Continental, the speakerless sound system inspired by the violin VIDEO

One of the main problems for car manufacturers is currently how efficient they are. One of the most effective solutions is certainly to reduce the overall weight of the car so as to make the work for the engine less difficult when moving and consuming less fuel.

In the future, even the onboard audio system could play its part in reducing consumption as Continental presented to the public a system called Ac2ated Sound  without stereo speakers.

The car acts as a sounding board as if it were a violin or any musical instrument (certainly with the necessary differences) amplifying the vibrations generated by actuators and transforming them into sound. The front upright will be in charge of dealing with the high frequencies , the door panels of the medium frequencies and the roof and the low frequency rack.

In this way you can save many kilograms and even space, with the advantages both in terms of habitability and overall vehicle mass that can be imagined. Some producers like Bang & Olufsen and Harman Kardon have come to produce stereo systems with incredible sound quality but weighing up to 20 kg .

Continental claims that its Ac2ated Sound weighs only 2 kg with an effective 90% saving on a high-end hi-fi. Furthermore, the acoustic result seems to be comparable thanks to the participation of sound experts in development. How much this solution presented by Continental is sustainable in mass production is not known but surely both designers and designers would be happy to welcome similar solutions.

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Spotify, in-car audio player coming in 2019

Last year the rumor emerged that Spotify was working on a physical device for in-car audio reproduction, recent sources of the Financial Times say that the company would be very close to the launch on the markets, already expected during the current year.

It is said that it will be a low-priced device, around $ 100 , able to connect via bluetooth to the car's audio system and with exclusive features for optimized use of Spotify. For example, we can find predefined buttons for starting playlists, the start button for voice control, and of course playback controls, but this is only speculation, at the moment the characteristics of the hardware are not known.

Both Spotify and its hardware partner, Flex, refused to comment on the rumor, but a similar solution was probably designed by Spotify to push the use of its streaming solution, both on new cars, providing faster access to key features , on older cars, saving on the purchase of more expensive car audio units.

It will be necessary to understand how the market will respond to similar hardware, most of the infotainment solutions already integrate Spotify among the supported apps, a dedicated device could therefore risk to be useful only to a small circle of loyal customers.

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Kenwood DPX-306BT review

There are a lot of the 2 din car radio that populate its market today, and there are several alternatives that you can evaluate to understand which model is best for you. From this point of view, this particular Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT 2-D autoradio model can certainly be one of the alternatives that you will have to consider. And perhaps, we've been up to this now, this Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT might already win you.

Its display is certainly very nice, clean, modern and simple. The electric blue that dominates the display configuration is in our opinion perfect for a car radio that is intended to fit in the car, especially when it comes to a 2 din car tuner such as the Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT, which is of significant size and such as to attract the attention of the eye when looking at itself and in itself the dashboard of a car. Do not steal space from the other beauties of your car.

The perfect display?

The Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT car radio features a variable-dimensional LCD display with 14 x 13-segment segments and 7 x 4-digit segments. You can activate the display mode off as well as the demo mode. In addition, the display is surrounded by a beautiful shiny black frame, with a front in itself and chromed, with the possibility of using the Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT 2-channel radio with remote control.

The same 2 din car radio here we are now reviewing, then comes with Bluetooth technology, which facilitates the easy adoption of the most varied connection systems, while at the same time ensuring the ability to connect many and different devices even through physical ports. For example, the Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT 2-DIN car radio features a USB port and 16-pin Molex integrated connector, which allows you to play various types of file formats, from MP3 format to AAC format, from format WAV to WMA format.

Connectivity and steering wheel

A very useful feature that characterizes the 2-DIN car stereo Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT is in its ability to integrate with steering wheel controls, as well as the ability to receive the FM radio signal. In addition, it should be said that the Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT 2-DIN car radio can easily connect to iPod devices, but also with iPhone phones and smartphones, so that Apple users will be delighted to be able to communicate their best devices.

5 - ratings: 2

So without any shadow of doubt, the Kenwood Electronics DPX-306BT car radio is a privileged exponent of the 2-car car category, as it is also easy to recognize, and that this also means the specific needs of those who listen to that music . Above all, Apple users will be happy to enjoy such connectivity potential.

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Clarion: 100% digital audio system for the car

Clarion, a multimedia equipment specialist on board, announces the launch of its latest innovation: Full Digital Sound, an all-digital audio system consisting of the Z3 processor (849 euros in picture), Z7 speakers (649 euros) and subwoofer Z25W (599 euros). Presented in preview at the last car show in Frankfurt, this system is now available on the European market. In recent years, digital technology has transformed our daily approach to music: according to the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI), in 2014 at least 41 million people worldwide were subscribed to paid digital streaming services. Nonetheless, even today, most car audio systems continue to convert the digital signal analogue,

Without any conversion

Clarion offers sound quality that allows drivers and passengers to fully enjoy the benefits of digital music. Full Digital Sound is the first system on which the broadcast channel is 100% digital: the high resolution signal switches from digital source to loudspeakers without any conversion and therefore without significant loss in quality. This frees the user from the need to use a signal converter or amplifier, which he finds obliged if he has a traditional playback system. Other, and not indifferent, the advantages of ease of installation, low weight, and reduced energy consumption compared to other traditional systems. Full Digital Sound brings together the latest generation technologies to ensure high fidelity playback and high quality sound. This is possible thanks to the first LSI processor in the world that has been developed for the car industry, ie the component through which the sound is digitally treated without the use of an amplifier. This new system also relies on Dnote's digital processing technology and uses a 6-layer reel to which the signal is transmitted directly, without conversion, to achieve greater precision at the cone level. ie the component by which the sound is digitally treated without the use of an amplifier. This new system also relies on Dnote's digital processing technology and uses a 6-layer reel to which the signal is transmitted directly, without conversion, to achieve greater precision at the cone level. ie the component by which the sound is digitally treated without the use of an amplifier. This new system also relies on Dnote's digital processing technology and uses a 6-layer reel to which the signal is transmitted directly, without conversion, to achieve greater precision at the cone level. 

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