Pioneer Sphera adds Dolby Atmos to the car you already own

I firmly believe that once someone hears Dolby Atmos music in their car, they won’t want anything else. Sound envelopment transforms your car’s interior into an immersive and engaging experience. Every time I hear a demo – whether in a Rivian, a Cadillac or a Mercedes – it leaves me full of energy and enthusiasm. But until now, Dolby Atmos was only available in luxury vehicles with a full range of speakers.

Pioneer changes that with the Sphera, an aftermarket in-dash receiver with a 10.1-inch capacitive screen that allows Dolby Atmos playback in Apple CarPlay. And it works with just four speakers installed in your car, creating the Atmos environment with virtualization.

The Pioneer Sphera head unit fits into a single DIN or double DIN slot in your car’s dashboard. Once installed, initial setup involves placing an included mic on the driver’s headrest and leaving the car for about five minutes to allow Pioneer’s processing to calibrate the system to your car’s interior. Once complete, you can select your sweet spot on the screen as driver, passenger or the entire cabin. I heard the Sphera in action in a 2017 Toyota Highlander equipped with four speakers and a sub. For the demo, the stock speakers were replaced with Pioneer A-Series speakers which cost around $100 each.

Pioneer’s virtualization does an impressive job of properly filling the cabin using just four speakers. Listening to the opening of Pink Floyd’s “Money” The hidden side of the Moonthe cash register sounds were placed in appropriate positions throughout the booth, and when the entire group entered, the interior seemed larger than it was. Likewise, the oohsand ohs in the chorus of “Rocket Man” flourishes and surrounds Elton John’s vocals.

The placement didn’t have quite the same specificity that you can get with more than four speakers, but that didn’t detract from the experience in any significant way. The Sphera still delivers a rich, full soundscape that properly fills the interior space of a car’s cabin. The Pioneer’s Sphera will be available in the spring for $1,300. It’s not an insignificant amount of money, but if you want Atmos in your car, it’s much more economical than buying a luxury vehicle.