COLOGNE, Germany, May 10, 2017 – Making your commute fly by with a no holds barred sing-along to your favourite songs could be a key part of your urban survival guide.
Experts agree that there are a range of health benefits to staging impromptu karaoke sessions at the wheel – ones we only feel truly comfortable giving when there is no one else around, and the in-car sound system is providing the backing.
The new B&O PLAY Sound System for all-new Fiesta is the most powerful for a car in its class. Engineers spent a year listening to more than 5,000 tracks to ensure the premium 675-watt technology sounded great whether enjoying Adele, Foo Fighters or Jay-Z – or chilling out to classical music – no matter how quietly or loudly you play it.
“For many people listening to the music they love on the move is a fundamental part of every journey – it is the soundtrack to their own personal road movie” said Jan Schroll, supervisor Multi‑Media and Connectivity, Ford of Europe. “B&O PLAY for all-new Fiesta will bring the best possible sound quality to our customers – whatever their taste in music.”
Research from music streaming service Spotify reveals that it is during solo drives, in our own private space, that we cue up secret playlists, turn the music up and sing our hearts out. For many of us, there are playlists that we only dare turn to in the car, an especially intense place to listen to music where the sound is designed to perfectly fill the space we are occupying.
“Singing loudly and free from inhibitions – really ‘letting go’ – means the mental release will be greater as more energy is put into it,” said Professor Stephen Clift, a leading authority on the health benefits of singing, based at the U.K.’s Canterbury Christ Church University. “Especially when we sing familiar songs loudly we experience a ‘feel-good factor’ arising from deeper, slower breathing, and increased muscular activity. We feel less stressed and more relaxed.”
In testing, the team also listened to iconic live recordings to ensure the energy and emotion would be heard as if you were there – and even recorded their own tracks to ensure the entire spectrum of sound was covered.
“We love using live recordings as they show how the sound system reproduces every emotion that’s carried through the music – as if you were there. When I get goose bumps, I know, I did it right,” said Stefan Varga, acoustic system engineer at HARMAN International.
Editor’s Notes
The all-new Fiesta B&O PLAY Sound System features 10 strategically-placed distinctive speakers and tweeters on the vehicle dashboard and around the interior to create a 360-degree sound. The system is optimised with a digital sound processor and 200mm subwoofer, producing a music sound that appears to occupants to be larger than the vehicle itself. The system is managed by Ford SYNC 3 Navigation and an 8-inch touchscreen
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 202,000 employees and 62 plants worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing, manufacturing, marketing and servicing a full line of Ford cars, trucks and SUVs, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. To expand its business model, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging opportunities with investments in electrification, autonomy and mobility. Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products and services, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 52,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and approximately 66,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 24 manufacturing facilities (16 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture facilities and 8 unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
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