Inside Huawei’s Shanghai acoustics lab: Where automotive sound engineering meets science
Walking into Huawei’s Shanghai Acoustics R&D Centre, I anticipated a regular facility tour. What I encountered as a substitute was a complete automotive sound engineering operation that challenges the established order of in-car audio methods.
The facility, which Huawei has developed since starting critical audio analysis investments in 2012, homes three distinct testing environments: a totally anechoic chamber measuring 4.8x4x4 metres, a bigger semi-anechoic room spanning 14x12x5 metres with a reflective ground, and a devoted listening room configured in a 9.1.6 structure. Photography wasn’t permitted because of proprietary expertise considerations, however the technical specs inform their very own story.
The problem of in-car audio
Goller, whose background consists of positions at Gamut Audio, Bang & Olufsen, and Harman International, oversees what Huawei calls “master-tuning methodology” – a course of that begins with goal acoustic measurements however depends closely on psychoacoustic rules for ultimate voicing.
Speaking within the listening room throughout the first agenda of the tour, Goller outlined Huawei’s improvement philosophy: the goal is to faithfully reproduce recordings as artists supposed them to be heard, creating what he described as a “phantom impact” that transports listeners to the unique recording surroundings. This requires combining scientific acoustic measurement with creative tuning experience and purpose-built {hardware}.
The technical course of, he defined, begins with goal measurements – frequency response curves, part relationships, timing behaviour, and distortion traits. These set up the efficiency boundaries. From there, intensive subjective listening classes refine the voicing utilizing psychoacoustic rules to compensate for the cabin’s inherent acoustic challenges: asymmetry, close-range reflections, and bass loading.
The objective is to work inside these constraints whereas remaining trustworthy to the supply materials.
The HUAWEI SOUND ULTIMATE Series
The tangible results of this analysis is the HUAWEI SOUND ULTIMATE Series, the tech big’s most luxurious audio system to this point, at present deployed within the Maextro S800 luxurious electrical sedan. The system includes 43 audio system pushed by twin amplifiers delivering 2,920 watts complete energy.
What Huawei phrases an “industry-first seat-specific 4D immersive encompass sound expertise” consists of rear 4D exciters that synchronise with music and video content material, including tactile suggestions to the auditory expertise.
The {hardware} improvements are particular moderately than generic. The Tangential Force Woofer rotates typical door-woofer geometry by 90 levels, decreasing panel resonance whereas extending bass response. A patented dual-diaphragm subwoofer leverages the cabin quantity itself moderately than being constrained by conventional enclosure design.
The Crystal Star-Ring Diffuser rises robotically when occupants enter, integrating with rhythm-synchronised ambient lighting whereas enhancing central picture precision – Huawei claims 30% higher sound uniformity in comparison with the earlier era.
The spatial audio implementation makes use of 10 overhead channels, adaptive sound-field management, and what Huawei describes asa proprietary spatial audio observe mannequin for positioning and readability. Interestingly, the system integrates with HarmonyOS, extending past pure audio into what Huawei calls “sound-to-light” expertise – AI-powered ambient lighting that responds to musical content material in real-time.
Independent sound zones
The most technically bold characteristic is the impartial sound-zone expertise. Each of the 4 headrests integratesfour drivers – two tweeters and two midrange items. Combined with Huawei’s sound-field management algorithms, the primary speaker array can operate as an energetic silencer, concentrating on audio spillage between entrance and rear rows.
Huawei claims as much as 30dB isolation between rows and 99% power separation. During the demonstration, entrance passengers listened to classical music whereas rear passengers watched an motion movie, with minimal audible crosstalk.Whether these figures maintain throughout completely different program materials and at greater volumes stays to be examined in real-world situations.
The system additionally incorporates road-noise cancellation utilizing what Huawei describes as an “omnidimensional mannequin” – multi-channel amplification with low latency making use of ear-adaptive cancellation. Multi-layer acoustic glass and absorptive supplies present passive isolation, concentrating on what the corporate calls a “library-level” baseline noise ground.
The funding query
Huawei disclosed substantial R&D spending: CNY 179.7 billion (roughly £20 billion / €23.4 billion) in 2024, representing 20.8% of complete income, with over 113,000 staff in R&D roles. The firm states that roughly CNY 60 billion (roughly £6.6 billion / €7.8 billion) goes particularly to elementary science analysis.
These numbers contextualise Huawei’s automotive sound engineering ambitions. The firm at present provides options to over twenty automakers, spanning driver help, cockpit methods, acoustics, and management. However, Huawei positions itself as a element provider – particular person automakers decide market availability and regional launches.
Market implications
The automotive sound engineering panorama has historically been dominated by established European manufacturers. Huawei’s systematic method – purpose-built testing services, recruited experience from legacy audio firms, and important capital funding – represents a problem to that established order.
The query isn’t whether or not Huawei can construct spectacular expertise demonstrations. The Maextro S800 system clearly works. The query is whether or not this stage of sophistication interprets to broader manufacturing volumes, throughout a number of car platforms, at commercially viable worth factors.
Goller’s said objective is “optimum replica of the recording – to convey us nearer to the expertise the artist supposed.” It’s a regular audiophile goal, however one which automotive sound engineering has traditionally struggled to attain given the constraints of the surroundings.
Assessment
After experiencing each the laboratory services and the in-car system, Huawei’s program seems methodologically sound. The mixture of measurement-driven improvement and subjective tuning refinement represents normal follow in high-end audio, tailored for automotive contexts.
Whether this interprets to market success is determined by elements past acoustic efficiency: manufacturing scalability, provide chain integration with numerous automakers, and in the end, whether or not shoppers worth impartial sound zones and superior tuning sufficient to pay premium costs.
Huawei has constructed the technical basis. The business proof will emerge as these methods transfer from flagship demonstrations into broader automotive lineups.
See additionally: Huawei details open-source AI development roadmap at Huawei Connect 2025
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