'Sound Bubbles' to Improve In-Car Audio at CES

Vehicle occupants could soon be treated to having their own individual "sound bubble" to enjoy a personalized audio experience inside the cabin.

That’s the claim coming from ultrasonic automotive specialist Noveto, which will demonstrate its second-generation audio technology at CES 2024. While being a past award winner at the event, this time it has collaborated with fellow audio hardware specialists BeStar and SEI to build an in-vehicle soundbar claiming to allow individual sound delivery while maintaining overall hearing awareness to enable conversation between occupants.

The companies are asking us to imagine headphone audio quality that doesn’t require the "cans" to be taken off to engage in what’s going on with fellow passengers and the driver. They say this is possible with these new soundbars employing ultrasonic audio drivers and creating a sound bubble around each person, delivering a personal and 3D binaural audio experience without disturbing people in the vicinity of the listener while at the same time allowing audio transparency.

One of the key advantages of the soundbar is its compatibility with regular Atmos soundbars offering a wide range of combined audio experiences. Noveto points out that usually high-quality binaural, aka stereo on steroids, sound is exclusive to headphones, which provide separate audio channels for each ear.

Traditional speakers struggle to replicate this effect because they emit sound in all directions. This new soundbar claims to overcome this by delivering each audio channel directly to the listener’s corresponding ear. Additionally, the system continuously tracks the movement of the user’s head, reducing noise pollution for those nearby.