN?



dude, if you want news, and you want journalistic integrity, go to a news site. this is a gadget blog about cool stuff, written by people who think (yes, in their opinion) the stuff is cool.



"It's like you guys went all cheap on the humour side of things... maybe you hit a wider audience with that sort of thing. But you are not really pleasing the old faithful"



huh...i am the 'old faithful', been reading this since the beginning, and i've always found the site a good read, even more so now. go figure.

[Doug @ Jan 13th 2006 8:57AM]

To be satirical is funny. To be witty is also good. Outright bottom of the barrel jokes just don't amuse me!



Like I say I LIKE engadget. Just some articles in the last few months seem to be a little over the top...that's all! Like the author couldn't think of anything better...



like the site like the site like the site... wouldn't be here complaining otherwise :P

[andy @ Jan 13th 2006 9:07AM]

Why go with Bang & Olufsen, Audi? They are the least respected (because of their soooo overpriced crap) in the audio world. Infiniti went with Bose, which also is kind of overestimated, but it's still not too overpriced (in comparison).



There's better equipment from consumer brand names like JBL and boston acoustics. And if you wanna really go high quality go like Lexus did with the Mark Levinson sound system.

[Madan @ Jan 13th 2006 10:16AM]

I agree with the comment made by David Clark .



I own two Audi's. One's an S4 and one an A4 both fully loaded. Trust me, I didn't think twice about any extra options. If you're paying for a car which is as powerful and unique as an Audi, you might as well go all out. Funny part is, most of the people commenting have no clue about the technology that follows with this system, like the tied in diagnostics for the entire car, right down to the pressure in your tires. 7g's may be much, but just like my cars, I think it's most likely worth it. Don't forget, these cars compete with the Porsche, Ferrari, BMW and MB's on the market. A brake upgraded steering wheel on the M series cost more than $5200. So would you pay 7g's for a full blown acoustic system which can also diagnoses problems on your car or would you opt for a 5k plus steering wheel?

[Yo' Momma @ Jan 13th 2006 10:45AM]

HA...I thought the same thing...A.S.S



"Hey, you gotta check out my new cars stereo...listen to this A.S.S"

[bobby koerper @ Jan 13th 2006 10:47AM]

if you can afford an A8, or an S8 for that matter, youc can most definitely afford these speakers. the BASE a8 is 68k, and the S8 is about 118 thousand dollars. if your car has a lamborghini engine in it, and you want some high-end brand-name speakers in it, you'll go for the bang and olufsen's as well. see, to most, it's just as ridiculous to want to spend $118,000 on a sedan as it is to spend $7,000 for a B&0 stereo. come to think about it, a 1000 watt B&0 HiFi is a /steal/ at $7,000. most of their recievers alone cost that much.

[bobby koerper @ Jan 13th 2006 10:54AM]

i would never go with B&o, personally. i mean, you can BUILD amazing speakers that will outperform theirs anyday, but with audi choosing them on their 8 line, i can understand the motion. it's a brand with lots of exposure in the class that buys this sort of car, and will probably seem like a good buy to those who are looking at the car. it's all about brand names, and styling, maybe even the gadget factor with the pop-up tweeters. but, bose < B&o both on design and performance. and i agree, #17, B&o is overhyped, but so is bose. anyone in the pro sound market will laugh if you mention bose...unless they work for bose, then theyre just misguided by money.



and fyi, in my '02 S4, there's a bose system. it's not too bad, but i'm not way too impressed. for the price of the option, i could have installed a aftermarket system to outperform that stereo 3x over.



it's all just a brand name thing. kinda funny infinity went with bose and not..infinity..

[TheChaz @ Jan 13th 2006 11:39AM]

Everyone seems to be forgetting that this system is IN A CAR! There is no reason to put anything but an average-to-good sound system in a car. Even Audis (and other luxury brands), with their excellent and quiet interiors still let in enough road noise to totally smash the extra fidelity you spent all that money on. The only time you'd ever appreciate your super-expensive car stereo is if you listened to it in the garage. Most audiophiles don't bother with car systems. There's a reason.

[Z @ Jan 13th 2006 11:44AM]

"...dude, if you want news, and you want journalistic integrity, go to a news site..."





Now that was funny! LOL!!!

[carl @ Jan 13th 2006 12:04PM]

I think that most car audio enthusiasts would agree that 14 speakers is far too many, and 1000 watts is not enough power.

[g35ryda @ Jan 13th 2006 12:13PM]

Low cash, low expectations. The thing that sets those that have from those that don't is thier aim high attitude. I drive a G35 coupe and went with the stock Bose system. If I'd chose to buy Audi then I would have gone with thier feature sound system. I wouldn't want to go tearing apart a perfectly good car to install some aftermarket crap. Don't knock what you don't know about.

