You sink back into your seat and pop in your brand-new DVD-Audio edition of The Beach Boys Pet Sounds. All of a sudden you find yourself surrounded, no, immersed, in the intricate harmonies and airy melody of "Wouldn't It Be Nice." On one side you hear sun-drenched guitar, on the other bass, while the surging drums, accordion, and saxophone are each distinctly located behind you. Best of all, the sweeping strings and lush harmonies pour in all around you, filling up your car with the sweet sound of the Boys at their best. Yes, you're driving down the road experiencing one of the greatest albums of the last century in an entirely new way, thanks to your in-dash DVD player and 5.1 surround sound set-up. Sound like a nice dream? Not so, for surround sound is quickly going mobile.

Throughout the history of car audio, enthusiasts have pushed their car stereos to produce the best possible sound. AM radio's static-filled broadcasts gave way to clearer, better-sounding stereo FM. Bulky, fragile 8-track tapes were replaced by more durable and compact cassette tapes. Nowadays, many of us have made the move to digital formats, with a CD player or changer spinning the tunes. Or perhaps you're enjoying the digital signal of satellite radio. It's reasonable to wonder what the next step in the evolution of car audio is going to be. To a growing number of listeners and audio experts, the logical next step is multichannel surround sound in the car.

Most of us are familiar with multichannel surround sound. Whether at the movies or in our own homes, the superiority of watching a movie in true surround sound versus the squawky stereo (or mono!) sound from our TVs is stunningly clear. The same transformation is beginning to take shape for music. With their incredibly high resolution, extended dynamic range, and capability to include enveloping surround sound layers, formats like DVD-Audio and SACD have the potential to revolutionize how we listen to music. Suddenly, you're in the middle of the band, or experiencing the excitement of being in the crowd at a live concert! The restricted confines of a car's interior are an ideal environment for enjoying the intensely realistic musical experience presented by multichannel surround sound. Since an increasing number of busy music lovers now look at their daily drive time as an excellent opportunity for serious listening, the combination of multichannel surround sound and car audio looks like a perfect match.

Is multichannel music the wave of the future? Let's look first at some of the different formats that are, or soon may be, available. As with any new technology, there's a lot to learn!

Multichannel music formats can put you in the middle of the concert.