Porsche 911 interior. The new gallium nitride amplifier has not yet been officially associated with a model. Photo: Porsche.
Porsche is preparing a lighter Burmester audio system with gallium nitride semiconductors
From 2027 Porsche will introduce gallium nitride semiconductors in a future version of the Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound system. The first application is the voltage converter that feeds the subwoofer’s 400 W amplifier, not the entire audio system.
The German manufacturer says it is the first high-end car audio system with this technology prepared for series production. The model on which it will debut has not been announced, and Porsche has not communicated the price of the option or the possibility of fitting it to cars already delivered.
What gallium nitride is and why it appears in an amplifier
Gallium nitride, abbreviated GaN, is a semiconductor material used in power electronics. Compared with conventional silicon-based components, GaN transistors can switch at higher frequencies and lose less energy as heat.
In a car audio system, the amplifier must turn the energy available from the car’s electrical network into the signal needed by the speakers. The subwoofer demands large power peaks, and conversion produces heat. Better efficiency allows cooling components to be reduced without the amplifier losing its power reserve.
Porsche states that the amplifier heatsink can be about 20% lighter. This figure refers to the heatsink, not to the entire Burmester system and not to the car’s mass. Passive components can also be made smaller, which makes the amplifier assembly more compact.
The main benefit is not a higher volume
A GaN chip does not by itself make the music sound better. The speakers, their positioning, cabin insulation, digital processing and acoustic tuning remain decisive. The new semiconductor primarily helps the power supply deliver the required power with lower losses and temperatures.
For the listener, the advantage can appear in the moments when the subwoofer quickly demands a lot of energy. Porsche says the power reserve contributes to dynamic and controlled reproduction of low frequencies. The claim is for now the manufacturer’s; the series system has not yet reached a car that can be independently tested.
The temperature reduction also has a construction consequence. A smaller heatsink uses less aluminium, and the amplifier occupies less space. In a sports car, where every kilogram and every available litre is carefully allocated, these savings can matter even if they do not by themselves change the car’s performance.
A project begun in 2023, together with the University of Stuttgart
The idea of using GaN for the audio system appeared at Porsche in mid-2023. The “Driven by GaN” project was developed together with the University of Stuttgart, an international chip manufacturer and a partner specialised in audio systems.
A component used in a car must work in a more difficult environment than a charger or a home amplifier. The team had to take into account large temperature variations, vibration and electromagnetic compatibility with the other electronic systems. Porsche says it has filed several patent applications for the resulting solutions.
The company is also analysing other onboard uses of gallium nitride, but has not named them. The material can be used in various power converters, but an announcement about evaluation does not mean these applications have already received approval for series production.
The debut is scheduled for 2027, on a still unknown model
Porsche says the amplifier will enter production in 2027 in a future model. The wording does not indicate whether it will be an entirely new generation, a facelift or a model-year update. Compatibility with all Burmester systems in the range is not confirmed either.
It is likely that the technology will appear first in an optional audio configuration, because Burmester 3D High-End Surround Sound is positioned above the standard and Bose systems. This remains, however, a deduction based on the current structure of the range, not a price or an equipment level announced by Porsche.
The system is distinct from Dolby Atmos, already available on certain Porsche versions with Bose and Burmester equipment. Dolby Atmos describes how compatible audio content is distributed and played back, while GaN concerns the electronics through which the subwoofer amplifier is powered. The two technologies can work together, but they solve different problems.
What a buyer in Romania needs to know
For now there is no list of models, a configurator or a tariff for the Romanian market. No retrofit programme for existing cars has been confirmed either. Buyers interested in the system should check the exact configuration when Porsche announces the debut model, because the Burmester name can cover different equipment from one range to another.
The technical novelty is more precise than a phrase such as “an entirely new audio system” suggests: Porsche is changing an important component in the subwoofer amplifier’s power supply. The intended result is a more efficient, cooler and more compact assembly, with series launch scheduled for 2027.
