Listening to Dolby Atmos music in environments other than a home theater or headphones is starting to become commonplace for me at CES. Last year, I was able to experience a live concert mixed in Dolby Atmos and was also able to listen to Atmos music on a Mercedes-Benz S580.
For CES 2025, Dolby invited me to its facility at the Nomad Hotel to experience Atmos music in a Cadillac OPTIQ, the company's new “entry-level” luxury electric vehicle. The partnership with Cadillac is Dolby's big automotive announcement at CES and brings to 20 the number of automotive brands that feature Dolby Atmos.
In addition to having a beautiful, streamlined design, the OPTIQ has a custom Android Auto infotainment system that uses a 33-inch LED display with touchscreen capability. For audio, a 19-speaker AKG audio system with four downward-facing speakers is used and has been customized to deliver a seamless Dolby Atmos sound presentation.
Currently, Dolby Atmos music is streamed on the OPTIQ using a built-in Tidal app (dial-up is not supported). According to Cadillac, more app support is in the works (maybe Apple Music?), but no announcements were made at CES.
Driving with Atmos
We didn't exactly go on tour for my demo, but there was plenty of time to settle into the OPTIQ's super-comfortable seats and immerse ourselves in the Atmos music. The demo started with the 80's classic. face me but A-Ha, and we also listen to the Thompson Twins hug me now. As someone who came of age in the 1980s, I was completely in my element, although I had never heard these songs sound this good before, especially in a car.
Along with four height speakers, the OPTIQ system has three subwoofers, and the bass sounded wonderfully full and well-tuned even when visibly shaking the passenger-side armrest. The Atmos mix on both tracks had a remarkably smooth balance and vocals sounded clean without any treble jitters.
Every audio demo has to have a jaw-dropping moment, and for this one it was Boom by Tiësto, Sevenn and Gucci Mane. After listening to this maximalist Atmos track on my Atmos home theater system, I was ready for some serious immersion and the OPTIQ system did not disappoint. it was almost also Sonically interesting: One might be challenged to keep their attention on the road while listening, even with the car's HUD helping to guide the way.
Going back to the 1980s, I applied to Rush Tom Sawyer – another favorite Dolby Atmos mix – and the song's dynamic drums and searing keyboards floated seamlessly through the cabin. If you're going to listen to music in a car, this is how to do it.
Dolby Atmos comes as a standard feature on the Cadillac OPTIQ, which is the company's first vehicle to include it. At less than $60,000, the OPTIQ is one of the least expensive cars to feature Atmos, so if you travel a lot and want to improve your car's audio, I suggest a test drive.