Over a million Tesla vehicles currently on the road (or in people's driveways) may be getting a major audio upgrade soon. According to a report on BGR.com, the automotive manufacturer is planning to roll out Dolby Atmos immersive surround sound to new and existing Tesla vehicles. New cars will have the tech built in. Existing cars will get Dolby Atmos via an over the air software update.
The Atmos upgrade will likely require the company's "Premium Audio" option, which uses height speakers located in the pillars to provide the overhead sound required by Dolby Atmos. The Premium Audio option used to cost extra, but is now included in all Model S and Model X vehicles as well as in the All Wheel Drive and Performance trims of the Model 3 and Model Y. The base Model 3 SR does not include the Premium Audio option, so it is unlikely to get the upgrade.
Tesla's Premium Audio system uses 14 or 15 speakers in the Model 3 and Model Y (depending when it was manufactured). The Model S and X each include a whopping 22 speakers in current production models. The upcoming Cybertruck will certainly include a similar high performance audio system when it goes into production next year. This news comes on the heels of a recent leak that Apple Music will soon be available in Tesla's infotainment system. Apple Music will join Tidal, Spotify, Slacker and TuneIn Radio as sources for music streaming in Tesla cars.
Tesla also includes Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and Hulu in its infotainment options, but these video streaming services require that the car be parked in order to use them (for now). Of these, Netflix and Disney+ also support Dolby Atmos content. It is not yet known whether Dolby Atmos will be supported for Apple Music, Tidal, Disney+ and Netflix, or just for one or two of the services at launch. Netflix and Disney+ have hundreds of TV show episodes and movies available in the format while Tidal and Apple Music each offer thousands of songs encoded in Dolby Atmos.
The upgrade comes as welcome news to Tesla owners as Dolby Atmos immersive surround sound has begun to make headway in the music industry. Studios are not only releasing new music encoded in the object-based surround format but are also revisiting hundreds of back catalog master tapes to remix classic albums and songs in immersive surround sound.
I've been listening to Dolby Atmos remixes of some of my old favorite songs a lot lately and have noticed sounds and instruments in the mix that I never heard before. It's like discovering my favorite tunes all over again. Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish have recently released new albums in Dolby Atmos, and classic tracks from artists including Queen, Rush, INXS, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, Pat Benatar and more have beem remixed in Dolby Atmos immersive surround.
Dolby Atmos is already available in cars by Lucid Motors and Mercedes/Maybach, and has been announced for Volvo's upcoming EX90 electric SUV. But if Tesla rolls out a Dolby Atmos update soon, it will be the largest scale Dolby Atmos automotive deployment to date with well over a million cars getting the upgrade.
While advances have been made in getting immersive sound and "spatial audio" to work with headphones, Dolby Atmos still sounds best through physical speakers. Dolby Atmos began its life in movie theaters just over ten years ago, and it soon found its way into the home in AV Receivers, speakers, TVs and soundbars. Dolby Atmos sounds different from traditional stereo and surround sound systems through the use of height channels that allow producers and engineers to place instruments and sounds in specific points in 3D space.
Some have speculated that Apple Music will be delivered in the upcoming "Holiday Update" - Tesla usually uses that release to give "gifts" to its existing customers in the form of new features and functionality. Customers are hoping to see the Dolby Atmos update at that time as well. But Tesla has not officially confirmed that Dolby Atmos will be coming to Tesla cars, so we'll be keeping our eyes (and ears) peeled for any additional news.
