Volvo Cars has launched Abbey Road Studios Mode, a sound technology designed to capture the essence of the iconic recording studio’s unique environment.
Following the announcement of the mode last year, it is now debuting in all Volvo EX90 cars fitted with the optional Bowers & Wilkins High Fidelity Audio system, free of charge via an over-the-air update in the coming weeks.
Developed by Bowers & Wilkins together with Abbey Road Studios, this technology is inspired by the studio’s characteristic acoustic spaces and the sonic signature of the equipment used by artists and engineers to create some of the most revered albums in music history, delivering a unique listening experience inside the EX90.
The Abbey Road Studios Mode comes with several presets that provide a selection of sounds, optimised for different listening styles. And for those ready to explore new ways of enjoying their favourite tracks, the Producer Mode allows you to engineer your own sound. This includes shifting the acoustic from a retro vintage to a deeper, modern sound, narrowing or expanding the stereo sound field and adjusting the acoustic environment, just as a producer or engineer would do.
“The Abbey Road Studios Mode brings the unique sound of our spaces and equipment to the Bowers & Wilkins system in the Volvo EX90 for the first time, allowing the driver to shape and personalise the sound in the car for an unparalleled listening experience,” says Abbey Road General Manager, Jeremy Huffelmann. “We are hugely proud of this collaboration, and excited for Volvo customers to experience this landmark technology.”
This over-the-air update represents one of Volvo Cars’ most significant upgrades yet in the context of the company’s ambition to continuously improve its software-defined cars. For future EX90 and ES90 cars with Bowers & Wilkins’ audio system, the sound mode will be included as the cars roll out from the factory.
“We use technology to improve everyday life for our drivers, so we’re excited to offer the Abbey Road Studios Mode in the Volvo EX90,” says Anders Bell, chief engineering and technology officer at Volvo Cars. “The addition of this world-first experience is a great example of how we bring more value to our customers through efficient and simple over-the-air updates.”
The EX90 has one of the quietest cabins Volvo Cars has ever created, and 25 speakers carefully positioned within the cabin. With the optional Bowers & Wilkins audio system, it delivers an outstanding in-car soundscape. The 1610-watt system can play Dolby Atmos content and has been developed and tuned by Bowers & Wilkins engineers in close collaboration with Volvo Cars’ audio team.
Thanks to a recent tech transformation, Volvo Cars can deliver over-the-air updates to a fleet of around 2.5 million existing cars built as early as 2020, across 85 countries.
