Bowers & Wilkins demos Abbey Road Studios mode in Volvo EX90 and it’s stunning

Bowers & Wilkins, in collaboration with Abbey Road Studios and Volvo, invited guests last week to experience the new Abbey Road Studios Mode at a unique launch at the iconic recording studios in London.

Making its debut on the Volvo EX90 in 2025, the mode effectively redefines what’s possible when it comes to the acoustic limitations of the car environment, effectively transporting both driver and passengers to new and more compelling listening spaces. Careful measurement and modelling techniques have captured the essence of Abbey Road Studios, as well as the acoustic signature of the equipment used by artists and studio engineers for decades.

The new sound mode captures the unique characteristics of Abbey Road’s studio spaces, with configurable settings developed directly with Abbey Road’s engineers. Inside CI attended the launch, which was topped off by a performance from award winning jazz quintet Ezra Collective.

The sound mode itself is remarkable, effectively dissolving the confines of the EX90’s cabin, providing an immersive audio experience that eclipses many a dedicated listening room.

The audio mode not only emulates the unique characteristics of the recording studio environment, but allows the sound to be adjusted to the owner’s own preference.

The natural sound of the studios has been captured using real measurements taken from several live spaces and control rooms. In Producer Mode, these components have been combined to give the user freedom to explore both the scale of the spaces at Abbey Road and the way in which equipment affects tonality – 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.

For those less confident in adjusting the specific characteristics in Producer Mode, four presets provide a selection of sounds, optimised for different listening styles. Settings created in Producer Mode can also be saved as custom presets.

Debuting in the Volvo EX90, the Abbey Road Studios Mode will be available free of charge via an over-the-air software update in 2025 for all EX90s fitted with Bowers & Wilkins.

The EX90 features an advanced Bowers & Wilkins audio system, which includes several proprietary Bowers & Wilkins technologies. Six Continuum cone midrange drivers and five Nautilus Double-dome tweeters are complemented by eight aluminium-domed headrest and ceiling speakers.

The central Tweeter-on-Top on the dashboard is a further visible embodiment of Bowers & Wilkins’ acoustic philosophy, also being used in their high-performance home loudspeakers, the most advanced of which, the 800 Series Diamond, can be found in use at Abbey Road. Each of the 25 speakers in the EX90 has been carefully positioned within the car’s cabin. The system has been developed and tuned by Bowers & Wilkins engineers in close collaboration with Volvo Cars’ own audio team and is also capable of playing Dolby Atmos content.