Getting to hear Dolby Atmos music in environments other than a home theater or headphones is starting to become a regular thing for me at CES. Last year, I got to experience a live concert mixed in Dolby Atmos, and I also got to hear Atmos music in a Mercedes-Benz S580.
For CES 2025, Dolby invited me to its setup at the Nomad Hotel to experience Atmos music in a Cadillac OPTIQ, the company’s new “entry-point” luxury EV. The Cadillac partnership is Dolby’s big car announcement at CES, and it brings the number of car brands featuring Dolby Atmos up to 20.
Aside from having a beautiful, streamlined design, the OPTIQ has a bespoke Android Auto infotainment system that uses a 33-inch LED display with touchscreen capability. For audio, a 19-speaker AKG audio system with four downward-firing speakers is used, and it’s been custom-tuned to provide a seamless Dolby Atmos sound presentation.
At present, Dolby Atmos music is streamed in the OPTIQ using a built-in Tidal app (phone tethering isn’t supported). According to Cadillac, further app support is in the works (Apple Music maybe?), but no announcements were being made at CES.
Driving with Atmos
We didn’t exactly hit the road for my demo, but there was plenty of time to settle in the OPTIQ’s super-comfortable seating and get immersed in Atmos music. The demo started off with the ‘80s classic Take on Me but A-Ha, and we also listened to the Thompson Twins’ Hold Me Now. As someone who came of age in the 1980s, I was completely in my element, though I’d never heard these songs sound this good before, especially in a car.
Along with four height speakers, the OPTIQ system has three subwoofers, and the bass sounded wonderfully full and well-tuned even as it visibly shook my passenger-side armrest. The Atmos mix on both tracks had a notably smooth balance, and vocals sounded clean without any treble edginess.
Every audio demo has to have its jaw-drop moment, and for this one it was Boom by Tiësto, Sevenn, and Gucci Mane. Having heard this maximalist Atmos track on my home theater system in Atmos, I was prepared for serious immersion and the OPTIQ system didn’t disappoint. It was almost too sonically interesting – one might be challenged to keep their attention on the road while listening, even with the car’s HUD helping to guide the way.
Rounding back to the 1980s, I requested Rush’s Tom Sawyer – another favorite Dolby Atmos mix – and the song’s dynamic drums and searing keyboards floated seamlessly through the cabin. If you’re going to listen to music in a car, this is how it’s done.
Dolby Atmos comes as a standard feature on the Cadillac OPTIQ, which is the company’s first vehicle to feature it. At under $60,000 the OPTIQ is one of the less expensive cars to feature Atmos, so if you’re on the road a lot and want to up your car audio game, I’d suggest a test drive.
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