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Carsales Staff6 Jun 2014
NEWS

Volvo seeks sound solution

Bowers & Wilkins to supply high-end 19-speaker stereo with body-integrated subwoofer

Volvo has joined the likes of Jaguar, Land Rover and Maserati to offer a high-end audio system from UK-based audiophiles Bowers & Wilkins in its upcoming second-generation XC90 SUV.

The new 19-speaker system comprises seven Nautilus tweeters, seven midrange speakers with Kevlar cones, four cone woofers and what Volvo reckons is a "ground-breaking" (but hopefully not car-breaking) air-ventilated subwoofer.

According to Volvo's fine-print, the subwoofer marks one of the first automotive applications of a subbie integrated directly to the body of the vehicle, which increases its capacity to pulse more air.

"It enables extremely low bass tones all the way down to 20Hz. In principle, it turns the whole interior space in the car into a giant subwoofer," says Michael Adenauer, Volvo Cars audio expert.

He notes that the subwoofer design is integrated onto Volvo's new vehicle platform, Scalable Product Architecture, which will underpin several new models into the future and makes its debut with the XC90.

Another car audio first is 'tweeter-on-top' technology, which according to Bowers & Wilkins head of engineering, Stuart Nevill, has "a number of advantages in the automotive environment".

"Fundamentally it increases the ratio of direct to reflected sound, as more of the signal reaches the listener directly from the tweeter, rather than reflecting off the windscreen first. All of this means that the Bowers & Wilkins audio system in the XC90 sounds incredibly tangible and lifelike," stated Nevill.

On top of the new woofers and tweeters, Volvo's Bowers & Wilkins audio system uses speaker technology similar to the reference speakers used in London's legendary Abbey Road Studios. Expect the Beatles' Yellow Submarine to sound sublime.

The new stereo features advanced software to focus audio settings on individual occupants or around the car as a whole. The whole shebang is operated via the XC90's new Sensus touchscreen interface, which does away with buttons completely.

The Bowers & Wilkins system will be optional on most XC90 models, with two other audio systems offered. The entry-level six-speaker system has a 52W amp, while the mid-range unit features a 224W amp and 12-speakers.

Part of a drip-feed campaign to slowly reveal features of the seven-seat SUV, due to be uncovered in full by August, Volvo's announcement of the new stereo system is another pillar in the company's desire to push its brand upmarket, and eventually compete with European prestige brands.

Volvo has already revealed the interior layout of its new XC90, which is coming to Australia in early 2015, showing a far more luxurious cabin than previously, thanks to higher quality leather, wood, and even massage functions in the seats.

The 2015 Volvo XC90 will also be one of the first cars fully compatible with CarPlay, the new vehicle-oriented iOS from iPhone creator Apple.

Volvo is keeping the exterior design of the upmarket XC90 a secret until closer to its official unveiling in August 2014.

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Written byCarsales Staff
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