Swedish digital audio processing pioneer Dirac announced the launch of Dirac Spaces during the 2026 Beijing Auto Show. A concept that Dirac pioneered with Volvo six years ago, the new Dirac Spaces venue-inspired listening experience recreates the acoustic properties of real-world environments inside the vehicle. Now available as an advanced acoustic option of the Dirac suite for automotive audio, Spaces debuted at the China Auto Show alongside the NIO Lyra sound system in the NIO ES9.
Far more interesting for consumers than any audio processing option and far more impactful thanks to the power of modern processing platforms now available in cars, the Dirac Spaces solution recreates the natural acoustics of real-world spaces, such as a concert hall, studio control room, or music club. The transformation inside the cabin with a natural, venue-inspired listening experience transforms the way music and any other content is enjoyed inside the car.
Debuting in the intelligent electric executive flagship SUV, NIO ES9, and powered in combination with the NIO Lyra sound system, Dirac Spaces expands the boundaries of in-car audio particularly when transforming the car’s naturally intimate listening environment into an authentic representation of a larger, purpose-built space, or the unique, reference listening environment of a recording studio.
Together, Dirac Spaces and the NIO Lyra sound system exemplify a holistic approach to in-car audio, uniting system, space, and source to elevate the listening experience. By combining advanced hardware, precise spatial reproduction, and high-quality audio content, the solution delivers a new level of immersion that more faithfully reflects how sound is experienced in real environments.
Dirac Spaces also 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 an emotionally engaging experience for passengers.
The transformation of the vehicle acoustics is achieved by measuring both the cabin and a target space, while Dirac’s proprietary MIMO sound field control technology is applied to accurately recreate the actual acoustic space inside the car.
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.
“Today, cars are one of the most important listening environments, but they’ve traditionally been limited by the physical constraints of the cabin,” says 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.
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,” says 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.”
During Auto China 2026, taking place in Beijing, April 24-May 3, Dirac is showcasing Dirac Spaces 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.
Dirac is a global company with headquarters in Uppsala, Sweden, and R&D facilities in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Bangalore, India, with representation in Greater China, Germany, Japan, Korea, and the USA.
www.dirac.com