An Unprecedented Audio Experience for Mobility: Introducing the “AFEELA Immersive Audio”

Sony Honda Mobility’s first EV model, “AFEELA 1, ” is built around our vision of “Mobility as a Creative Entertainment Space. ” In this philosophy, the cabin becomes far more than a means of transport. It is a space designed to maximize the emotional power of entertainment.

AFEELA 1 is equipped with “AFEELA Immersive Audio,” an audio system that delivers a listening experience unlike any in mobility today. Its development began with a single “question” that challenged conventional vehicle-audio logic: “What happens if we designed the car as the ‘ultimate listening room’ from the very start, leveraging the full depth of Sony’s audio technology?”

Watch AFEELA Immersive Audio.

Redefining the Mobility Acoustic Experience

AFEELA’s goal was to evolve the in-cabin experience from simply “hearing sound” to “being immersed in sound and entering its world.” To achieve this, we adopted an approach entirely different from traditional vehicle development. The speaker layout was determined from the very earliest stages of design, pursuing the ideal positions based on acoustic physics without any compromise.

In the cabin of the AFEELA 1, 28 high-performance speakers are installed in optimized positions, calculated with precision relative to occupants’ ear height. By combining this meticulously placed hardware with Sony’s advanced software technology, the entire cabin transforms into a comfortable acoustic space. It is no longer just a car; it becomes a moving listening room, or a private theater on wheels.

Masterful Hardware: The Blueprint of a “Moving Listening Room”

The 28 speakers onboard the AFEELA 1: Front 3-way (Woofer/Mid-range/Tweeter) x2, Rear 3-way (Woofer/Mid-range/Tweeter) x2, Center Speakers x2, Satellite Speakers x2, Roof Exciters x2, Subwoofers x2, Seat Speakers x2 (for 4 seats).

None of the speakers in AFEELA 1 are repurposed components; every one of the 28 units was newly developed by Sony specifically for this vehicle. From the materials of the speaker grilles to their shapes, every detail was carefully selected based on extensive listening evaluations. This project fully incorporates Sony’s expertise in high-end home audio systems, including its design philosophy and specialized measurement and development methodologies. A key innovation is the “diaphragm,” which plays a critical role in sound purity. For AFEELA 1, Sony developed the “Multilayer Carbon Fiber Composite Diaphragm,” bringing high-end audio directly into the cabin. In addition, the front mid-range speakers and front woofers minimize distortion, and produce deep mid-low tones, while the silk diaphragm tweeters reproduce transparent heights. Additionally, compact neodymium magnets in every speaker enable precise yet dynamic diaphragm movement.

To fully harness these high-performance speakers, Sony Honda Mobility optimized speaker placements and integration within the cabin, throughout the vehicle development process, to advance the in-cabin audio experience like never before.

Exploded view of the mid-range speaker

The main speakers are equipped with a component called an “enclosure.” Optimized for each speaker unit, the enclosure brings out the speaker’s intrinsic sound quality. It also reduces sound leakage from the speaker to the outside of the vehicle.

Enclosure attached to the mid-range speaker

One notable design choice is the positioning of the subwoofers. Instead of placing them conventionally in the trunk, we installed them under the center console in the middle of the cabin to eliminate the time lag in bass arrival. By adopting the “Iso-Barik method,” where two woofers are placed facing each other, we achieved a powerful and compact subwoofer that delivers heavy, powerful bass that resonates directly through the body.

At AFEELA, we set out to go far beyond the ordinary car audio system. Our goal was simple: to deliver a sound experience that stirs soul—an emotional journey that’s more than listening. From the very start, we engineered the entire vehicle as a sound studio on wheels. We maximize the potential of the optimally placed 28 high-performance speakers using Sony’s audio technology. This challenge was the key to creating AFEELA’s unique acoustic experience.

Hirofumi Uchiyama, Interior Project Leader, CBU Planning Section, Vehicle Development & Planning Division, Sony Honda Mobility Inc.

