The Audi Q7 is a vehicle designed specifically for audiophiles

Despite being a well-respected manufacturer of high-end audio equipment, most of your are probably unfamiliar with Bang & Olufsen. However, if you’ve been inside any of Audi’s vehicles in the last decade or so, there’s a good chance that you got to experience one of Bang & Olufsen’s sound systems, as the Danish company entered into an agreement with Audi back in 2003 to provide the automaker with an advanced sound system for its vehicles.

The first product to come from this collaboration was a BeoLab 5-based sound system that became available on Audi’s flagship A8 luxury sedan for an extra $6,300. One of the designs that made this system unique was the motorized tweeters that emeged from the dashboard whenever the sound system was turned on. The optional sound system was later expanded to the German automaker’s A4, A5, A6, A7, Q5, Q7, and R8 models.

Now Bang & Olufsen has joined forces with Audi once again, along with Fraunhofer IIS, in order to create a new concept car where the audio experience is actually the center of the vehicle’s design, rather than the capabilities of the vehicle itself.

Known as the Audi Q7, Audi unveiled the new concept vehicle at the North American Motor Show in Detroit, describing it as having the “most revolutionary collaborative sound system to date.” This particular sound system will deliver an enlarged 3D sound state alongside the implementation of conventional surround sound placement and height channels, all of which will be managed by Fraunhofer’s sound processing algorithm Symphoria in order to ensure that everyone in the vehicle is properly engulfed in the audio experience.

“Equipped with the latest assistance systems, infotainment modules and connection features, we are all excited by the Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound System, reproducing music in innovative 3D sound that will fascinate even discerning hi-fi users,” said Audi’s Peter Blum, as quoted by Pocket-Lint.

Also assisting with this is Bang & Olufsen’s class-D BeoCore amplifier that the company claims is capable of delivering up to 1,900 watts of power through almost two dozen loudspeakers within the vehicle, each of which is powered by a separate amplified channel. If this has any of you excited, it’s important to note that this system is currently exclusive to the Audi Q7.