Panasonic has collaborated with multiple Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Elliot Scheiner and vehicle manufacturer Acura to bring to market the first ELS Surround DVD-Audio sound system, designed specifically for the automotive market.
The new system, branded “ELS Surround” after Scheiner’s industry-recognized moniker “ELS,” will be available as standard equipment in Acura’s completely redesigned 2004 TL model.
“The sound quality of ELS Surround audio system in the new Acura TL is simply remarkable,” said Dan Bonawitz, VP corporate planning and logistics at Acura. “Working with Elliot Scheiner and drawing upon his extensive experience in the music industry has resulted in an audio system that will strike a chord with anyone who enjoys music. We are truly excited to be the first vehicle manufacturer to offer DVD-Audio and ELS Surround as standard equipment.”
Of the system, Scheiner said, “With the ELS Surround audio system, we can finally capture and reproduce music the way we hear it in the studio. And, when it comes to DVD-Audio and surround sound, a factory-installed sound system is one of the best ways to experience multichannel music because you are dealing with a defined listening space in which the system can be tuned to the vehicle’s specific acoustic environment. Also, when you think back, many of our musical formats achieved widespread acceptance through the automobile ¾ 8-track tapes, cassettes and CDs ¾, and now DVD-Audio. I am thrilled to be associated with Acura and Panasonic and the launch of the first ELS Surround audio system. I believe that the ELS Surround audio system will be considered a benchmark in achieving the highest sound quality available in an automobile.”
With the ELS Surround sound system, there are now six independent, discrete channels (center, left front, right front, left rear, right rear and subwoofer) of audio source material; in previous automotive audio systems, only two channels (left and right) were available. The ELS Surround audio system features the first six-disc, in-dash DVD-Audio/CD changer radio that plays DVD-Audio discs, DTS CDs and standard CDs. The unit plays the six, discrete channels of DVD-Audio in high-resolution 24-bit, 96kHz, and can also play DVD-Audio 2-channel recordings at 24-bit, 192kHz. The ELS Surround audio system’s eight-speaker package was developed specifically to reproduce the extended frequency range and dynamics of DVD-Audio, and includes dedicated speakers to reproduce the center and subwoofer channels.
For more information, visit www.panasonic.com or www.acura.com.
