Volvo drivers to get a taste of Abbey Road Studios sound in their car
Clever technology has allowed Volvo’s engineers to recreate the Abbey Road experience.
Sound engineers from the famous recording studios at Abbey Road have lent their expertise and equipment to give Volvo drivers a listening treat.
Experts from the iconic studios – used by The Beatles, Oasis and Pink Flloyd – have teamed up with Volvo’s audio equipment makers Bowers & Wilkins.
The teams collaborated to use Abbey Road’s recording equipment from four decades ago to the modern day to recreate a range of modes that drivers of the new electric EX90 SUV will soon be able to enjoy.
Using the new app on the 374-mile range EV, Volvo drivers will be able to listen to songs from their favourite artists and hear how they would have sounded on the recording studio’s classic equipment from 40 years ago.
The app offers drivers the ability to move between classic and modern equipment using a digital dial while listening to tracks on the car’s 25-speaker system.
Bowers & Wilkins describes the new stereo system, which comes as standard on the £100k electric SUV, as a ‘reference’ set-up, which means it’s as close to perfect as possible. It features Dolby Atmos to offer drivers surround sound and is billed as one of the best audio systems ever fitted to a production car.
“This app will let drivers hear how their favourite tracks would have sounded on Abbey Road’s equipment and in its different studios,” said a spokesperson for Bowers & Wilkins at the launch of the new EX90.
“From the crackles to the unique sounds of the older studio equipment, to the remarkable quality of the modern day, the app will allow drivers to experience their music how artists recording it in the famous studios would have heard it at the time.”
The Abbey Road Studios app will be made available to drivers via an over-the-air update to their cars in the second quarter of 2025. Bowers & Wilkins said it may also be rolled out to other car manufacturers too.
Abbey Road was made famous by The Beatles who took their iconic cover photo for the album named after the studios on the zebra crossing outside the building. The location has been a tourist attraction ever since.
