Bowers & Wilkins: PH Meets
Want a personal concert on your commute? B&W are the people to speak to!
History lesson
John Bowers was an avid concertgoer concerned by the quality of sound reproduced at performances, and set about improving existing loudspeaker designs. He wanted the sound to accurately portray one that was heard in the studio when the song was first recorded.
After amicably parting ways with his friend Roy Wilkins (with whom he had run a radio shop after WWII), Bowers set up 'B&W Loudspeakers Ltd' in 1966 and the company has grown since then. Now with multiple factories - the Worthing HQ deals with the pinnacle Nautilus and 800 series loudspeaker ranges, with new media including headphones and Bluetooth speakers produced in China - Bowers & Wilkins is one of the most highly regarded audio companies.
John Bowers' quote, "The best loudspeaker isn't the one that gives the most, it's one that loses the least" is proudly displayed in the visitors' centre as a reminder that chasing perfection can never be an afterthought. Catchy. Throughout the factory tour, from the pair of Rosenut wood veneer finishes for the 800 series to the synthetically grown diamond domes used in the tweeter heads and the yellow Kevlar used in the mid-range speakers, most jobs and machines are unique to the company. Throughout the process, labels show the person who built it and when it was made.
Science of sound
Sound is, very basically, the variation of air pressure. The human hearing range is between 20Hz and 20,000Hz, with a greater sensitivity between 1,000 and 4,000Hz. If a speaker's maximum range is similar to that of a human ear, the distortions in the airwaves will greatly alter the sound. Aluminium and synthetic diamond used in the B&W tweeters have a maximum frequency of 30,000Hz and 70,000Hz respectively, meaning that no matter how loud you turn up the volume the sound is just as clear to you. This is where the mechanical quietness of the speaker stacks come into play, and why multiple layers of Beech wood veneer cross-ply is moulded using hundreds of tons of pressure to ensure structural rigidity. A number of elements in the factory could be outsourced but the innate need to be better has meant many of the jobs are kept in-house, aiming to perfect the mantra started by John Bowers. Andy Kerr, Senior Product Manager at B&W, confirms that the manufacturing process is all about flow; some processes may require more time and attention, therefore each member of staff on the floor is able to invalidate any piece of the speaker if a flaw is found. The entire process isn't rushed and that meticulousness can be seen at every station. Billets of aluminium are formed into tweeter housings, which are decoupled from the rest of the speaker using thermoplastic elastomer so that the units don't affect the frequencies from the drivers.
However, a billet of aluminium perched atop a dashboard will more than likely fail safety tests, so B&W's signature tweeters had to be reworked in sturdy plastic housings to still be placed on the dash facing the occupants. In the Volvo XC90, the audio engineers had plenty of 'architecture' available to them to house the 19 speakers of varied size and power. The larger the space available, the simpler it is to create a stage for the driver and passengers. By raising the three speakers in each door above the knee, that means the 'horizon' is higher and closer to the ears and also allows for the bass to be moved forward in the cabin and adjusted depending on whether passengers are onboard or not. The system includes three experiences: Studio, which Andy recommends, the Individual stage which allows you to alter the level of envelopment and Volvo's request of the Gothenburg Concert Hall, to truly get a feel of Sweden and allow the sound to mimic the space. Andy recommends plugging in versus connecting over Bluetooth as that doesn't compress the audio files played and there isn't any need to fiddle with the equaliser as that has already been perfected.
Being associated with multiple recording studios - including Abbey Road - not only takes the speaker to the source of the sound but it also provides the engineers, Andy included, with a vast repertoire of unheard track recordings. Playing Led Zeppelin's The Ocean, the sound of an earlier recording can be heard whilst the track is being counted down. Andy reveals that in the past, studios merely recorded over previous takes and these little nuggets can be found. From Elgar to N.W.A, the Bowers & Wilkins sound system can handle any genre of music with no changes to the equalizer. From the clarity of the orchestra to the thump of the drum beat, the quality remains remarkable.
Even though the clarity and the sense of occasion in this optional sound system are fantastic, dealers have mentioned that many customers don't request the upgraded system. However it does make the car more desirable when up for resale, and if the car is leased more options will push up future residuals. If this visit is anything to go buy, it's absolutely worth the money invested!
[Sources: Gov UK]
Photos: Dafydd Wood
You dont really understand this do you....
And "the ghost of a previous recording" was probably print-through.
You dont really understand this do you....
And "the ghost of a previous recording" was probably print-through.
So if you've got something that's good for 25k trying to pull off 18k at high volume then it'll start to distort. Because its only good for 25k at reasonable volume?
Please correct me if I'm wrong
So if you've got something that's good for 25k trying to pull off 18k at high volume then it'll start to distort. Because its only good for 25k at reasonable volume?
Please correct me if I'm wrong
Also, you will he High and Low passing signals, and different speakers will be playing different frequencies.
I got fed up of paying for premium audio systems that were crap, so started to install my own.
For hundreds I have a brilliant system. Keeping it simple helps.
I use an Alpine Head Unit, £200 gets a good quality one, you want 3 pre outs ideally, front/rear/sub. There are also built in HP and LP filters on the HU itself, and the amp also has HP/LP controls and gain.
I found somewhere discreet to mount a 6 channel amp, class AB for the front and rear speakers, and then Class D for channels 5 and 6, bridged for a sub.
I used component speakers up front, mid and tweeter, these come with built in filters to split the signal, but you can also use HU or Amp to cut out very low frequencies. Installed coaxial rears, and set gain low, just for a bit of fill.
Then built a small enclosure in corner of boot to house a 10 inch sub, very discreet, and amp supplies 300wrms to it, about ideal.
Including amp fitting kit that came to late hundreds, has lasted years and sounds better then any premium manufacturers system I have heard
Also, you will he High and Low passing signals, and different speakers will be playing different frequencies.
I got fed up of paying for premium audio systems that were crap, so started to install my own.
For hundreds I have a brilliant system. Keeping it simple helps.
I use an Alpine Head Unit, £200 gets a good quality one, you want 3 pre outs ideally, front/rear/sub. There are also built in HP and LP filters on the HU itself, and the amp also has HP/LP controls and gain.
I found somewhere discreet to mount a 6 channel amp, class AB for the front and rear speakers, and then Class D for channels 5 and 6, bridged for a sub.
I used component speakers up front, mid and tweeter, these come with built in filters to split the signal, but you can also use HU or Amp to cut out very low frequencies. Installed coaxial rears, and set gain low, just for a bit of fill.
Then built a small enclosure in corner of boot to house a 10 inch sub, very discreet, and amp supplies 300wrms to it, about ideal.
Including amp fitting kit that came to late hundreds, has lasted years and sounds better then any premium manufacturers system I have heard
By far the biggest influence is acoustic treatment. With all the glass, cars have a horribly reflective HF. The best car audio I've heard by far was in a Golf with every panel mastic treated and acoustic tiles all over the interior. Looked fairly st and probably weighed 100kg but even with a modest system it made the mega money stuff sound like distorted mess.
Need expensive reproduction equipment you do not.
Learn to play an instrument.
Then hear new timbral shades and rhythmic pulses you will, even in mono @ 64kbps through a battered old gramophone...
(I've long since lost faith in ”Hi-fi”, it's all about the equipment, not the music at all..)
Gassing Station | In-Car Electronics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff