Dirac and PIEGA Unveil World-Class Demo Vehicle to Redefine Automotive Audio at IAA Mobility 2025
September 4, 2025
Partnership fuses Swiss audio craftsmanship with Swedish software innovation to debut the most advanced automotive sound system ever developed.
MUNICH, Germany – September 4, 2025 — Swedish digital audio pioneer Dirac and Swiss high-end loudspeaker manufacturer PIEGA today announced a joint initiative to co-develop the world’s most sophisticated in-car sound systems, debuting in a custom BMW iX demo vehicle at IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich.
The system sets a new benchmark for branded automotive audio – uniting PIEGA’s proprietary transducer technology with Dirac’s AudioIQ and Dimensions to deliver a truly immersive, true-to-source listening experience.
The result of this collaboration is a 45-channel demo system enabled with Dolby Atmos, operating in multiple configurations that range from a streamlined 19-channel setup to a maximum of 40 active channels in full COAX multichannel tuning. It showcases what’s possible when precision-engineered hardware meets smart acoustics software.
“This collaboration with PIEGA is a powerful example of how Dirac’s scalable software-defined audio solutions unlock the full potential of even the most complex hardware configurations,” said Hendrik Hermann, Vice President Automotive at Dirac. “By combining PIEGA’s acoustic mastery with our software innovation, we’ve created a demo vehicle that redefines what’s possible in automotive audio.”
At the foundation of the system is Dirac AudioIQ, Dirac’s unmatched cabin optimization solution in its highest tier, engineered for high-channel-count systems and making for the perfect canvas for multi-channel formats such as Dolby Atmos. With support for more than 30 channels, AudioIQ delivers full-spectrum frequency and impulse response correction, active crossover management, and sound field control, ensuring consistent fidelity across seating positions. The system also features Dirac Dimensions, a patented true-to-source spatial upmixer that delivers immersive multichannel audio from any stereo content. Leveraging Dirac’s patented MIMO (multiple-input/multiple-output) impulse response correction and advanced sound field control, the system ensures every speaker contributes intelligently to a perfectly tuned, balanced, and spatially coherent soundstage.
PIEGA’s contribution to the system centers on its proprietary ribbon loudspeaker technology, developed and refined over decades of Swiss acoustic engineering. In the demo vehicle, two main configurations demonstrate the technology’s performance: a 19-channel setup featuring PIEGA’s magnetostatic tweeter, which already delivers an in-car audio experience that sets new industry benchmarks; and a 28-channel configuration using PIEGA’s COAX midrange-tweeter units, which elevates precision, dynamics, and immersion to an even higher level. At the heart of the system is the world’s only COAX that combines the advantages of magnetostatic technology with those of a coaxial point source.
“This demo vehicle is a statement of what can be achieved when craftsmanship and software innovation come together,” said Roger Kessler, Head of R&D and Automotive at PIEGA. “With 45 speakers operating in multiple setups, the complexity of this demonstration system can only be mastered through Dirac’s software-defined architecture. It’s the first time PIEGA’s transducer technology has been brought to the road, and it’s performing at a level that rivals the best listening rooms.”