# Soundaktor

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{{Short description|Automotive audio technology}}
'''Soundaktor''' is a [vehicle audio](/source/vehicle_audio) system used to simulate engine noise in the cabin of some [Volkswagen](/source/Volkswagen) automobiles. It consists of a [speaker](/source/Loudspeaker) mounted on the [firewall](/source/Firewall_(engine)) between the engine and the cabin, which adds noise to the cabin in order to replicate the driving experience of older vehicles that had lower levels of sound insulation.<ref name="popmech">{{citation|url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a7923/the-rise-of-the-fake-engine-roar-11291754/|title=The Rise of the Fake Engine Roar: To make engines sound better, some automakers are broadcasting motor noise through speaker in the cabin. Is this progress—or an affront to the purity of the engine note?|magazine=[Popular Mechanics](/source/Popular_Mechanics)|first=Larry|last=Webster|date=August 2, 2012}}.</ref><ref name="c&d">{{citation|url=http://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound-enhancement-explained-tech-dept|title=Faking It: Engine-Sound Enhancement Explained; How car manufacturers are giving quiet vehicles raucous engine notes|magazine=[Car and Driver](/source/Car_and_Driver)|date=April 2012|first=K. C.|last=Colwell}}.</ref><ref name="ct"/><ref name="wapo"/> This system was introduced in 2011 on VW's [Golf/GTI](/source/Volkswagen_Golf),<ref name="popmech"/> and has also been used on the [Jetta/GLI](/source/Volkswagen_Jetta), and [Beetle Turbo](/source/Volkswagen_Beetle_(A5)).<ref name="c&d"/> The same technology has also been used in other cars from [Volkswagen Group](/source/Volkswagen_Group), including the [Audi S3](/source/Audi_S3) and [Škoda Octavia vRS](/source/%C5%A0koda_Octavia).<ref name="ct">{{citation|title=5 Ways That Manufacturers Enhance The Sound Of Their Cars|url=https://www.carthrottle.com/post/5-ways-that-manufacturers-enhance-the-sound-of-their-cars/|magazine=[Car Throttle](/source/Car_Throttle)|first=Matt|last=Robinson|year=2014}}.</ref>

The sound generated by this device has been described as "a sort of buzzy, fizzy noise".<ref name="ct"/>
It has been reported to play a [digital recording](/source/digital_recording) of engine noise,<ref name="c&d"/><ref name="wapo"/> but Volkswagen claims that these reports are false, and that it reproduces the actual engine noise of the car.<ref name="huffpo">{{citation|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/fake-engine-sounds-car_n_6533596.html|newspaper=[Huffington Post](/source/Huffington_Post)|title=Your Car's Engine Roar Might Be Totally Fake|date=January 24, 2015|first=Hilary|last=Hanson}}.</ref> Some diesel cars produced by the Volkswagen Group also have an "exhaust soundaktor". This system uses additional speakers in the exhaust system of the car to generate "a low-pitched, roaring sound" intended to make the car sound less like a diesel and more like a conventional gasoline engine.<ref name="ct"/>

Other vehicle manufacturers have also used artificial engine noise systems, implemented in other ways. Some models of the [BMW M5](/source/BMW_M5) add noise to the car's audio system, for instance,<ref name="popmech"/> and the 2015 [Ford Mustang](/source/Ford_Mustang) also added a system for sending the car's engine noise through its speakers.<ref name="wapo">{{citation|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/americas-best-selling-cars-and-trucks-are-built-on-lies-the-rise-of-fake-engine-noise/2015/01/21/6db09a10-a0ba-11e4-b146-577832eafcb4_story.html|newspaper=[Washington Post](/source/Washington_Post)|date=January 21, 2015|first=Drew|last=Harwell|title=America's best-selling cars and trucks are built on lies: The rise of fake engine noise}}.</ref> Multiple manufacturers have shaped the engine compartment or installed resonant pipes within it in order to direct greater amounts of actual engine noise to the cabin,<ref name="c&d"/><ref name="ct"/> a system also used by VW before switching to Soundaktor.<ref name="c&d"/>

==See also==
* [Noise pollution](/source/Noise_pollution)

==References==
{{reflist}}

Category:Volkswagen Group
Category:Automotive technologies

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Soundaktor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundaktor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundaktor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.