Mercedes-Benz’s Dolby Atmos audio wins the 2023 Autoblog Technology of the Year award

The same thought kept cropping up throughout the day of testing for the 2023 Autoblog Technology of the Year award: Mercedes’ audio system is something else. Mind you, it takes a lot to impress a room full of folks who are constantly testing the latest and greatest in automotive audio. From McIntosh to Panasonic and the countless Harman-owned brands in between, we’ve heard them all. But when we finally set to testing the Dolby Atmos-powered audio system now featured in several new Mercedes-Benz products, we knew there was something special on our hands.

Yes, a new-to-cars (but hardly new to home theater) audio software system integrated into a Mercedes-Benz wins the 2023 edition of Autoblog’s Technology of the Year award, and it did so against stiff competition. If you follow the latest happenings of in-home or theater audio, you’ve likely heard of Dolby Atmos before and maybe even seen the logo pop up on your TV screen as you’re firing up your most recent Netflix binge. The sound bar or speakers you use as a home theater setup might be Dolby Atmos-capable units, but up until recently, Atmos hasn’t been available in vehicles.

“The silky sound of the Mercedes-Benz Dolby Atmos system enhances the in-car experience and is a signpost for the future of in-car audio,” Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore said. “Mercedes and Dolby have created a system that makes listening to music deeply satisfying. More than just a flashy sound system in an expensive car, Mercedes Dolby Atmos is what music should sound like in cars of the future.”

To determine Technology of the Year, three main questions are asked and editors assign point values based on how well the technologies answer those questions. How significant is this tech? How well does it work? And lastly, what's its “Wow Factor?” Needless to say, the Dolby Atmos-powered Burmester audio system in the 2024 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 was eliciting “wows” at a high rate.

So, why should you care about a special audio software program tested on a vehicle that costs a lot more than many homes throughout the country? Per usual with Tech of the Year, one of the big factors for being declared a winner is how applicable the tech is to