[Alex @ Jan 13th 2006 12:18PM]

It's really funny that anyone that has commented on this thread so far (and the original post too) COMPLETELY missed the point of the "pop up" speakers. If you knew anything about anything about B&O speakers you'd know that the "pop up" speakers have absolutely nothing to do with wow factor but they're actually using patented Acoustic Lens technology (courtesy of Sausalito Audio works).



What this does on a loudspeaker like a B&O BeoLab 3 (which I have at home) and BeoLab 5 (which I could never afford) is actually offer you a full 180 degree radiation of sound, as well as making your highs unbelievably crisp ... especially at loud volumes.



As well as the "pop up" speakers, this system is powered by ICE Power Amplifiers. This is an extremely exciting technology and I really think it's doing this "$7000 sound system thing" a tremendous injustice by not offering any information whatsoever about it besides just mentioning stupid "pop up" speakers as a $7,000 bell/whistle.



As for everyone that thinks $7,000 is a waste of money for a sound system like this in your car ... if you had it you'd certainly spend it ... and neither B&O nor Audi are even remotely interested in the kind of clientelle that would think twice about spending $7,000 on a quality add-on.

[bobby koerper @ Jan 13th 2006 12:53PM]

25, i agree with you, on the clientele and quality of this system.

though, they could have just made the acoustic lenses static rather than add the pop-up feature. they are most likely analagous to the hidden or pop up video monitors in some volvos or other cars, it just looks cleaner than having a "hole" for the lens. pop-up both helps with aesthetics more than function, but it also adds to the "gadget factor." i want to hear these things but i highly doubt the audi dealer in KC is going to have a a8 on the lot.

[pete @ Jan 13th 2006 1:22PM]

Can I make a general remark to the nematodes on this, and other tech blogs, who absolutely insist on dedicating part (if not all) of their posts to "OMFG THIS IS LIKE TOATALLLY OLDD! LMAOFOLAOLORZZ." Seriously - whether or not it's "OLD" by your, technophile standards is both irrelevant to others (to whom it might be (shock! awe!) new) and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.



None of the other posters are talking about how awesome "Doug" is because hey - Doug said it was "waaaay old."



Doug and like-minded nimrods - spare us of your keen chrono-sight. None of us care. There are lots of free web-hosting services out there - feel free to build a better blog, just please PLEASE spare us your useless, utterly worthless remarks.

[aws910 @ Jan 13th 2006 2:34PM]

Wow, I'm surprised the mod didn't crucify anyone here. Last time I posted any anti-engadget comment, it got deleted, my email was banned, and the comment-section got closed shortly afterward.

[b @ Jan 13th 2006 2:49PM]

I like 'em. But don't got $7,000 to spend on car audio. My stock 220 watt stereo will just have to do for now. If i did have $7,000 to spend on that i'd get em for my S8. hell why not?

[earlmale @ Jan 13th 2006 4:42PM]

ASS by BO? too funny. i'm sure the system sounds great and the gadget factor of pop up speakers is cool. it is expensive, but i'm sure people with the money will pay.



madan- i don't know where you live, but where i do, audis are neither unique nor powerful. unless you're talking about an RS series... once again, like everything else, it's all relative.

[Jellodyne @ Jan 13th 2006 4:57PM]

Actually this is a fine match -- Audi and B&O were made for each other. Both produce overpriced yet visually attractive products with build serious quality issues.

[surgicalsnack @ Jan 13th 2006 6:00PM]

wait a second - so saying that something sounds like ASS may at one point be a compliment?

[Eric Wasson @ Jan 13th 2006 7:13PM]

Guys. Learn about it before you take a crap on it.



This is an amazing soud system. It constantly monitors exterior noise and actively filters it out. It has equalization systems and digital processors that are capable of producing a sonic sweet spot for the driver, for the front passengers, or even for all 4/5 passengers. The 14 speakers are not there just for stereo imaging, they contribute to the individual imaging needs of EACH passenger with the push of a button. Beyond that, did you know that each of the 14 speakers has its OWN discreet amplifier and digital processor so that the speakers do not suffer from separation, frequency, and power availability performance problems that all you losers have with your 5000 watt 2-3-4-5-6-channel amps. And, those tweeters that raise up out of the dash have a high-frequency dispersion capability that most people wouldn't be able to even dream of.