Immersion that Envelops You in Sound 360 Degrees: “Immersive Theater Sound”

AFEELA Immersive Audio offers three playback modes: “Immersive Theater Sound” for its signature acoustic experience, “Hi-Fi Audio” to deliver the artist’s intent accurately, and “Zonal Sound” for the Rear Entertainment System, allowing different contents to be enjoyed freely in the same cabin space. Among these, the mode that symbolizes the AFEELA 1’s acoustic experience is “Immersive Theater Sound.” Utilizing all 20 cabin speakers (excluding the seat speakers), it creates a sound field with striking presence and spatial immersion, as if you are being bathed in sound from 360 degrees.

"Immersive Theater Sound" mode: passengers can be surrounded by audio from all directions

Creating this immersive acoustic space is made possible by two proprietary Sony technologies: “Monopole Synthesis,” the physical sound field reproduction technology, and sound source separation technology, Sony’s advanced AI-based signaling.

Monopole Synthesis allows sound elements such as vocals, instruments, and the cheers of a live crowd to be freely placed in a vast virtual 3D space. It enhances the sense of spatial audio for each seat, creating the impression that speakers exist at the tip of the hood or outside the cabin, with audio falling from all directions.
Sound source separation technology complements this by using AI analyze standard stereo (2ch) sound sources and isolate elements like vocals, instruments, choruses, and live cheers with high precision. When these separated elements are recombined with Monopole Synthesis, even non-surround 2ch stereo sources gain immersive presence and recreate the feeling of being right there at the artist’s performance.

By working alongside the Sony teams behind the company’s high-end home audio systems, AFEELA 1 achieves highly accurate spatial sound-field reproduction. As a result, even the sound field of Dolby Atmos® is brought to life within the cabin of AFEELA 1.

The Monopole Synthesis can freely ‘reconstruct’ sound components in space. To realize an overwhelming sense of immersion where you are enveloped by sound—something difficult with conventional car audio system—we insisted on making the phase and frequency characteristics thoroughly flat through software processing.

Chikashi Kobayashi, Acoustic Engineer, Digital Signal Processing Design Sec., Development Department, Mobility Business Division, Sony Corporation

High-Resolution Audio and Personalization

"Hi-Fi Audio" mode: playing high-resolution sources in the front seats

For those who prefer the original sound quality, AFEELA Immersive Audio offers “Hi-Fi Audio” mode, which supports High-Resolution audio sources. In this mode, the front 3-way system, center speaker, and subwoofer reproduce the most delicate nuances of a performance – even those as delicate as the artist’s breath.

"Zonal Sound": three zones for individual entertainment

“Zonal Sound” mode allows family and friends in cabin to enjoy their own content using the Rear Entertainment System’s seat-embedded speakers—two installed in each of the four seats—and Sony’s proprietary acoustic technology. AFEELA 1 creates three independent sound zones: the front seats, left rear, and right rear seats. (three zones total). By minimizing sound interference between zones, the driver and front passenger can enjoy their preferred music while passengers in the rear watch anime or play games – allowing everyone to enjoy entertainment their own way.

New Emotions Brought to Mobility by Sound

The best acoustics require a quiet space. AFEELA 1 minimizes road noise during driving as much as possible through Active Road Noise Cancellation, combining Honda’s low-frequency road noise reduction technology with Sony’s mid-frequency road noise reduction technology using the seat speakers. Within this quiet cabin, AFEELA Immersive Audio demonstrates its full capability.

AFEELA transforms the time spent in the car into something more engaging, more personal, more alive. We have packed AFEELA Immersive Audio with thoroughly uncompromising acoustic technology. We invite you step inside of AFEELA 1 to play your favorite song and experience it for yourself.

Hirofumi Uchiyama, Interior Project Leader, CBU Planning Section, Vehicle Development & Planning Division, Sony Honda Mobility Inc.

Watch a video featuring two engineers from Sony Honda Mobility and Sony as they reveal the vision behind the "AFEELA Immersive Audio" system.

From hardware to software, the development team pursued the “best sound without compromise.” AFEELA Immersive Audio represents the fusion of Sony’s acoustic expertise, Honda’s vehicle engineering, and the shared passion and ambition to transform the entire car into the ultimate listening room.

Learn more about the AFEELA Sound System here.

Learn more about Sony’s In-Car Audio Systems: https://www.sony.co.jp/Products/automotive/

*Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are trademarks or registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.