Huawei’s Game-Changing Auto Audio System: Revolutionizing In-Car Sound Experience

Stepping into Huawei’s Shanghai Acoustics Research & Development Center, one might anticipate a routine facility tour. However, what awaited instead was an extensive automotive sound engineering operation that is poised to disrupt the conventional in-car audio system landscape.

The facility, developed since 2012 when Huawei started making significant investments in audio research, boasts three distinct testing environments: a compact fully anechoic chamber measuring 4.8 meters by 4 meters by 4 meters, a larger semi-anechoic room spanning 14 meters by 12 meters by 5 meters with a reflective floor, and a dedicated listening room configured in a 9.1.6 layout. Due to proprietary technology concerns, photography was not permitted. Nevertheless, the technical specifications reveal an intriguing story.

Goller, a seasoned professional who has held positions at Gamut Audio, Bang & Olufsen, and Harman International, heads up what Huawei refers to as “master-tuning methodology” – a process that blends objective acoustic measurements with psychoacoustic principles for the final sound tuning.

During our visit to the listening room, Goller outlined Huawei’s development philosophy: the goal is to faithfully reproduce recordings as artists intended them to be heard, creating an immersive effect that transports listeners to the original recording environment. This objective requires integrating scientific acoustic measurement, artistic tuning expertise, and purpose-built hardware.

The technical process begins with objective measurements – frequency response curves, phase relationships, timing behavior, and distortion characteristics – which establish performance boundaries. From there, extensive subjective listening sessions refine the sound using psychoacoustic principles to compensate for the cabin’s inherent acoustic challenges: asymmetry, close-range reflections, and bass loading.

The aim is to work within these constraints while remaining faithful to the source material.

The fruits of this research can be seen in the HUAWEI SOUND ULTIMATE Series, Huawei’s most premium audio system to date, currently deployed in the Maextro S800 luxury electric sedan. The system comprises 43 speakers driven by dual amplifiers delivering a total power of 2,920 watts.

Huawei terms the seat-specific 4D immersive surround sound experience an “industry-first,” featuring rear 4D exciters that synchronize with music and video content, adding tactile feedback to the auditory experience.

The hardware innovations are specific rather than generic. The Tangential Force Woofer rotates conventional door-woofer geometry by 90 degrees, reducing panel resonance while extending bass response. A patented dual-diaphragm subwoofer leverages the cabin volume itself rather than being constrained by traditional enclosure design.

The Crystal Star-Ring Diffuser rises automatically when occupants enter, integrating with rhythm-synchronized ambient lighting while improving central image precision – Huawei claims 30% greater sound uniformity compared to the previous generation.

The spatial audio implementation uses 10 overhead channels, adaptive sound-field control, and a proprietary spatial audio track model for positioning and clarity. Interestingly, the system integrates with HarmonyOS, extending beyond pure audio into what Huawei calls “sound-to-light” technology – AI-powered ambient lighting that responds to musical content in real-time.

The most technically ambitious feature is independent sound-zone technology. Each of the four headrests integrates four drivers – two tweeters and two midrange units. Combined with Huawei’s sound-field control algorithms, the main speaker array can function as an active silencer, targeting audio spillage between front and rear rows.

Huawei claims up to 30dB isolation between rows and 99% energy separation. During the demonstration, front passengers listened to classical music while rear passengers watched an action film, with minimal audible crosstalk. Whether these figures hold across different program material and at higher volumes remains to be tested in real-world conditions.

The system also incorporates road-noise cancellation using what Huawei describes as an “omnidimensional model” – multi-channel amplification with low latency applying ear-adaptive cancellation. Multi-layer acoustic glass and absorptive materials provide passive isolation, targeting a “library-level” baseline noise floor.

Huawei has disclosed substantial R&D spending: CNY 179.7 billion (approximately £20 billion / €23.4 billion) in 2024, representing 20.8% of total revenue, with over 113,000 employees in R&D roles. The company states that approximately CNY 60 billion (roughly £6.6 billion / €7.8 billion) goes specifically to fundamental science research.

These numbers contextualize Huawei’s automotive sound engineering ambitions. The company currently supplies solutions to over twenty automakers, spanning driver assistance, cockpit systems, acoustics, and control. However, Huawei positions itself as a component supplier – individual automakers determine market availability and regional launches.

The automotive sound engineering landscape has traditionally been dominated by established European brands. Huawei’s systematic approach – purpose-built testing facilities, recruited expertise from legacy audio companies, and significant capital investment – represents a challenge to that established order.

Whether Huawei can translate this level of sophistication into broader production volumes, across multiple vehicle platforms, at commercially viable price points remains to be seen. Goller’s stated goal is “optimum reproduction of the recording – to bring us closer to the experience the artist intended.” It’s a standard audiophile objective, but one that automotive sound engineering has historically struggled to achieve given the constraints of the environment.

After experiencing both the laboratory facilities and the in-car system, Huawei’s program appears methodologically sound. The combination of measurement-driven development and subjective tuning refinement represents standard practice in high-end audio, adapted for automotive contexts.

Whether this translates to market success depends on factors beyond acoustic performance: production scalability, supply chain integration with diverse automakers, and ultimately, whether consumers value independent sound zones and advanced tuning enough to pay premium prices.

Huawei has built the technical foundation. The commercial proof will emerge as these systems move from flagship demonstrations into broader automotive lineups.