Analysis on the Effect of Restoring Concert Hall Volvo B&W Audio System

　　[Technical Experience] When it comes to the high-grade stereo in the car, I think today’s consumers or fans should be no strangers. With the rapid development of society, the pace of people’s life has also accelerated. Perhaps for most people, the frequency of enjoying music at home or in concert halls may be less and less. On the contrary, people spend more and more time commuting every day, and the car where you go to work alone every day may become the place where you listen to music the most frequently.

　　It is precisely because of this realistic demand that if more and more car companies also gradually decentralize the brand audio that originally appeared on the family’s high-end models to the world. The protagonist of today’s article is the B&W stereo (Bowers & Wilkins Baohua Weijian) which was officially listed on the market not long ago.

Bowers & Wilkins Baohua Weijian provides high-end sound system for 90 series models.

　　This year (2016) marks the 50th anniversary of Bowers & Wilkins Baohua Weijian, and Volvo 90 series models are the first cooperation between the two brands. They provide a package solution for the B&W audio equipped on the four models, S90, V90 and V90 Cross Country. Of course, according to the different vehicle structure, the speaker position layout will be different from that set by sound stage, but the general direction is basically the same. Therefore, the models shown in this paper will also be based on the above four models. In addition, it is worth mentioning that on the domestic S90 long version just listed, except for the lowest model, other models can choose B&W audio, and the optional price is 25,800 yuan (the top version is standard), so consumers can choose freely according to their own preferences, which is quite humanized. As for the standard stereo, it is not bad, with 10 speakers, which is 330 watts.

　　The topic returns to B&W audio on Volvo 90 series, XC90, S90, V90 and V90 Cross Country. They all use 19 speakers and 1400 watts of effective power, have independent subwoofer and space conversion technology, and support FLAC and WAV lossless formats.

　　When it comes to B&W audio, although its history is not long, it has been 50 years since it was founded in Britain in 1966, but John Bowers, one of its founders at the beginning of its establishment, has always believed in "being loyal to the truth of sound", and its products mainly focus on the high-end market. In 1993, Nautilus, which was launched by the brand, not only broke through innovation in modeling, but also was highly praised by the industry for its simulated sound stage and sound quality restoration, and was even praised as ".The best sound money can buy.”。 In addition, another well-known B&W is that in 1974, its midrange speakers began to use Kevlar-made sound pots, and the unique yellow speakers became another brand symbol. The magic weapon of B&W mentioned above can be described as numerous in Volvo’s 90 series models.

　　Of course, it is one thing to provide audio equipment for indoor environment such as theater or home, because its environment is relatively empty, and the layout of speakers can play more space, while designing audio for vehicles is completely another matter. Because the space of vehicles is limited, and many factors such as convenience, safety and storage have to be considered, there are actually not many areas left for audio release. Therefore, the best solution is to confirm the audio provider at the beginning of vehicle development, and participate in the overall design and development of the vehicle simultaneously, so as to finally present an idealized effect. The new Volvo 90 series based on SPA platform and more and more manufacturers have adopted similar products.

Nautilus+aluminum tweeter

　　The tweeter located at the top of the center console is a classic design of B&W. What you can see is a Nautilus tweeter with a diameter of 25mm, and there is a cone-shaped midrange speaker made of Kevlar with a diameter of 100mm, which together form the top speaker of the center console. After precise calculation between its position setting and the angle of the front windshield, it can make the sound wave form a good reflection area, which can make the sound look purer and reduce the noise caused by reflection while ensuring rich timbre. And the idea of all this is the persistence of the brand motto "loyal to the truth of the voice".

　　In 1993, engineers of B&W innovatively developed Nautilus Audio, which changed the original audio box from adopting a straight side resonance area, but made the sound have the effect of spiral diffusion, thus reducing the resonance and distortion of treble. Now this design has been used in seven tweeters in the whole car. The tweeter is made of aluminum, which is lighter and stronger. It can make the sound breaking point outside the audio range that human ears can recognize, so as to provide a more pleasant and pure tweeter effect.

Kevlar midrange speaker

　　Besides Nautilus, Kevlar-made cone has unique visual effect and practical function, which is what B&W engineers are proud of. Kevlar is an aramid fiber material developed by DuPont, USA. This new material has low density, high strength, good toughness, high temperature resistance, and is easy to process and shape. Its strength is five times that of steel with the same quality, but its density is only one fifth of that of steel. Because Kevlar brand products are tough and wear-resistant, both rigid and flexible, they have the special ability of invulnerability. It is called "armor" in the military, so it is widely used in the manufacture of munitions such as bulletproof vests. Kevlar material used in vehicle speakers can achieve the similar effect as stopping bullets in destroying standing waves.

　　Of course, it may be a bit too mysterious to talk about these technologies. To put it bluntly, the medium-range speaker made of Kevlar can reduce the distortion rate, prevent the sound from breaking and improve the off-axis diffusion performance of the sound. To put it more bluntly, the sound stage effect can be wider. Therefore, the midrange speakers located at the front and rear doors and on the rear roof all use Kevlar speakers. Among them, the part on the door is covered with a silver aluminum panel and equipped with a looming yellow speaker, which has a unique visual effect.

Airflow subwoofer using aviation materials

　　A woofer, which uses an airflow subwoofer called "Fresh Air Subwoofer". It can communicate with the air outside the car to improve work efficiency and form a greater "empty box" effect.

　　It is reported that the loudspeaker is also made of aviation materials, and the maximum sound pressure level can reach 123dB, and the ultra-low frequency expansion can reach 10Hz, thus creating a more empty sense of sound stage space in the car.

More exciting videos are all on the car home video platform.