Ford and Sony Bring Premium Home Audio Technology to 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum – an Industry-First Innovation

Ford is bringing the new Ford Explorer to Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Station to demonstrate industry-exclusive audio technology coming to the iconic SUV.Ford Explorer Platinum’s premium Sony^® audio system includes two industry-first features previously offered only in high-end home audio systems – Live Acoustics^™ and Clear Phase^™ technologies

• The algorithm in Explorer Platinum’s audio system was tuned to authentically reproduce the sound quality and signature ambience of concert halls in Amsterdam, Berlin and Vienna
• More than 7 million Explorers have been sold in the United States, which makes the vehicle America’s best-selling midsize SUV for 25 years

Because every great adventure is made perfect by the ideal soundtrack, the new Ford Explorer Platinum features an exclusive Sony^® audio system with two industry-first technologies – Live Acoustics^™ and Clear Phase^™.

As a standard feature for the new Ford Explorer Platinum edition, this marks the first time high-end Sony home audio technology has been used in a vehicle. Live Acoustics and Clear Phase technologies bring realistic concert-quality sound to the new Explorer.

“Explorer is about pushing boundaries,” says Matt Zuehlk, Ford Explorer brand manager, “and authentic high-end home theater sound isn’t just for the living room anymore. The new Platinum series gives customers everything – including a sound system that will knock your socks off.”

Introduced as a 1991 model, Ford Explorer debuted with generous interior space customers were looking for, and was engineered specifically for people seeking adventure for their families and a way to express their individuality.

Explorer has reigned as America’s top-selling midsize SUV for 25 consecutive years – marking a quarter century for the vehicle as a leader both in the segment and in its technology offerings.

Authentic concert hall sound: Live Acoustics engineering
There’s something magical about listening to music in an environment that’s been painstakingly designed to deliver perfect sound.

To develop the proprietary Live Acoustics algorithm, Sony engineers, led by Giro Shiraishi, also a concertmaster at the Sony Philharmonic Orchestra, visited great halls in Amsterdam, Berlin and Vienna, and installed microphones to measure their precise acoustic qualities. Shiraishi, who began taking violin lessons at age four and has been passionate about sound ever since, wanted to re-create the concert hall experience for Sony’s high-end home audio products.

“This technology was previously available only in our high-end home audio systems – we’ve now applied the algorithm of Live Acoustics to Ford Explorer Platinum’s audio system to transform the listening experience to be among the finest in the world,” says Shiraishi.

Sony engineers spent more than 100 hours tuning the audio system in the new Explorer with one goal in mind – to provide Platinum driver and passengers with the finest audio experience on the road.

At the core of the system are 12 high-power speakers in 10 carefully selected locations – plus an all-new Class D amplifier to deliver a lossless power source that drives speaker output without straining.

Combined, the 12 speakers are capable of a maximum 500 watts. The speakers are optimized for sensitivity – including the center and surround speakers, a subwoofer with an 8-inch enclosure for tight and full base tones, and door woofers and chrome tweeters with translucent grilles to preserve sound integrity and complement the upscale Platinum interior.

Even the system’s speaker coils are unique – square coils instead of the more traditional round ones – resulting in greater efficiency and heat dispersion.