Have you ever had the pleasure of hearing an Aston Martin DB11’s glorious V12 engine? If so, it’ll be obvious how much time has been spent getting the noise produced exactly right, how important it is to Aston, and how much it completes the DB11 experience. If not, and you happen to be in the Carmel, California area between August 17 and August 20, and visit Aston Martin On Ocean, virtual test drives are being offered in a DB11 where you’ll get an excellent idea of what it’s like inside one of these cars. To ensure the audio experience matches the visual drama, Aston Martin has teamed up with headphone maker Master & Dynamic.
The Aston Martin DB11 has a sonically wondrous 5.2-liter, twin-turbo V12 up front. Master & Dynamic headphones will be the conduit to feed its angry sound into your ears during the virtual test drive. It’s hoped that after the test drive, would-be Aston owners will want to pick up a pair of Master & Dynamic headphones for themselves, so a selection of models will be sold alongside the exquisite car.
Three different sets will be offered: the over-ear MW60 and MH40 headphones, and the ME05 in-ears. The $550 MW60 connect with Bluetooth and provide around 16 hours of use, and are equipped with 45mm Neodymium drivers, stainless steel hangers, and a leather headband. The $400 MH40’s have a more eye-catching design, and forego the wireless connectivity for a standard cable. Finally, the $200 ME05 in-ears are made from solid brass, recognised for its top-notch audio characteristics. If you want a DB11 as well, you’ll need at least $210,000 in your pocket to secure one.
This isn’t just a sly opportunity to sell a few headphones to Aston Martin fans either, and the two companies intend to work together on as-yet unnamed future products and technologies. We’ve seen many technology and automotive companies come together before — Vertu and Bentley for example — so it’ll be interesting to see what comes from the partnership.
If you can’t make the virtual test drive in California, but still want to see Master & Dynamic’s headphones alongside an Aston Martin, the headphone range will also be sold through Aston’s Dover Street showroom in London, and other dealerships around the world.
