Orca Design & Manufacturing showed at a recent KnowledgeFest, a Mosconi/Gladen audio system that is the first 7.1.4 aftermarket system and the first to use a proprietary version of Dolby Atmos surround technology. It is designed and built by Orca Product development Manager German Schulmeister.
Additionally, Mosconi announced it will launch on July 15th version 2 of its Pico Series DSP/amplifiers that fit in the palm of your hand.
On the 7.1.4 system, Orca is working with a third party that licenses the rights to Dolby Atmos to develop an aftermarket decoder for the car. To date, only Lucid Motors and Mercedes S Class vehicles offer Atmos in a vehicle, said Nalaka Adikari of Orca Design & Mfg, which markets Focal, Mosconi, Gladen and other brands in the US.
The system was demonstrated in a BMW X3 using 22 speakers. “We think it’s the stereo music of the future,” said Adikari.
“The whole idea is to show proof of concept; that this can be done in the 12 volt industry, and to gauge the response to see if it can go into production. So far the response has been overwhelming,” said Schulmeister.
Speakers were placed in factory locations plus other locations were created, such as the ceiling and rear dome lights. Two 10-inch subwoofers were placed under the cargo area so that the system looks “all stock.” The system also includes four amplifiers.
In all the Mosconi/Gladen Atmos audio system would retail for close to $40K to $50K with parts and labor. Installation time might take 150 to 200 hours, said Schulmeister.
Pico Amplifiers
Regarding the new Mosconi version 2 Pico DSP/amplifiers, the line offers improved sound quality and efficiency, so the amplifiers stay cooler than the earlier versions and sound better. All connections are now on one side of the amplifiers and the new series comes with dip switches for setting input high/low levels rather than jumpers.
Additionally, the new Pico models are compatible with factory Class SB amplifiers such as those found in some Ford and Audi vehicles. (But the Pico, itself, is a Class D amplifier).
First to ship is the Pico 8/10 v2, an 8-channel amplifier with 8 DSP inputs and 10 outputs at a minimum advertised price (MAP) of $1,449. More models are expected to ship later this year including one with 12 inputs and 16 outputs.
