Porsche has rethought and redesigned the Panamera. Burmester has done the same with the sedan’s sound system.
According to Porsche, Burmester wanted to give the hump-backed P-car an optional audio package with “a three-dimensional spatial sound pattern that is reminiscent of the best concert halls in the world” that would enhance the “emotional experience.”
Ironically, Burmester went about accomplishing the emotional and the unquantifiable with cold, hard science and numbers. It stuffed the Panamera’s cabin with 21 speakers – four woofers, seven mid-range speakers, a pair of broadband speakers, seven tweeters, and a rear-mounted subwoofer. That alone generates 400 of the system’s total 1,455-watt output.
The more efficient Burmester Air Motion Transformer (AMT) technology in the front channels and the AMT speaker in the center channel enable higher quality voice and instrument sound playback. Auro 3D processing can create a realistic spatial impression from a variety of sources, even mono. Although the Burmester setup generates the best sound out of uncompressed and high-resolution audio, a special algorithm in it counteracts the corrupting effects that limited bandwidth, encoding artifacts, and pre-echo have on music sources.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
