Bose engineers 14 speakers for Chevrolet's 2020 Corvette Stingray

The eighth generation Chevrolet Corvette will feature the latest Bose technology in its sound system, with 14 speakers delivering Bose's 'most powerful and highest performing sound system ever for a sports car'.

The Corvette Stingray, set to go on sale across the world in 2020, will continue the longstanding tradition that Bose and Chevrolet started with the 1984 fourth generation Corvette.

According to Bose, its engineers worked closely with Chevrolet to create a sound that works, particularly as the Corvette Stingray's engine is now in a different location.

When the engine is shifted, the size and shape of the cabin changes, and so does the way soundwaves move inside the car. Engineers had to rely on the principles of psychoacoustics to design a new sound system.

"From the beginning, we knew we had to have an audio system that carefully balanced the need to isolate the occupants from the engine compartment in the rear, while providing live performance-like audio clarity," says Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter.

Bose chose to place 14 speakers in precise locations around the car's cabin. Those speakers include 2.5-inch and 3.25-inch neodymium Bose Twiddler speakers across the instrument panel; a combination of 4-inch neodymium wide-range speakers and 1-inch neodymium tweeters in each upper door; a pair of 5.25-inch neodymium wide-range speakers; and three additional 3.25-inch neodymium Twiddler speakers in the rear of the cabin; while bass performance is provided by 10-inch Bose Nd woofers are invisible and hidden away in each door.

When the new Corvette engine is roaring at full throat, the Bose Performance Series system features a custom-tuned version of AudioPilot noise compensation technology.

This uses microphones built into the cabin to continuously monitor noise levels and a sophisticated Bose algorithm to analyse and adjust the music signal.

AudioPilot technology reduces the effects of external sound. But because of the Corvette's power, the application of AudioPilot requires faster processing than ever before, Bose explains.

Additional Bose innovations in the Performance Series system include Chevrolet's first application of Advanced Staging Technology to produce an extremely wide sound stage with detailed separation between instruments and vocals.

The system also uses Bose Centerpoint stereo-to-surround digital signal processing and Bose SurroundStage technology for balanced, 360-degree sound at each seat. This is all processed through a Bose digital amplifier with 16 channels of custom equalisation.

"The new Corvette Stingray is phenomenal, and it delivers a special kind of experience that doesn't happen very often. So, getting every detail just right is critically important — and that includes audio," explains Bose Automotive Systems chief audio engineer, Tobe Barksdale.

"The next-generation Corvette already delivers a thrilling soundtrack, courtesy of the engine. And when it comes to adding music to the mix, the custom-engineered Bose Performance Series system brings the moving emotion you'd expect in a legendary vehicle like this.

The Bose Performance Series system will be available as an option on the 2020 Corvette Stingray. A 10-speaker Bose Premium surround-sound system will be offered as standard equipment. More details on packaging and trim levels will be announced by Chevrolet closer to the vehicle's on-sale date.