HARMAN, an automotive electronics technology company and subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on designing automotive grade consumer experiences, announces a new chapter in its ongoing partnership with Volkswagen. Building on years of fruitful collaboration in vehicles such as the Golf, the Passat and the Tiguan, Volkswagen is releasing its first all-electric limousine for Europe, the ID.7, featuring a cutting-edge Harman Kardon sound system that combines advanced technology and iconic design. With this collaboration, Volkswagen and Harman Kardon are once again raising the bar for experiencing the full pleasure of music and driving.

With 70 years of expertise in acoustic design, tuning and signal processing, Harman Kardon is dedicated to delivering sound so captivating that it causes everything else to simply melt away, bringing the listener more deeply into the present moment. Using the immersive power of sound to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary is on full display in the Volkswagen ID.7, whose optional Harman Kardon audio system delivers exhilarating, captivating sound that adds a whole new dimension to the open road.

Finely tuned sound as it was meant to be heard
“Harman Kardon and Volkswagen have once again combined their expertise to deliver the best of both the driving and the listening experience. Harman Kardon’s acoustics engineers worked hand-in-hand with the Volkswagen design team to create a sound system that is the perfect match for Volkswagen’s first all-electric limousine,” said Greg Sikora, Senior Director, Global Acoustic Systems Engineering at HARMAN.

The Harman Kardon premium sound system in the brand-new Volkswagen ID.7 offers listeners far more than just music reproduction; it unlocks all the nuances of finely tuned sound. Thanks to hundreds of hours of tuning by Harman Kardon engineers working closely with Volkswagen’s teams, the sound system is finely adjusted to support superior audio performance, regardless of the road ahead. An impressive 14-speaker, 16-channel set-up including a subwoofer and centre speaker, combined with the Fraunhofer Sonamic Panorama algorithm, plus four different sound modes, provides a precise, detailed, wholly unique listening experience in which both music and the spoken word seem as natural as if they were created right in the vehicle. The result is a truly thrilling and high-quality driving and listening experience for drivers and passengers alike.

Innovative technologies for enhanced, personalised listening
Harman Kardon’s engineers are experts at meeting the many challenges of creating the ideal sound system for each specific vehicle interior. In the Volkswagen ID.7, the cutting-edge technology of the Fraunhofer Sonamic Panorama algorithm separates the individual sound sources of a stereo recording, evenly distributing them in a U-shaped soundstage that envelopes and immerses everyone in the vehicle. The result is that each listener can appreciate the details that would otherwise be imperceptible, while the playback is kept free of artifacts and is robust against audio signals of low quality, such as poor radio reception.

The Harman Kardon sound system also features sound focus seat optimisation technology in which specific seats can be highlighted for the best listening experience, either all-seat optimisation, front seat only, driver only or rear seat only. And to give listeners the freedom to personalise their listening experience, the system includes a choice of four sound settings. Each accentuates a different sonic aspect, allowing listeners to adjust the system and enjoy varied sound reproduction that ensures a completely new perception of the sound.

• Pure – a high-quality, neutral sound experience with nothing added or taken away, for an especially balanced, authentic, studio-like sound experience.
• Relax – the soft playback setting, ideal for music that tends to play in the background, for a particularly relaxed and fatigue-free music experience.
• Speech – perfectly suited to the clear reproduction of spoken content such as radio, podcasts and audio books, for comfortable listening with increased intelligibility even over a longer period of time.
• Vibrant – voluminous sound reproduction for modern and dynamic music that is high in emotion and energy.

Simple, iconic design
The Harman Kardon sound system in the new Volkswagen ID.7 features authentic, beautiful, and functional design that integrates seamlessly with the car’s interior, matching its design language. In a subtle nod to the iconic angled slash of the Harman Kardon logo, the car’s distinctive speaker grilles are highlighted by a 60° hole pattern and are crafted from ultra-thin 0.5mm high-strength steel to foster optimal acoustic performance.