Following the success of 2015’s XC90 collaboration, Volvo has once again partnered with Bowers & Wilkins to provide the in-car audio for the new S90 premium sedan. This new executive car marks a big leap forward for an automotive brand best known for its luxury estates, and Volvo is keen that it delivers an in-car entertainment system to match.
The Bowers & Wilkins Audio System is uniquely tuned to the S90’s interior audio signature, and features a number of core Bowers & Wilkins technologies including the innovative tweeter-on-top design. Physically separating a tweeter from the confines of a speaker cabinet delivers clearer, purer treble, particularly vital for vocals. In the Volvo S90, the dashboard-mounted centre tweeter ensures absolute voice clarity. All the tweeters use technology derived from Bowers & Wilkins iconic Nautilus™ speakers – spiraling diffusion channels on the rear of the speakers soak up reflected sound, reducing resonance.
“With tweeter-on-top technology, more of the signal reaches the listener directly from the tweeter. So the S90 system sounds incredibly tangible and lifelike,” said Stuart Nevill, Bowers & Wilkins Head of Engineering.
Of course, sound is about far more than just the high notes. The speakers include Bowers & Wilkins signature yellow Kevlar® 100mm midrange drivers, visible but protected by a grille designed for optimum acoustic openness. The Volvo S90 features a total of 19 speakers driven by a highly efficient Class D amplifier for a total of 1,400 Watts power. Each speaker is precisely placed and tuned to match the interior acoustics of the car.
The innovative S90 also features a luxurious interior, and the Bowers & Wilkins Audio System fits in perfectly, with finely etched grilles and discreet – but acoustically advantageous – speaker placement.
The result of this innovative audio engineering: a highly luxurious car with a top-class audio system.
Bowers & Wilkins Audio System for Volvo S90 specification
19 loudspeakers:
4 x 25mm Nautilus tweeters (front & rear doors)
2 x 100mm Kevlar cone midranges (front doors)
2 x 80mm Kevlar cone midranges (rear doors)
4 x 170mm long throw woofers (front & rear doors)
1 x two-way 100mm midrange/ 25mm tweeter units (dashboard)
2 x two-way 80mm midrange/ 25mm tweeter units (rear roof panel)
Also:
12-channel Class D amplifier
Quantum Logic® DSP with signal extraction, reverb extraction and spatial filtering
7.1 playback from mono, stereo and/or multichannel input
About Bowers & Wilkins
Bowers & Wilkins is a global leader for premium loudspeaker products and purveyor of “true sound” with nearly 50 years of audio heritage. Its innovative, award-winning audio products are an essential element to audio entertainment whether at home or on the move. Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers are highly regarded as the definitive “audio reference,” as demonstrated by their use in leading recording studios throughout the world. The notion that remarkable sound must be experienced to be fully appreciated is reinforced by the company’s motto – “Listen and you’ll see.”
