Abstract: An automobile audio system for an automobile includes an audio processing unit, a set of external microphones to record external sound and a set of internal loudspeakers to internally reproduce audio. Furthermore, the automobile audio system includes a transmission switching mechanism. The transmission switching mechanism is manually configurable between at least two manual transmission configurations including a manually activated configuration wherein the set of external microphones is communicatively coupled to the set of internal loudspeakers such that the external sound is reproducible by at least a subset of the set of internal loudspeakers and a manually deactivated configuration wherein the set of external microphones is communicatively decoupled to the set of internal loudspeakers.

Abstract: A method for reproducing an external sound in an automobile includes recording external sound using external microphones located on an automobile exterior of the automobile; establishing recorded audio signals based on the recorded external sound; determining from the recorded audio signals a relative directionality of external sound sources of the recorded external sound with respect to at least one occupant within the automobile; establishing at least one directionality encoded audio signal by applying at least one frequency dependent directionality filter to the recorded audio signals, wherein at least one frequency dependent directionality filter is based on the determined relative directionality of external sound sources, thereby encoding the relative directionality into said at least one directionality encoded audio signal; reproducing a representation of the external sound based on at least one directionality encoded audio signal using internal loudspeakers located within an automobile interior of the

Abstract: An automobile audio system for an automobile includes an audio processing unit, a set of external microphones to record external sound and a set of internal loudspeakers to internally reproduce audio. Furthermore, the automobile audio system includes a transmission switching mechanism. The transmission switching mechanism is manually configurable between at least two manual transmission configurations including a manually activated configuration wherein the set of external microphones is communicatively coupled to the set of internal loudspeakers such that the external sound is reproducible by at least a subset of the set of internal loudspeakers and a manually deactivated configuration wherein the set of external microphones is communicatively decoupled to the set of internal loudspeakers.

Abstract: A method for reproducing an external sound in an automobile includes recording external sound using external microphones located on an automobile exterior of the automobile; establishing recorded audio signals based on the recorded external sound; determining from the recorded audio signals a relative directionality of external sound sources of the recorded external sound with respect to at least one occupant within the automobile; establishing at least one directionality encoded audio signal by applying at least one frequency dependent directionality filter to the recorded audio signals, wherein at least one frequency dependent directionality filter is based on the determined relative directionality of external sound sources, thereby encoding the relative directionality into said at least one directionality encoded audio signal; reproducing a representation of the external sound based on at least one directionality encoded audio signal using internal loudspeakers located within an automobile interior of the

Abstract: A microphone is provided. The microphone has a housing; a back plate positioned within the housing; a die positioned within the housing and coupled to a circuit board having conductive traces; and a conductive layer positioned between the die and the back plate, wherein the conductive layer mitigates coupling of an electrical signal between the conductive traces and the back plate.