Set to launch this summer, the new range-topping Platinum version of the updated 2016 Ford Explorer adds a pair of industry-first audio tweaks to its sound system. Culled from Sony’s high-end home audio packages, the Live Acoustics and Clear Phase technologies use proprietary algorithms to add a sonic one-two punch that Ford says imparts concert hall acoustics and breathtaking scope to any program material.
Adding a maestro’s touch
To create Live Acoustics, Sony engineers led by Giro Shirashi – a concertmaster of the Sony Philharmonic Orchestra – travelled around the world to sample and analyze the audio characteristics of major performance venues in order to duplicate their essential qualities. By applying that knowledge to the 12-speaker/500-watt Sony system in the new Explorer Platinum and investing over 100 hours to fine-tune the package, Shirashi says it produces a listening experience that’s "among the finest in the world."
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To fully exploit the inherent benefits of Live Acoustics, Sony’s sound wizards complemented it with Clear Phase. This techno tweak mimics the placement techniques used by the best studio engineers to generate acoustically correct "zones" that ensure the truest reproduction and projection of individual instruments and voices. In addition to creating a larger-than-life virtual sound stage in the Explorer’s passenger cabin, it eliminates unwanted sound dispersion to impart a more linear, crystalline character.
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The new 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum model will start at $53,495 when it rolls into showrooms later this summer along with the rest of the Explorer lineup. Pricing for the base 2016 Ford Explorer carries over from 2015 at $31,595.
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