There's truly no disappointment like buckling in for a long drive, firing up your favorite playlist, and realizing that the car you're in clearly treated sound quality an afterthought. Sure, maybe I'm a bit spoiled by great at-home speakers and the best headphones, but it's no secret that a lot of cars fall short in the music reproduction department.
That's to say, I notice when a car's sound quality is particularly lackluster. But in the Volvo EX90, I recently had the opposite experience — I noticed it’s particularly spectacular.
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The Volvo EX90 is a buzzy electric SUV with a starting price of $80,000. Outfitted with 32 individual Bowers and Wilkins speakers, this luxury ride has given me hope that in-cabin listening can be a special experience when done right. I suppose it helps when you partner with the world's most iconic recording studio to engineer it as such.
Dubbed "Abbey Road Studios Mode," the EX90 welcomes what I would consider an audiophile's ideal platform for listening on the road. Designed in partnership with Abbey Road Studios engineers, the music setting is meant to transport the recording studio's unique sonic signature into the cabin. It's inspired by the actual recording equipment built in-house in the late 1960s, around the same time the Beatles were hanging out at Abbey Road creating some of their biggest hits.
With Abbey Road Studios Mode enabled, an interactive UI overtakes the 14.2-inch center display. It visualizes the setup of a typical recording studio, complete with a drum kit, piano, microphone, stereo speakers, and the control room. To tune the sound to your liking, you move your finger around the "studio," with options for more vintage, more modern, narrower, or wider reproduction. There are a couple of presets to choose from, too.
When favoriting a vintage sound, I heard the subtle warmth characteristic of the patented recording equipment that I had the rare opportunity of examining up close inside Abbey Road Studios. Then, on the modern end, instruments sounded very distinct and dynamic.
I think casual and avid music fans alike will have a field day tinkering with all the tuning available thanks to this feature. Also, it goes without saying that there's a certain sell here to hardcore Beatles fans. If the recording studio responsible for a majority of the band's catalog gives the Volvo EX90 and its Bowers and Wilkins speakers a stamp of approval, it encourages a lot of trust. I can't say the Beatles are my favorite band, but I can appreciate knowing when the music that matters to me sounds exactly like I know it should.
Of course, the Beatles aren't the only big act affiliated with Abbey Road Studios. Music legends from Pink Floyd to Adele to Oasis to Lady Gaga also recorded there. So drivers of all musical tastes might find something significant to enjoy inside the EX90.
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