Blaupunkt Adjusts Acoustics One Car At A Time

Staff On Dec 18 2000 - 8:00am

BROADVIEW, ILL. -Blaupunkt has developed a new AM/FM/CD that can measure the acoustics of a vehicle and adjust the sound to suit that vehicle by using its digital Digiceiver circuitry.

The new San Francisco, model CD70, uses a microphone and digital spectrum analyzer to measure the car's acoustics. A digital signal processor (DSP) then generates a corrective equalization curve for a stereo system tailored to the car.

The San Francisco also has a Digital Noise Covering (DNC) function that uses the microphone to monitor ongoing road noise, mechanical whines and wind noise. The DNC circuit identifies the frequency spectrum of the noise and boosts the volume only at those frequencies. Shipping in January, the San Francisco CD70 will have a suggested retail price of $699.

Blaupunkt is also debuting a line of amplifiers that use TriPath's version of Class D technology. The amps come in translucent iMac-style colors and claim the efficiency of Class D amplifiers without the typical drawbacks of noise and unwanted RF emissions.

The amps are also said to offer high power output for the price and are expected to include approximately five models that will ship in April and May 2001. The models will range in output from a 2 x 75-watt model, bridgeable to 1 x 200 watts, to a 4 x 75-watt model, bridgeable to 2 x 200 watts. Pricing will be announced at CES.