Audio System in “Sony Car” AFEELA1 Revealed

Sony Honda Afeela "Sony Car" audio system revealed

Sony Honda Mobility released details on the audio system planned for its AFEELA 1 EV due starting mid 2026.

Based on Sony Honda’s description, it’s clear it set out to make the car’s audio system a highlight of the car.

Sony positioned the speakers at the very early stages of the car design for the ideal placement, it said.

The system includes 28 speakers: two Front 3-way (Woofer/Mid-range/Tweeter), two Rear 3-way (Woofer/Mid-range/Tweeter), two Center Speakers, two Satellite Speakers, two Roof Exciters, two Subwoofers, and two Seat Speakers (for 4 seats).

The company did not use repurposed components; all of the speakers are newly developed for the AFEELA, said Sony Honda.

It created a new “Multilayer Carbon Fiber Composite Diaphragm” for the speakers. Also the mid-range speakers have their own enclosure.

Instead of placing the subwoofers in the trunk, they are installed under the center console in the middle of the cabin to eliminate the time lag in bass arrival. The car uses the “Iso-Barik method,” where two woofers are placed facing each other, for heavier bass.

The AFEELA system has three playback modes: “Immersive Theater Sound,” “Hi-Fi Audio,” and “Zonal Sound” for the Rear Entertainment System.

Immersive Theater Sound is the main mode. It uses all 20 cabin speakers (excluding the seat speakers), and creates 360 degree sound. Users are surrounded by audio in all directions. This is made possible by two Sony technologies: “Monopole Synthesis,” the physical sound field reproduction technology, and sound source separation technology, Sony’s advanced AI-based signaling.

Monopole Synthesis allows sound elements such as vocals, instruments, and the cheers of a live crowd to be freely placed in a vast virtual 3D space. It enhances the sense of spatial audio for each seat, creating the impression that speakers exist at the tip of the hood or outside the cabin, with audio falling from all directions.
Sound source separation technology complements this by using AI to analyze standard stereo (2ch) sound sources and isolate elements like vocals, instruments, choruses, and live cheers with high precision. When these separated elements are recombined with Monopole Synthesis, even non-surround 2ch stereo sources gain immersive presence and recreate the feeling of being right there at the artist’s performance.

Hi-Fi Audio mode supports High Resolution Audio and delivers the artist’s intent accurately.

Zonal Sound allows different people in the car to hear their own content using the Rear Entertainment System’s seat-embedded speakers—two installed in each of the four seats—and Sony’s proprietary acoustic technology. AFEELA 1 creates three independent sound zones: the front seats, left rear, and right rear seats. By minimizing sound interference between zones, the driver and front passenger can enjoy their preferred music while passengers in the rear watch videos.

AFEELA 1 minimizes road noise during driving as much as possible through Active Road Noise Cancellation, combining Honda’s low-frequency road noise reduction technology with Sony’s mid-frequency road noise reduction technology using the seat speakers.

“AFEELA transforms the time spent in the car into something more engaging, more personal, more alive. We have packed AFEELA Immersive Audio with thoroughly uncompromising acoustic technology,” said Sony Honda Mobility.

The system also includes Dolby Atmos.

Learn more about the AFEELA Sound System here.

See a video of the sound system here.