My Mercedes Car: The New Mercedes-Benz SL: Infotainment

My Mercedes Car: The New Mercedes-Benz SL: Infotainment

As a rule, those gifted with a sensitive sense of hearing cannot expect much listening enjoyment in a roadster. Even good car radios and CD players are disappointing under these arduous acoustic conditions. Instead, in open-top cars, the music flies away with the wind; it frays and breaks up in all directions without its acoustic base - passengers generally have to be satisfied with a woolly 鈥渟ound carpet鈥? or close the roof. Open-air pleasure and musical enjoyment could hardly be expected in a roadster. A great part of the blame for this lies with the location of the bass loudspeakers in the doors or under a seat. Mercedes-Benz now presents a solution to this conflict: the unique Frontbass system, which at last creates the conditions for a concert hall ambience in a roadster too. In the new SL, the Frontbass system is celebrating its world premiere. The principle sounds simple: Instead of being placed in the doors in the usual way, in the new SL generation the bass loudspeakers are installed in the footwell in front of the driver and passenger.

This is not possible with traditional vehicle shell structures, but the two front longitudinal members in the front aluminium skeleton of the new SL provide the resonance space needed for this arrangement. The loudspeakers are fitted directly in two openings in the firewall on either side of the footwell. Cavities in the longitudinal members behind the speakers act as resonating chambers. The outstanding inherent rigidity of these structural components results in ultra-precise low notes with extremely little distortion, right up to very high signal levels. In order words, the new SL features clear, crisp bass sounds with a high dynamic range as part of its standard equipment. With the new Frontbass system, Mercedes-Benz is not only revolutionising in-car bass sound reproduction - and in particular aboard an open-top roadster - it is also creating the conditions for exceptional listening enjoyment. Since the bass loudspeakers now do not need to be installed in the doors, the disruptive acoustic vibrations typical of this configuration no longer occur.

Even the standard entry-level Frontbass system creates a pronounced encircling sound feel and an emotive sound experience, independently of whether the vehicle roof is open or closed. As Norbert Niemczyk, responsible for the new Frontbass system at Mercedes-Benz, explains: 鈥淥ur objective was not mere sound volume - although in this respect, too, the system performs amazingly - but a clear sound instead, one that never becomes 鈥渕ushy鈥? We have achieved this. Acoustic enjoyment of the highest level is part of the programme in the new SL both with a closed and with an open top. As the Frontbass system focuses the sound, the powerful sound is concentrated on the vehicle occupants - the surroundings are significantly less disturbed than is the case with conventional sound systems. Apart from this, the amplifier automatically controls the loudspeakers in a different manner depending on whether the passenger compartment is closed or open, according to the acoustic conditions, in order to create the best possible sound.

The Frontbass concept is the standard basis in every version of the new Mercedes-Benz SL. The optionally available Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system in conjunction with the Frontbass concept offers a further enhancement and a musical delicacy of concert hall quality. The heart of the matter is a Class D amplifier with a total output of 600 W and a digital signal processor (DSP) for ten audio channels. The two Frontbass loudspeakers and six two-way systems provide an even more precise and better defined sound reproduction quality. Finally, the ultimate in high-calibre pleasure for the eyes and ears comes courtesy of the high-end Bang&Olufsen BeoSound AMG sound system, also available as an optional extra. The Class D ICE power amplifier and the Class D DSP amplifier with a total output of 900 watts actively control the twelve high-end loudspeakers via separate channels, thus ensuring the hallmark B&O crystal-clear sound reproduction.