About this episode

The episode discusses the Pioneer SPHERA, the first aftermarket car stereo with built-in Dolby Atmos, featuring insights from vendor trainer Dylan Wold.

JR and Huffy are joined by Dylan Wold, Pioneer's vendor trainer, fresh off a day of training Crutchfield's sales advisors on the brand-new Pioneer SPHERA — the first aftermarket car stereo with built-in Dolby Atmos®. If you've heard "Dolby Atmos" and pictured helicopter sounds flying over your head in a movie theater, Dylan is here to reset those expectations. This is about music: bigger soundstages, better instrument placement, and hearing songs you know by heart in a way that genuinely feels like the first time. Crutchfield has the SPHERA installed in demo cars at both locations, and the reactions from everyone — skeptics included — have been unanimous. Dylan tells us how SPHERA works (spoiler: it's simpler than you'd think), what it takes to get the most out of it, which factory and aftermarket system combinations to watch out for, and why 92% of the Billboard Top 100 is already recorded in Dolby Atmos and waiting for you. Plus, JR gets his own band's music played through the up-mixer live on air, and our co-worker Dave Delamere stops by to demonstrate the calibration system in action. If you're considering a new car stereo, this one's worth your time. Questions…

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