As part of a partnership that started a year ago, the SEAT and the Beats by Dr. Dre created two exclusive versions of the SEAT Ibiza and Arona. These new versions not only have a BeatsAudio premium sound system , but also with unique style notes.
These models are equipped with the full link system (MirrorLink, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), the SEAT Digital Cockpit and with BeatsAudio signature aesthetic details on the seats, door sills and tailgate. The SEAT Ibiza and Arona Beats are available in brand new color Magnetic Tech , with the SEAT Arona Beats adding a bi-tone body.
The premium sound system BeatsAudio includes an eight-channel amplifier with 300W, digital sound processor and seven speakers; two tweeters on the A-pillars and two woofers on the front doors, two wide-spectrum speakers at the rear, and even a subwoofer integrated in the space where the spare wheel would be.
To learn more about the BeatsAudio sound system and the development of SEAT audio systems, we spoke with Francesc Elias, Director of the Sound and Info-Entertainment Department at SEAT.
Reason Automovel (RA): Why did you choose Beats as a partner in this project?
Francesc Elias (FE): Beats shares many of our values. It is also a brand that is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and we are also in a city area. We share the same concept of sound quality and have the same target audience.
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RA: Are the SEAT Arona Beats and SEAT Ibiza Beats speakers the same?
FE: The components are the same on both models, but to get the same sound quality we have to calibrate the systems differently depending on the model. If you think about it, a speaker in the kitchen produces a different sound than a speaker in the living room. Basically, the difference in sound between the two models is this. But we work hard to make the sound quality the same. With the technology we have available today, we can calibrate the sound systems to adapt to the car in which they are inserted.
RA: Is it enough to have good speakers to have good sound in a car, or is it also necessary that the car's build quality is good?
FE: Yes, there are several factors that influence the sound quality in a car. A car is a very difficult space. All the materials, the placement of the components… it all messes with the sound that is produced. We work as a team to ensure the best possible sound quality.
RA: So the car's interior design affects the sound quality. Does your department work together with the design department? At what point in the car development process do you intervene?
FE: Yes, we work with designers very early in the car development process, right from the start because the placement of the columns is critical, as is the vehicle's interior itself. Even the design of the grids covering the columns is important! So yes, we worked with the design department early on, but we always continue to monitor the car's development right through to the end of the process.
RA: Your main goal is to get the most natural sound possible. How long does it take to reach this goal when developing a new model?
FE: Generally speaking, it takes us about two to three years to develop a car. Bearing in mind that we started the process at the very beginning and followed it through to the end, we can say that it took us that long to develop the best possible sound system. We are very proud of our team, all the people involved in this process work together to ensure the best possible sound quality on our models.
Urban mobility
In Barcelona we had the opportunity to test the eXS KickScooter, the SEAT Electric Scooter. This is one of the products that the brand presents as part of its Easy Mobility strategy. The SEAT eXS reaches a maximum speed of 25 km/h and has 45 km of autonomy.
RA: SEAT will have electrified models in the future. What changes in your work when we talk about hybrid or 100% electric models?
FE: As far as the sound system is concerned, we need more time to get the same sound quality because our experience is with cars with combustion engines. In electric cars at the start we have less noise, of course, but the noise we have is different. So we have to work to ensure the same sound quality that exists in combustion engine models.
RA: What can we expect in the next few years from car sound systems?
FE: The car configuration will be roughly the same. The difference we can anticipate, from what we see in presentations, has to do with the audio format. We will work more with multi-channel systems, I think the difference will be this.
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Quick questions:
RA: Do you enjoy listening to music while driving?
FE: Who doesn't?
RA: What is your favorite type of music to listen to in the car?
FE: I can't choose one, sorry! For me music is very emotional, so it always depends on my mood.
RA: Prefer to listen to the radio or a playlist created by you?
FE: Most of the time I prefer to listen to the radio, because when we listen to our playlist we are always listening to the same music. With the radio we can find new songs.
The Beats versions of SEAT Ibiza and Arona are not sold in Portugal.