Pioneer has announced Sphera, an aftermarket spatial audio system for CarPlay, which features immersive Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio.
Until now, Dolby Atmos in CarPlay has only been available for a few vehicles that support it. Now, twelve years after its first CarPlay system, Pioneer is bringing Dolby Atmos to many more cars with a new in-dash receiver.
"For over 80 years, Pioneer has achieved many technological 'firsts'— from the world's first car CD player to the first aftermarket CarPlay integration," Chris Ono, CEO & Chairman of Pioneer Electronics (USA), said in a statement. "[We have] developed a product that brings the rich, detailed sound of Dolby Atmos that moves the soul, to a solution that can be installed in many vehicles on the road today."
"With Sphera," continued Ono, "we are expanding access to immersive sound, allowing more drivers than ever to enjoy music with the clarity and emotion its creators intended."
The new system is launching almost five years after Apple introduced Dolby Atmos support for most of its devices. Back in 2021, Apple's Eddy Cue predicted in-car systems, saying that eventually, Spatial Audio "will go everywhere."
Pioneer claims that this wireless in-dash CarPlay receiver can be installed in millions of existing vehicles. It does this by using a "proprietary in-vehicle calibration system engineered specifically for the acoustic challenges of the automobile interior."
So reportedly, regardless of the size and shape of a vehicle's interior, or the materials used in it, Pioneer's Pure Autotuning should optimize Dolby Atmos. It is claimed to adjust timing, frequency response, and levels, to place the listener at the optimal acoustic position.
Pioneer Sphera comes as a 10.1-inch HD touch screen, plus a Luminous Bar. That bar can synchronise its lighting to the music being played.
Announced at CES, Pioneer Sphera will go on sale in Spring 2026. It will start at $1,300.
The launch comes after Apple added multiple new features to CarPlay in 2025's iOS 26.
