As the latest development in a 10-year partnership, Bentley’s new Flying Spur luxury sedan offers Naim’s “concert-hall quality” in-car audio system. Behind its illuminated speaker grilles are 21 speakers with 2,200W amplification and active bass transducers. Eight digital signal processing (DSP) sound modes are available. Naim says that DSP enables a degree of tuning previously not possible, ensuring optimal sound performance whatever the speed or road conditions.
Sound settings can be accessed via a 12.3in HD touchscreen interface at the center of the dashboard. Customers can configure this in a variety of ways: as a single display, split 2:1 or showing different functions at the same time. The overall design is said to highlight “simplicity of use with a contemporary and elevated aesthetic”.
The two British companies are now working together to create new products for 2020 that “continue to break sonic boundaries”, with the goal of continuing to provide the most powerful in-car OEM system available in the market.
Each new generation of Bentley has seen a refinement and an update from the original Naim for Bentley audio system, which began as a 15-speaker, 1,100W system in 2008. The system since been upgraded, for example, to maintain performance even when the roof of the Continental GT Convertible is down. And as Bentley evolves its hybrid car line, beginning with the Bentayga Hybrid, the even quieter engines offer a completely different audio environment to design for.
