Bowers&Wilkins
Bound by
sound
1966 was
quite a year for music. The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Bob Dylan all released
groundbreaking albums that completely transformed the cultural landscape. But
while Lennon and McCartney and their contemporaries were busy reinventing the
way music was made, a classical music enthusiast called John Bowers was
focusing his attention and expertise on reinventing the way we listened to it.
The search
for ‘true sound’
A small TV
repair shop in the sleepy English county of West Sussex may not seem the most
likely setting for a musical revolution, but it was here that John Bowers first
began designing and building the loudspeaker that would later become the
speaker of choice for serious audiophiles all over the world. After discovering
the stereo recordings of his favourite classical pieces rarely recreated the thrill
and vibrancy of a live performance, Bowers set himself the task of designing a
loudspeaker that would enable the listener to experience music in a way that
was pure, satisfying and as faithful to the artists’ original intentions as
possible.
Bowers called
this ‘true sound.’ Now, fifty years on, wherever a premium audio experience is
paramount, you’ll find the ‘true sound’ of Bowers & Wilkins – whether it’s
the world-famous Abbey Road studios, the Primavera Sound Festival or the latest
Volvo cars.
A
collaboration in perfect harmony
Volvo Cars
and Bowers & Wilkins have a lot in common. Both companies share a proud
pioneering heritage as well as a passion for engineering excellence and an
obsessive attention to detail. But most importantly, both companies design
everything around a desire to meet the needs of people. So, when it came to
creating the premium sound system for the new 90 series Volvo cars, naturally,
Bowers & Wilkins’ expert engineers and designers were involved from day
one.
It was a
collaboration that worked in perfect harmony and the result was an exceptional
listening experience that effortlessly combined superior sound with stunning
Scandinavian design. Now, creating great sound in a room in a house or studio
is one thing, creating consistently great sound in a moving car is an entirely
different matter. Cars vibrate, they are exposed to an infinite range of
ambient sounds and they offer limited space to work with. But Volvo Cars rose
to the challenge and, together with Bowers & Wilkins, turned the
constraints of the cabin and its unique acoustics to their advantage, creating
an unparalleled listening experience that perfectly suits the unique cabin
environment of each individual Volvo car.
Quality not
just quantity
The key to
successfully recreating the signature Bowers & Wilkins sound in a Volvo
lies in the meticulous tuning and unique placement of the speakers. Tuning the
sound system in a car is an art form that requires hours of listening, a lot of
patience and more than a few pairs of expert ears. So you can imagine the
amount of time, effort and expertise that went into tuning and positioning the
19 premium speakers that are integrated into the new 90 series. Built using
only the finest materials and the finest loudspeaker technology, each speaker
occupies a unique position in the car to help achieve optimal sound quality.
These speaker positions are worked on for years in advance of production and
five decades of audio expertise and countless computer simulations are utilised
to help find the perfect audio sweet spot. However, once the sweet spot has
been located, the fixed nature of the cabin allows the engineers to achieve
extremely accurate levels of tuning.
Of the 19
speakers onboard, one in particular stands out. Tweeter-on-Top is a feature
found in Bowers & Wilkins most advanced Hi-Fi speakers and has never before
been used in a car’s audio system. Strategically centred on the dashboard, the
exposed Tweeter-on-Top speaker points back into the cabin rather than upwards
towards the windscreen. This helps minimise acoustic reflection from the
windscreen and removes almost any interference. This ensures a superior level
of sound that is more detailed, pure and authentic – especially when it comes
to reproducing vocals.
Sound shaped for perfection
As well as
the Tweeter-on-Top technology, the new 90 series sound system includes one of
Bowers & Wilkins most well-known innovations – Kevlar® speaker cones. Made
from the same material used in body armour, Kevlar® speaker cones are
particularly effective in cars as they feature unique break-up characteristics
that help prevent distortion and improve off-axis performance, i.e. sound that
doesn’t travel directly from the speaker to the listener’s ear. As well as the
conical Kevlar®, the system also features spiralling diffusion channels that
reduce echoes to a minimum. These spiralling channels were inspired by another
of Bowers & Wilkins legendary innovations, the Nautilus speaker. Based on a
brief given by John Bowers to his engineers just before his death, the Nautilus
speaker was the iconic result of a five-year research and development project
whose aim was to create a loudspeaker that was as close to perfection as
possible – regardless of cost. Twenty years later, there is still nothing that
looks or sounds like the Nautilus.
Adding the
final touch to 'true sound'
Another
element of the speakers’ design that helps contribute to the crystal clear
sound is the high-quality stainless steel speaker mesh. As well as being
extremely stylish, the solid properties of the stainless steel help reduce
vibrations and interference, while the holes in the mesh are precision etched
to help deliver just the right levels of acoustic transparency. This is achieved
by placing the largest holes at the centre of the cone and allowing them to get
gradually smaller as they move outwards.
As a final
touch, and to ensure that the distinctive ‘true sound’ of Bowers & Wilkins
is in place, each car’s audio system is calibrated by the same engineers who
calibrate the Bowers & Wilkins home speaker systems. Once the system has
been calibrated and the sound given the thumbs up, then it’s time to roll – or
rock depending on your musical preference.
Fifty years
at the forefront
After fifty
years of uncompromising audio innovation, Bowers & Wilkins are still
following their own unique path and staying true to John Bower’s sound set of
principles. It’s this dedication to developing groundbreaking new technologies
combined with a complete disregard for fashion or current trends that has
enabled the company to remain at the forefront of audio exploration for as long
as it has. With their desire for innovation, appreciation of genuine
craftsmanship and unwavering belief that form should follow function, Bowers
& Wilkins fit perfectly with Volvo Cars’ Scandinavian design philosophy.
Not only that, they embody the same adventurous spirit. Volvo Cars and Bowers
& Wilkins. Two pioneers bound by sound.
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