But thanks to better-insulated passenger compartments, cars are getting quieter. And while silence may be golden to owners of most luxury models and even some less-expensive vehicles, if you own a high-performance car, hearing an engine rev or the roar of exhaust is an essential part of the overall experience.
Automakers spend considerable resources fine-tuning engine sounds, particularly exhaust notes, to create signature voices. So to bring the noise to the passenger compartments of today's quieter sports cars, engineers are increasingly adding mechanical modifications that enhance the in-cabin aural experience.
They're turning to technology to help, using electronics to augment a car's sonic signature from inside the interior – or, as some have said, faking it.
Even performance stalwarts like BMW are generating engine sounds inside the cabin. The latest BMW M5 uses what’s called Active Sound Design to ensure that the snarl of the car's 560-horsepower V8 can be heard in the interior. Active Sound Design doesn't create phony engine sounds. Instead, a live recording of the M5 engine is piped through the car's stereo system.
BMW isn't alone in doing this sort of simulcast between the engine compartment and the cabin. When Lexus launched the LFA, it worked with Yamaha's Center for Advanced Sound Technologies so drivers could better hear the supercar's V10 engine while ensconced in the automaker's notorious whisper-quiet interior.
Cadillac uses a similar concept to bring more engine sound to the ears of drivers of the 2014 CTS. Microphones in the cabin work in conjunction with "an integrated electronic sound enhancement system" to produce the frequencies Cadillac engineers want drivers to hear, and the "preferred tones" are played back through car's Bose sound system. "No artificial sounds are used," Cadillac pointed out in a recent news release.
The technology isn't exclusive to expensive cars. The Volkswagen GTI, GLI and Beetle Turbo all use a speaker mounted on the firewall called the Soundaktor to augment engine sounds. As in the BMW M5, the Soundaktor recreates engine sounds relative to specific throttle positions.
For performance enthusiasts who prefer the real thing, several automakers still use old-school mechanical sound enhancements. Porsche's Sound Symposer found on the 911 and Panamera uses an "acoustic channel" that consists of a tube with a diaphragm and a valve. When the driver engages sport mode, the valve opens and the diaphragm amplifies the sounds that travel into the passenger compartment. Similarly, a resonator pipe can be found between the Ford Mustang GT's V8 and the car's firewall to let more sound enter the cabin.
So which is better, the so-called fake engine sound or the real thing? I haven’t had a chance to drive any of the vehicles with sound replication technology, so I can't judge. But thanks to the folks over at Bimmerpost, you can at least hear the difference online. A member of the BMW fan forum posted a video on YouTube of a 2012 M5 supposedly doing the same run with the Active Sound Design on and then with the system disabled after pulling a fuse.
With cabins becoming quieter, engines becoming smaller and fuel economy mandated to increase, automakers of all stripes will likely add "fake" engine sounds to more cars in the future. And if you drive a Fiesta but prefer the sound of a Ferrari, there are smartphone apps for that.
Doug Newcomb has been covering car technology for more than 20 years for outlets ranging from Rolling Stone to Edmunds.com. In 2008, he published his first book, "Car Audio for Dummies" (Wiley). He lives and drives in Hood River, Ore., with his wife and two kids, who share his passion for cars and car technology, especially driving and listening to music.
Source: MSN
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