16 October 2012 the absolute sound

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo is one of the world’s pre-eminent SUVs, combining the advantages of an off-roader with Porsche's traditional roadworthiness. The

Cayenne’s performance credentials are impressive. The 4.8L eight-cylinder twin-turbo outputs a beastly 500 horsepower. Driven by an eight-speed transmission, power is transferred to the pavement via an all-wheel-drive system with on-the-fly, tunable suspension. Porsche is notorious for an OED-like options book, and my nearly $150,000 example brimmed with items like 21-inch ZR rubber, extra-large, pizza-sized, ceramic-composite brakes stuffed inside stealthy, blacked-out alloy rims, DVD rear-seat entertainment, and—my personal fave—air-conditioned seats. No doubt about it, Stuttgart’s über-ute is a commanding presence on the road.

The larger question however is how do you make car audio relevant in the face of this thundering four-wheel Oktoberfest? The first step is checking the box labeled “Burmester High-End Surround System.” Burmester, the prestigious German high-end audio manufacturer, is not new to car audio. Bugatti, for example, enlisted Burmester’s expertise in developing the audio system for its fabled EB 16.4 Veyron. In the case of the Cayenne, it’ll add $3990 to your ride, but if it’s a high-performance car-audio experience you’re after, this is money well spent.

The Burmester system has sixteen amplifier channels with a total output of more than a thousand watts. It’s a hybrid

system that uses both Class AB for midrange/treble channels and more-efficient Class D for the 300W subwoofer. There are sixteen loudspeakers including the active subwoofer. Burmester proudly touts a total transducer diaphragm surface area of more than 2.5 square feet. Unique to car audio are Burmester’s ribbon-based air-motion-transformer (AMT) tweeters—the same AMT drivers found in Burmester’s home loudspeakers. They are positioned atop the dash in the crucial left/right locations flanking the center channel. Each speaker is independently powered and DSP-controlled for EQ, phase, delay, limiting, and compression. Crossover technology has been carried-over more or less unmodified from the home-audio sector. Analog and digital filters have been optimally defined for their new installation locations and finely tuned after extensive in-car testing.

The physical integration of the system within the Cayenne is seamless—with bespoke accents of aluminum underscored by discrete Burmester logos. The Burmester package adds a significant number of sound adjustments on the touchscreen menu that include a Listening Position feature (depending on the number passengers) and selectable sound conditioners.

After buckling up (and just prior to cueing the Maurice Jarre soundtrack to Grand Prix), I had to acclimate myself to the different listening perspective in the Cayenne. Unlike a conventional lower-slung sedan I sat more upright in a taller

OctOber 2012

IndustryNEWS

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo andThe Burmester Audio System

Just Say “Ja, baby!”

Neil Gader

TAS 226 ROUND FOUR.indd 16 8/21/12 2:43 PM