Dynaudio - Volkswagen's choice for Passat sound system

For the Volkswagen Passat, two unusually large fabric soft domes mid-range drivers (52 mm) are employed - exceptional within the car industry, but given the tough-to-meet requirements for a smooth, distortion-free and effortless voice reproduction, a must.

For music, precise reproduction of all the tiny and subtle details present in the high frequencies is essential. This is handled in the front by two of Dynaudio's legendary 28 mm soft dome high-frequency drivers with special coating.

Every detail and nuance is captured by these tweeters. As high frequencies are very directional and easily blocked, two additional 20 mm soft-dome tweeters are employed in the rear to augment those in the front.

All Dynaudio speakers share the characteristic of very homogenous sound dispersion and, as a result, unlike many other speaker systems, ideal sound dispersion, even with speakers mounted in the doors, is achieved throughout the entire interior.

Careful positioning and tailoring of all speakers ensures that all the loudspeakers integrate well with each other, providing a seamless transition from the bass- to mid- and high-frequency loudspeakers.

600 Watts output power

Having great speakers is only part of the equation. To release the full potential of all ten premium loudspeakers the amplifiers driving these need to be of an equally high standard.

Instead of the traditional solution whereby only one amplifier is used for all speakers (one for the left channel and one for the right), Dynaudio chose to use no fewer than five dedicated amplifiers per channel (ten in total) to drive each set of loudspeakers.

In this way, each amplifier can be perfectly tailored to each loudspeaker. Another advantage is that this solution voids the need for passive cross-overs (the external circuitry to steer the appropriate frequency ranges from an amplifier's output to the correct loudspeakers), which consume power, make integration of all drivers more difficult and add distortion.

The most powerful amplifiers are used for the woofers, as bass requires most energy, whereas high frequencies (tweeters) require least. Every woofer has its own individual amplifier with more than 110 Watts each.

Both mid-range drivers are powered by an amplifier each exceeding 40 W and the tweeters are powered by two amplifiers of 25 W each. The quoted output power figures are true continuous output power, not the kind of inflated figures often used for marketing's sake only.

More important is that with over 600 W of total continuous output power, delivered by premium amplifiers using the latest digital technology, the Dynaudio sound system sounds truly superb and always in control.

Digital amplifier technology

The amplifiers driving the speakers represent the latest in digital technology: DSP is used throughout to provide the perfect match for all individual loudspeakers. For the amplifiers and associated circuitry high-resolution analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue converters have been used to preserve clarity and fidelity.

Not only is DSP technology used to filter the frequency ranges for each amplifier so that a smooth transition between all speakers can occur; it allows many of the amplifier's characteristics (such as frequency response, phase, delay, etc.) to be optimally tuned, suited exactly to that of the loudspeaker it drives.

The power amplifier stages use digital technology also making them far more efficient, both in terms of heat generated and physical size. More significant is that the digital technology provides the perfect interface between the associated circuitry and the power amplifier sections themselves, making the synergy between amplifiers and speakers complete.

MSP speaker cone

The primary function of a woofer is to move air accurately to reproduce low frequency sound. By comparison, the amount of air that a woofer needs to move is multiple times that of a mid-range driver or tweeter.

The loudspeaker cone is the actual membrane that moves the air. For accurate reproduction it needs to be light yet stiff at the same time. These seemingly contradictory requirements have been solved by Dynaudio through the use of its proprietary material magnesium silicate polymer (MSP).

In their quest for the ideal partner to develop the perfect sound system, the Volkswagen engineers soon found that the engineers at Dynaudio shared the same deep passion and pride in their work resulting in design and production excellence.

Over almost three decades, Dynaudio built up an impressive track record, renowned and acclaimed the world over for its fine loudspeakers for both home and studio use. Many radio stations, recording studios and artists around the globe rely on Dynaudio loudspeakers. Given this reputation combined with quality and passion, a partnership was formed.

MSP has the added advantage that it can be very accurately moulded so that the cone itself is perfectly geometrically formed in one piece, so that the sound dispersion pattern can be fully controlled.

In combination with Dynaudio's large voice coil technology MSP also avoids the need for a separate dust-cap, as used by virtually all other woofers. Besides the inherent stiffness due to the MSP material itself, not having a dust-cap further enhances the structural integrity.

Soft-dome tweeters

Dynaudio tweeters define the standard and are widely regarded as the finest available today. Employing soft domes since the first designs, Dynaudio tweeters offer ideal resonance control over a wide frequency range, with excellent neutrality and resolution.

Other tweeter materials, notably metals, are often used instead, as soft domes are much more difficult to produce to tight tolerances, but metal-based tweeters invariably have very pronounced and strong resonances. The soft dome consists of fabric which is precisely coated, resulting in a smooth and clean frequency response even above 20 kHz, and unlike other tweeter materials, free of any peaks or dips.

This special coating and the double magnet assembly ensure the extremely linear response of the tweeters. Furthermore, together with the double magnet system, the magnetically cooled and damped lightweight aluminium voice coil, extremely high power handling and precise movement of the dome is achieved, resulting in ultra-dynamic impulse response without compression.

Aluminium voice coils

A critical component in the complex assembly that makes up a speaker is the voice coil. Moving inside an air-gap to the music signal, it in turn moves the diaphragm to which it is glued. The voice coil is the true motor and, for weight considerations, is wound from pure aluminium. Compared to copper, which is typically used almost everywhere this brings a tremendous weight saving. This allows Dynaudio to dramatically increase the diameter of the voice coil without adding a single gramme on the scales compared to its copper sibling.

Compared to traditional speaker drivers, aluminium voice coils can be dimensioned twice or treble the size. The result is an improved linear motion of the diaphragm, enhanced flexibility in shaping the cone geometry and perfect sound dispersion, in addition to extremely high power handling.

This means that even with extreme volume levels cone movements remain in control and free of compression. Music is reproduced accurately over the entire frequency spectrum. With tweeters, the weight saving is used to incorporate a longer coil. This enables extreme dynamics with total linearity, even at very high levels. This way the sound remains authorative without fatigue, controlled and natural.

Dynaudio has a deserved reputation when it comes to high-performance sound reproduction. Still, you can find out for yourself, visit the local Volkswagen dealer, armed with your favourite CDs, as soon as the new Passat is launched.

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Dynaudio is represented by CodeMSystems Limited of Zabbar (tel: 2180-1065), e-mail: codem@waldonet.net.mt.