[Editorial] A joint venture between Ferrari and Powersoft for "green" high quality automotive audio

April 2024 editorial

Ferrari and Powersoft joining forces to bring “green” high quality audio into automotive

Author: Lucio Cadeddu - TNT-Audio Italy
Published: April, 2024

Just over two weeks ago, Powersoft S.p.A., a leader in audio amplification systems, signal processing and speaker systems for the pro-AV field, announced a technological partnership with Ferrari, to merge Italian excellence in acoustic innovation and that in the automotive field.

The partnership aims to develop audio solutions that improve the sound experience in Ferrari cars, with attention to sustainability, minimizing energy consumption and offering advantages in terms of efficiency, reliability and sound quality.

This is obviously possible thanks to the use of compact Class D amplification, which has very high efficiency, often close to 90%, and some Powersoft proprietary solutions, such as a system for recovering/recycling the reactive energy of the speakers (the so called Back-EMF), along the lines of energy recovery braking systems. In the block diagram below you can see the back-EMF recovery system, i.e. the reverse electromotive force generated by the speakers as a reaction to the signal stress. Class D, in addition to containing space and power consumption, allows for a notable reduction in weight, a very important factor in a high-performance car, where the power/weight ratio is fundamental and every kg saved is precious.

This commitment to sustainability fits well with the pursuit of excellence at Ferrari, whose goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

Two managers of the respective companies declared:

“The partnership with Ferrari marks a significant milestone in Powersoft's history, showcasing Italian expertise and creativity in the field of acoustics in the automotive market. Both companies share the core values of excellence, innovation and passion for engineering and technological development. We are excited to lend our know-how to improve the Ferrari audio experience” (Luca Lastrucci, CEO Powersoft)

And

“We are excited about this new technology partnership with Powersoft, which will allow us to deliver exceptional audio experience. By combining our expertise and know-how, our goal is to develop cutting-edge solutions and deliver superior sound quality that we look forward to sharing with our customers.” (Ernesto Lasalandra, Chief Research & Development Officer at Ferrari).

I consider Ferrari's collaboration with a company which specializes in the pro audio field quite unusual, since the Powersoft brandis almost unknown to the typical Ferrari clientele, more realistically accustomed to typically luxury HiFi brands such as McIntosh (Jeep), Mark Levinson (Lexus), Bang & Olufsen (Audi and Lamborghini), Burmester (Mercedes and Porsche), Naim (Bentley), Meridian (Jaguar and Land Rover), Harman Kardon (BMW) and B&W (Aston Martin).

However, the fact that Ferrari turned to an Italian company is extremely positive. In any case, whatever happens, I doubt that Ferrari buyers will focus too much on the sound of the audio system, as they will prefer, I hope, the singing of the Maranello engines, as long as it is not replaced by the sinister hissing of sad electric motors or, even worse, from simulations of internal combustion engine noise, such as on the recent electric Fiat 500 Abarth, where a subwoofer is used to generate the (fake) sound of the exhaust. Let's hope this partnership doesn't aim to create something similar on a Ferrari! I fear The Drake (Enzo Ferrari) would turn in his grave.

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