John Paul M. Joaquin Auto 10.17.2022 03:Oct AM EDT

Apple, Mercedes Benz Announce Collaboration; Releases ‘Immersive’ Spatial Audio To Select Vehicles

Mercedez Benz car owners can now experience even better spatial audio thanks to Apple.

The two companies have recently announced it has partnered with each other to bring Apple's "immersive" spatial audio to Mercedes Benz cars, giving passengers and drivers "the very best music experience."

Apple's spatial audio is only limited to five of Mercedes Benz's cars due to them having better hardware than those without it, per The Verge.

Apple - Mercedes Benz Spatial Audio Partnership

Apple mentioned in its announcement that it partnered with Mercedes Benz to bring its Spatial Audio to make the feature available natively in a car for the first time and bring "wholly immersive music" to its Apple Music subscribers worldwide.

Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats, said that the company's spatial audio is "a revolutionary way" for artists and fans to listen to and experience music as it is "impossible to explain in words."

Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz Group AG's chief technology officer and a member of the board of management, mentioned that the company is proud to be the first-ever non-Apple device to feature its spatial audio.

He also added that the addition of Apple's spatial audio shows how in-car entertainment can reach new levels through the perfect integration of hardware and software.

Apple's spatial audio is designed to enhance music and make it more immersive by spreading out different sounds across audio channels, creating a virtual 3D audio space from a Mercedes Benz car's speakers, per MacRumors. However, the mix quality isn't always consistent across Apple Music's ever-growing selection of songs and albums compatible with spatial audio.

The Cost Of Getting Spatial Audio

The decision to add Apple's Spatial Music to Mercedes Benz cars isn't a cheap one to make. Mercedes Benz cars that are equipped with its MBUX interface, the 31-speaker Burmester 3D or 4D sound system, and Dolby Atmos can get the feature immediately.

For those unaware, Burmester's 31-speaker set comes with a price tag of $4,550 for 3D or $6,730 for 4D and is sold separately from a Mercedes Benz car, which could cost around $100,000.

For those unaware, the Burmester 4D sound system comes with 31 speakers, including six 3D speakers that emit sound from above, four near-ear speakers in the front seats, and an 18.5-liter subwoofer.

It also has eight sound transducers (two per seat), two amplifiers, and 1,750 watts of power.

As such, only Mercedes Benz's Maybach models, the EQS and EQS SUV as well as the EQE and S-Class models, can have Apple's spatial audio in their infotainment system.

Owners of these Mercedes Benz cars that have an Apple Music subscription and the necessary hardware can use Apple's spatial audio.

As for when Apple's spatial audio will become available, the company mentioned that the limited edition Mercedes-Maybach by Virgil Abloh already has the feature from the start.

Nevertheless, Apple promises consumers it will release its spatial audio to other Mercedes Benz models soon.