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Part 2 of the Dynaudio Road Trip:
Because sound matters
It is no coincidence that Volkswagen decided to build the Phaeton plant in Dresden. And the term work is too sober for what you find in Dresden, you look for the birthplace of the Volkswagen Phaeton.
The glass factory
Since 2001, the Phaeton, Volkswagen's first service in the luxury car class, is now manufactured in Dresden. His birthplace is not in a disgusting industrial district, but in the heart of the Saxon metropolis. And as a sign of openness, the integration of people and automobiles, the "glass factory" was not built as a sleazy industrial construction for pure functional purposes. The Architectural office around Gunter Henn has delivered a stylistic masterpiece of industrial design with the Transparent Factory. Visitors are invited to stay in the midst of the birthplace. Open architecture, obviously the offer to observe the emergence of Phaeton as an event.
The Gläserne Manufaktur can be confidently understood as a successful example of the successful combination of living technology and lived culture.
Really just a short walk away, the Semperoper. And is that really coincidence? Can that be coincidence? Certainly not.
The bridge between Volkswagen and the Semperoper
Whether I am an opera-goer? No. Not even the Wagner would get me in front of a stage. Then you'd better take a seat in the leather armchair of a Volkswagen Phaeton and the sound in the Wolfsburg flagship is guaranteed not worse. Probably even better. Honest. And those who rustle with the chip bag or cough persistently are simply put in front of the door at the next parking lot. This is how you can experience music. Pure and pure. And for our “Because sound matters” trip it was just a matter of guaranteeing the harmony of an opera house, even at 200 km / h somewhere between Denmark and Saxony.
Volkswagen is a partner of the Semperoper and when Dresden was hit by a flood of the century in 2002, it didn't last long, the Transparent Factory began to act and converted it into an opera substitute. Carmen became “Car Men” and the Gläserne Manufaktur became probably the craziest stage in opera history.
Because sound matters - the tool
The Volkswagen Phaeton with the three-liter TDI engine is currently the best-selling version of the Wolfsburg superclass representative. The 500 Nm strong diesel pushes the Phaeton up to Tempo 238, and needs in the third-mix yet, with all the luxury that offers as a four-seater with long wheelbase Phaeton, only 8.5 liters on 100 kilometers (NEDC manufacturer).
Luxury is the elementary part of the Phaeton idea and in addition to a completely draft-free air conditioning, ventilated and often electrically adjustable seats, a decent sound system is a "good sound" in the luxury class. Volkswagen relies on the Danish manufacturer Dynaudio. Until the new Volkswagen Passat is delivered to customers, including the sound system of the VW Phaeton to elaborate what Dynaudio has so far designed for the car manufacturer.
Volkswagen calls the optional premium sound system for the Phaeton Temptation. 1.000 watts of amplifier power, 12-channel power amplifier and 12 loudspeakers make the hut shake, if the listener wishes. With four sound profiles the experience of “listening to music” can be adapted to the listener's ear. The Dynaudio philosophy is actually: “Clear, pure, unadulterated” sound to be worn and for this reason Dynaudio systems belong to the professional segment, i.e. where you don't just hear music, but produce it Standard tools for sound experts. But the driver's hearing is different. The demands on enjoying music in the car are completely different. That is also the reason why the collaboration between Volkswagen and Dynaudio, which began with the Masterpiece Phaeton, has now been expanded to include 12 model series. And that the sound is good, probably more than 100.000 VW buyers can confirm, because so often in 2013 the optional Dynaudio sound system was ordered as an extra option when buying a new car.
Katy Perry on the earlobe
It should give people who hear cough fleas, others do not recognize the difference between four-cylinder and six-cylinder. When it comes to engine sound, then I have no problem. When it comes to distinguishing between "a good and a bad high-end sound system", it gets harder. The market is full of sound systems for cars and all have the "best sound", the fullest, the heaviest, the deepest basses. But what makes sound? When is sound authentic?
Music sounds best when the sound is authentic. Just as the artist has taken him. Just as the musician created him. Without artificial heights, without spongy deep bass reinforcements. Sounds weird, but there's really some kind of "original" to listening to music. I was not aware of that. But at some point on the A31, a few hundred kilometers to Dresden, I heard it. Heard right.
Katy Perry, Feat. Juicy J and the song: Dark Horse. Tempo 200, the Dynaudio Temptation facility in the Phaeton on "Authentic" and then sent the 1.000 Watt through the lines. That's like a drug. Sounds forbidden, but was awesome.
I'm not the type of person who listens to music loudly - actually - but this moment was great. I think it's a dance floor piece (?), It doesn't matter, it carried me away, Katy Perry was standing right next to me, she rubbed my earlobes almost noticeably. It could also have been the draft from the subwoofers. It was awesome. Fortunately, we also had other songs on CD with us that day. For example, the classic soundcheck from an audio test CD: Hotel California from the Eagles. Turned it quieter, put the Phaeton in a parking lot on the highway and listened to Don Felder's guitar solo with closed eyes. You can almost physically feel the guitar being plucked right next to you. clap, clap, clap. (And no, if you listen to the YouTube links on your junky speakers on the desk, you won’t win anything. It doesn’t sound the way the artist wanted it. It sounds shit! - Or hold - do you have Dynaudio at home?)
And it clicked. So that's pure sound.
Clear, unadulterated, hard, strong, honest.
A premium sound system can play any sound. Because there is only one thing to do: authentically reproduce the sound of the musician and it is no coincidence that the majority of all major sound studios come with Dynaudio loudspeaker systems.
The fact that Volkswagen Phaeton is equipped with such a loudspeaker treasure is no coincidence. It is part of the introverted brilliance of the Wolfsburger Königsmobil.
One thing the VW Phaeton will never do, no matter how brilliantly you work in the factory. And that is: crack the speed record of Dynaudio speakers. Because up to 1.000 km / h reaches the membrane of a tweeter under full load, as the nearly 250 km / h of the Phaeton are just a lukewarm breeze. But a well-sounding, gentle breeze.
More about Dynaudio in the third part of the road trip: "Because sound matters".
