Swedish digital audio innovator Dirac has launched Dirac Spaces, a groundbreaking automotive audio solution designed to recreate the acoustic qualities of real-world environments within a vehicle. The technology makes its debut in the NIO ES9, an intelligent electric SUV, and works seamlessly with the NIO Lyra sound system. Dirac Spaces enhances the in-car listening experience by transforming the vehicle’s naturally intimate sound environment into one that mirrors a larger, purpose-built space.
In combination with the NIO Lyra sound system, Dirac Spaces represents a comprehensive approach to in-car audio, integrating the system, space, and source to elevate sound quality. This solution blends advanced hardware, precise spatial audio reproduction, and premium content to create a more immersive listening experience, closely resembling how sound is heard in real-world settings.
Dirac Spaces represents a significant step forward in the evolution of in-car audio, moving beyond traditional playback to actively shape how sound is experienced within the vehicle. By leveraging advanced acoustic modeling and real-time signal processing, the solution enables the recreation of distinct listening environments, from intimate studio settings to expansive concert halls, delivering a more natural, immersive, and emotionally engaging experience for passengers. By measuring both the vehicle and a target space, the solution applies Dirac’s proprietary MIMO sound field control technology to accurately recreate the actual acoustic space in your car.
“Today, cars are one of the most important listening environments, but they’ve traditionally been limited by the physical constraints of the cabin,” said Anders Storm, Dirac CEO. “With Dirac Spaces, we are redefining the in-car listening experience by recreating the acoustic signature of real-world environments inside the vehicle, delivering a more natural, immersive, and emotionally engaging listening experience.”
Dirac Spaces is available in two configurations, giving automakers flexibility in how they design and deliver in-car audio experiences:
- Signature Spaces enable OEMs to partner with iconic venues to offer branded acoustic environments tailored to their vehicles.
- Designed Spaces include a set of curated environments based on acoustic measurements of real-world venues and engineered by Dirac, such as Balanced Room, Warm Stage, and Grand Hall, each offering a distinct spatial and tonal experience.
Unlike traditional audio effects that rely on generic reverb, Dirac Spaces maps the acoustic properties of both the vehicle and the target environment, ensuring reflections behave naturally based on the vehicle’s speaker layout. This results in a coherent and realistic sound field, where audio is reproduced with greater depth, clarity, and spatial accuracy.
Dirac Spaces operates on top of Dirac-optimized systems and does not require additional measurements beyond those already used to tune the vehicle. It supports both stereo and multichannel content, enabling consistent spatial audio performance across a wide range of listening scenarios.
Through its integration in NIO vehicles, Dirac Spaces demonstrates how software-defined audio can enable new forms of differentiation for automakers, unlocking opportunities for personalization, premium features, and branded listening experiences within the vehicle.
“At NIO, we’re focused on creating a supremely immersive in-car experience that goes beyond traditional expectations,” said Ted Li, NIO Product SVP. “With Dirac Spaces, we’re able to offer our users a new level of immersion, where the vehicle becomes more than just a listening environment – it becomes a space where sound is experienced as it was intended.”
Dirac will showcase Dirac Spaces at Auto China 2026, April 24-May 3, through a series of live in-vehicle demonstrations with NIO, highlighting how the solution adapts across different vehicle segments and system configurations.
The demos at booth Hall B2-B11 will include a luxury vehicle experience featuring immersive spatial environments and multi-format audio scenarios; a premium vehicle setup demonstrating scalable spatial audio across stereo and multichannel configurations; and a compact vehicle configuration optimized to deliver a high-end front-seat experience with minimal speaker count.
These demonstrations underscore the flexibility of Dirac Spaces to deliver consistent, high-quality spatial audio across a range of vehicle architectures.
