Sennheiser and smart bring immersive in-car audio to urban test track

Background and context

Table of Contents

Audio specialist Sennheiser and automotive brand smart have collaborated on an installation that turns an urban test track into an immersive listening environment. The project combines in-car sound design with a spatial audio system deployed along a dedicated route.

While immersive audio is already common in cinemas, themed attractions and premium live events, its use in everyday urban mobility is still at an experimental stage. This installation aims to explore how 3D sound can enhance both driver experience and brand storytelling in real-world conditions.

The initiative also reflects a broader trend: car manufacturers and audio companies are increasingly working together to differentiate vehicles through sound, from engine acoustics in electric cars to personalized in-cabin audio environments.

Key announcement

Sennheiser has equipped a smart vehicle with its AMBEO immersive audio technology and paired it with a soundscape installed along a test route in the city. As the car moves through different sections of the track, passengers experience shifting audio scenes that blend content from inside the vehicle with spatial elements perceived around it.

The system uses object-based and binaural audio techniques to create a 3D sound field tailored to the car’s interior. Audio content is designed so that music, voice and ambient elements can be positioned with precision, aiming to give occupants a more enveloping and coherent sound experience.

According to Sennheiser, the setup allows for dynamic changes in the sound environment as the vehicle progresses, such as transitions between calm, music-focused segments and more information-led sections. The goal is to test how immersive audio can support navigation, storytelling, brand presentation and passenger entertainment without overwhelming the driver.

Technical details and examples of Sennheiser’s AMBEO implementations in other sectors are available on the company’s official website at sennheiser.com.

Industry impact

For event technology and AV professionals, the project is notable because it treats the car and surrounding route as a single integrated experience space. This concept aligns with developments in experiential marketing, where brands are seeking more interactive, location-based encounters.

Key potential applications include:

Automotive test drives that incorporate curated sound journeys
Pop-up brand experiences using mobile, immersive sound stages
Tourism and city-branding projects that use vehicles as narrative platforms
Hybrid events where attendees move through different sound zones in vehicles

By trialling an in-motion immersive system, Sennheiser and smart are also contributing data on how audiences respond to spatial audio outside traditional venues such as theatres or fixed installations.

Why this matters

As events, exhibitions and brand activations increasingly extend beyond conventional halls and stages, sound design is becoming a key differentiator. Mobile and in-car environments offer new touchpoints where audiences can be reached with tailored, location-aware content.

This project illustrates how technologies originally developed for cinema and premium home entertainment are moving into transport and live experience contexts. For producers, creative agencies and technical teams, it signals additional opportunities—and challenges—in planning coherent audio narratives that follow participants across different spaces.

If concepts like this move from pilot to mainstream adoption, event professionals may need to collaborate more closely with automotive partners, urban planners and audio technology providers. The result could be extended event footprints that start before visitors arrive at a venue and continue as they move through the city, with sound as a central design element.