Feel every sound

The sound generated by the new Maserati GranCabrio was as carefully thought out as the car's mechanical parts. In planning the stereo system on the stunning new Maserati, technicians became musicians in order to create a masterpiece.

Whoever gets behind the wheel of the GranCabrio with the hood down will be able to fully enjoy the unmistakable sound of the 440bhp V8 without compromising a quality of sound never before attained on a cabriolet.

The GranCabrio's stereo system was developed in close collaboration with BOSE and derives from the excellent set up fitted to the Quattroporte and GranTurismo ranges. Improving on the sound quality in a convertible - a car with less space in which to distribute the sweet spots, and sometimes without a roof to act as a speaker box - was a tough challenge for the Maserati technicians.

"Taking the GranTurismo layout as a base, we started off by redistributing the sweet spots", explained Salvatore Mangraviti, the Maserati technician in charge of the system's development. "Substituting the rear parcel shelf with the compartment for stowing the hood meant re-arranging the speakers and increasing their number; now there are twelve. The result is that the GranCabrio's BOSE Surround Sound system has an infinite number of sweet spots: a speaker in the centre of the dashboard, two tweeters and two sub-woofers set into both doors, a bass box up front under the front passenger seat, two tweeters and two sub-woofers on the inside of each rear panel and a rear mounted bass box fitted with two sub-woofers".

What is special about the system is the front and rear bass boxes that allow the sound to fill the cabin, even with the hood down. "The rear bass box called for specific research into its positioning", continued Mangravati. "The finished article is a box that extends behind that seat back and under the rear armrest".

The system, managed by a BOSE amplifier, automatically regulates the volume and equalises the sound according to whether the hood is up or down. In both cases, listeners experience the same high quality delivery.

The package is enhanced by the AudioPilot® system that, via a dashboard mounted microphone, monitors noise levels in the cabin and automatically tweaks the equaliser. This is especially useful when travelling at speed when the clarity of the sound can still be heard above any rushing wind.

The two Surround Sound and AudioPilot® bass boxes can be controlled by the commands found on the Maserati Multimedia System's TFT display.

* on request