The advent of streaming services, audiobooks, digital radio, and podcasts mean drivers have access to a wider range of music and spoken word entertainment than ever before. But while it has long been possible to adjust settings to optimize the sound for different genres of music and outputs, it has not always been straightforward to do so, especially on the move. Now, the new Beosonic feature of the Ford B&O Sound System enables drivers and passengers to adjust the sound exactly as they want with one touch.
With the Beosonic feature, European owners of vehicles equipped with the Ford B&O Sound System can select from a variety of sound modes including Bright, Energetic, Relaxed, and Warm, or choose a setting that combines elements of more than one. There are also five pre-set modes: Custom, Lounge, Neutral, Party, and Podcast.
“Whether you prefer to listen to classical music, the latest hits or a favorite podcast, we want to ensure that it is easy to enjoy your preferred choice to its maximum potential,” said Jan Schroll, connectivity manager, Ford of Europe. “Drivers have long had the means to adjust the sound in their car, but Beosonic makes those adjustments more intuitive, to help make journeys more comfortable and enjoyable.”
The B&O Beosonic feature is set up so that drivers can easily find their preferred sound mix, whether in a specific mood or any of the variations in between. Bright is more airy and crisp while softening some of the bass sounds, Energetic focuses on rhythm and bass while increasing the contrast in the vocals, Relaxed has less treble and bass, making it ideal for background listening, and Warm makes the sound experience feel more intimate and closer.
The pre-sets enable quicker access to specific listening modes. Custom returns to the previous user-defined setting, while Neutral resets the settings to the B&O reference sound. A double-tap on the white marker activates surround sound mode. The latest settings are stored when the vehicle is switched off, even if the battery is disconnected.
In order to tune, test, and perfect the Beosonic equalizer, HARMAN’s acoustic engineers used an eclectic playlist of 25 songs to evaluate and define the attributes for the four sound moods. The tuning process involved listening to those 25 songs in static and dynamic driving situations, using the trained ears of acoustic engineers and cutting-edge measuring instruments and microphones.
“The Ford and B&O brands share the same values on excellence in sound and design. We are very proud that the visceral B&O Beosonic one touch experience makes its way into car audio for the very first time in Ford with an intuitive interface, making captivating car audio experiences simple to manage,” said Greg Sikora, director, Acoustic Systems Engineering, HARMAN.
B&O Sound Systems available across the European Ford lineup are uniquely designed and tuned for each model. Beosonic comes pre-installed in select models of the Ford EcoSport, Ford Fiesta, Focus, Kuga, and Puma with B&O Sound Systems.
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Comments
I am curious to know whether this feature can be downloaded as I have a B & O system in my Fiesta Active. Ford could you let us know please…..
To put it another way… for those of us too, busy, to set our own sound… you get some anonymous sound engineers opinion and choice. I like tech and AI, but some of this stuff will spell the end of automobiles as we used to know and enjoy. Is that a good thing???
Europe gets it, but no mention of the US market.
I’ve had an ’13, ’15, ’17, and ’19 (current lease) Escape Titanium, loaded, on 2-year 20k/year leases. I’m a retiree.
Each one, until the ’19, got more expensive, but better, and competitive against everything else.
My ’19 lost the CD player, and paddle shifters. I used both all the time.
The ’21 lacks both, has cheap-looking hard plastic interior panels, lost a seat-back pocket, AC outlet, and likely more.
The current thinking seems to be:
“Pay More, Get Less”
If this keeps up there’s a CX-5 or a Hyundai/Kia in my future.