Playing desired music on wheel does not only energise our mood, but also releases hormones that make us happy, breathing improves, and stress is reduced, says experts
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]aking your commute fly by with a no holds barred sing-along to your favourite songs could be a key part of your urban survival guide.
Experts agree that there are a range of health benefits to staging impromptu karaoke sessions at the wheel – ones we only feel truly comfortable giving when there is no one else around, and the in-car sound system is providing the backing.
The new B&O PLAY Sound System for all-new Fiesta is the most powerful for a car in its class. Engineers spent a year listening to more than 5,000 tracks to ensure the premium 675-watt technology sounded great whether enjoying Adele, Foo Fighters or Jay-Z – or chilling out to classical music – no matter how quietly or loudly you play it.
“For many people listening to the music they love on the move is a fundamental part of every journey – it is the soundtrack to their own personal road movie” said Jan Schroll, supervisor Multi‑Media and Connectivity, Ford of Europe. “B&O PLAY for all-new Fiesta will bring the best possible sound quality to our customers – whatever their taste in music.”
Research from music streaming service Spotify reveals that it is during solo drives, in our own private space, that we cue up secret playlists, turn the music up and sing our hearts out. For many of us, there are playlists that we only dare turn to in the car, an especially intense place to listen to music where the sound is designed to perfectly fill the space we are occupying.
“Singing loudly and free from inhibitions – really ‘letting go’ – means the mental release will be greater as more energy is put into it,” said Professor Stephen Clift, a leading authority on the health benefits of singing, based at the U.K.’s Canterbury Christ Church University. “Especially when we sing familiar songs loudly we experience a ‘feel-good factor’ arising from deeper, slower breathing, and increased muscular activity. We feel less stressed and more relaxed.”
In testing, the team also listened to iconic live recordings to ensure the energy and emotion would be heard as if you were there – and even recorded their own tracks to ensure the entire spectrum of sound was covered.
“We love using live recordings as they show how the sound system reproduces every emotion that’s carried through the music – as if you were there. When I get goose bumps, I know, I did it right,” said Stefan Varga, acoustic system engineer at HARMAN International.
The all-new Fiesta B&O PLAY Sound System features 10 strategically-placed distinctive speakers and tweeters on the vehicle dashboard and around the interior to create a 360-degree sound. The system is optimised with a digital sound processor and 200mm subwoofer, producing a music sound that appears to occupants to be larger than the vehicle itself. The system is managed by Ford SYNC 3 Navigation and an 8-inch touchscreen
