You don’t have to be a Beatles super fan to know that Abbey Road is hallowed ground – or that without a record contract, the chances of stepping foot inside the iconic studio are slim to none. But what there was a way to replicate the experience – complete with convincing impression of what it was like back in the Fab Four’s heyday – and it was already sitting on your driveway?
That’s the thinking behind the Abbey Road Studios sound mode, coming soon as an over-the-air upgrade to every Volvo EX90 fitted with a Bowers & Wilkins sound system. The Scandi seven-seater EV was the test bed for the new software, which was a joint effort between B&W, Volvo’s own audio team, and Abbey Road’s producers. It effectively emulates the recording studio’s unique sonic characteristics, and lets drivers adjust the effect just like a sound engineer would.
Piling into the back of a demo car, I got to experience the four presets – Intimate, Open, Energised and Expansive – plus the driver-adjustable Producer mode first-hand; then I headed inside the studio to compare with the real thing. I was floored by how well it emulated the wider acoustics of the studio in Open mode, then pulled everything right back for a tighter impression of the control room in Intimate.
Of course it helps that the EX90 has an outstanding stereo system. Ultra-grade models have a whopping 25 speakers precisely placed around the cabin, including eight aluminium-domed ceiling and headrest speakers, six Continuum cone midrange drivers and five Nautilus double-dome tweeters. It’s basically a full Bowers & Wilkins installation on four wheels, with all the high-end precision and warmth that entails.
The Abbey Road mode really comes into its own when you pull over and engage Producer mode (I was told you can’t customise it while driving). It transforms the EX90’s huge 14.2in portrait infotainment screen into a mini control desk, with a four-way slider for adjusting the soundstage and tonality. Up and down tweaks how wide the presentation is, getting larger and more expansive as it mimics the studio sound; left and right moves between vintage and modern equipment. You can pick any crossover point and save it as a preset.
I loved how the vintage effect gave tracks a retro vibe, with a peakier and narrower sound, without detracting from the original track. Equally moving to the modern and studio sides really opened up the mix, which I thought worked brilliantly for newer music. While I didn’t get to hear the EX90 do its thing while on the move, the fact it’s an EV – and a luxury one at that – suggests you won’t struggle to hear fine details over wind or road noise.
An EX90 isn’t exactly “found down the back of the sofa” money, though. The giant 111kWh battery (good for 360 miles of range), dual motors producing up to 509bhp, and minimal yet luxurious interior trim nudge the asking price perilously close to six figures. There’s a slim chance of one appearing on my driveway any time soon.
That doesn’t mean the Abbey Road Studios mode will be forever out of reach, though. Bowers & Wilkins can’t control your home listening environment like they can in a car, but all the sound processing hard work has been done. I could easily see the firm’s speakers and headphones got the feature later down the line – and crucially, no-one at the launch event would categorically say it wasn’t being considered.