Just put on some pants (for goodness sake!) and a clean shirt and head out to the Audi dealership and try to scam them into letting you listen to it. Then you can drive home with a painful sense of yearning as you slide into your sweet 1998 Ford Probe with your Pioneer supertuner III and 5000 watt amp feedig crappy sound to your crappy speakers.

[ray @ Jan 13th 2006 8:13PM]

As a Bang and Olufsen retailer, I have been pleased to see our technology get some mass market recognition. While everyone could and should have an opinion, some of the comments have been definately not fact-based.



Here are some facts around comments that have been made: 1 Dust would certainly collect on or in acoustic lens's (aluminum), so they disappear when not operating. 2 The acoustic lens spreads out the normally directional tweeter frequencies. 3 All B&O speakers are active (have their own amplifiers), so that 1000 watts will be a ton and take far less space (ICE amplifiers all) than a normal system. 4 There are 14 DSP programs and special insulation throughout the automobile. 5 No official has declared that the system will be $7k US. I have heard numbers far GREATER than that. 8 If you want comparisons to B&O's Audi system, I think a better comparison would be the Linn in Aston Martin.



B&O is about style, technology, and performance. You pays for what you get. Compare a BeoSound 1 to any other table radio or boom box and you might appreciate the difference.

[A1 @ Jan 14th 2006 4:05AM]

"Guys. Learn about it before you take a crap on it."



Now this is an appropriate statement considering we're discussing a product called ASS.



*************************



"Wait a second - so saying that something sounds like ASS may at one point be a compliment?"



Well it's better to say it sounds like ASS then smells like ASS.

[Echo_ @ Jan 14th 2006 7:20PM]

to anyone who onse B&O i feel sorry for you wasting your money and believing the crap they spew so you can think you own a a high end audio piece of equipment.



OMG MY DESK HAS FREAKIN GRAIN OF WOOD THAT IS NATIVE TO CALIFORNIA OMG AND THEY TELL ME IT IS THE BEST SO THEREFORE IT IS OMG



get real speakers like b&w instead of b&o

[G.D. @ Mar 11th 2006 12:27AM]

First to try to answer someones question of why an expensive product like B&O? One; because they wanted to offer an audiophile grade system unlike any other manufacturer, two; if you can afford the S-8 I really don't believe that another $7,000 is going to be that big of a deal to you + you will get audiophile grade gear out of the deal. Have any of you people who are knocking the B&O equipment ever even listened to it? You others who call it a waste aren't who "we" consider to be "audiophiles". As for the person who tried to put BOSE into the same catagory as B&O; we have an old saying this industry, "no highs, no lows, must be bose". I've spent two times that much on an aftermarket system that probably sounds half as good as the B&O system does. I know clients who've spent several times that on their's. You have to either love car audio or hate it entirely, there's no in between. From what I understand this system has 14 drivers. The new system which Lexus has elected to use in their (GX470?) consists of 19 drivers, although I don't know anything else about it than that, just to say that it's a Mark Levinson system. I installed several of these products in a clients home theater system, and that $ total came to the price of several BMW's. As for using B&W speakers, it's been done back in 1995 by one person in New Jersey, and the folks at B&W demanded to hear it before they would allow him to show the car at competitions. Hope this helps clear things up at least a little bit.

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2007 6:33AM]

Well I may be coming in 17 months after the fact here but I've been driving around in my 2007 A8L with my (almost) $7,000.00 B&O stereo since last December when I took delivery. My appreciation of the environment created by the combination of the well appointed interior and the sound quality of the audio system remains undiminished over time. The experience is tantamount to sitting inside specially designed studios in some high-end audio retail stores. Those listening studios are designed so as to create a comfortable environment physically and acoustically. After purchase and installation at the purchaser’s location, identical equipment sometimes differs in sound quality. I have the pleasure of driving around in my "studio" each and every time I enter my vehicle and turn the system on. The sound quality is the same each and every time I turn the system on. The system is isolating, but not to an extent where the driver is removed from the outside sounds necessary for the vehicle's safe operation. While the quality of the sound is difficult to describe, I can say that the clarity of everything that comes from the speakers is extraordinary. The richness of the bass is like nothing I've experienced.
Sure the price is difficult to rationalize, but so is $3.00 a gallon for gasoline and $6.00 tolls on bridges and tunnels. In fact the cost of the stereo is more than twice the cost of my first new car (1974 VW BUG with AC!). Nonetheless, I'm pleased with my purchase. Perhaps it comes down to a matter of what's affordable and beyond that, how high a value the purchaser places upon his/her creature comforts. How can someone compare, judge or review a stereo that they've not heard? Experience it. While there may be those who will feel it's not worth the cost, there won't be many who disagree with the unmatched level of its acoustic quality.