2023 Volvo XC90 - Bowers & Wilkins Sound System Review

Ladies and gentlemen, one of the best audio systems we've ever reviewed, the Bowers & Wilkins radio in the Volvo XC90. We love nearly everything about it. Great natural sound, tons of power, and a classy interface. Top tier for sure.
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0:00 Infotainment, sound settings, inputs
6:40 Speaker locations
7:16 Apple CarPlay
7:44 Electronic (Illuminate)
9:03 Lo-fi/Chill (ChillShop)
9:49 Classical (The Travelling Symphony)
11:31 Rock (Homeworld Collapse)
12:59 Bass (Redlips)
13:31 Electronic (Muffin)
14:32 Electronic (Aimless Lyrics)
15:37 Final thoughts
Graphics by Skyler Benn.
This video was filmed with in-ear, binaural microphones, so if you listen with headphones, it will sound like you're sitting in the driver's seat!
WAV uncompressed audio tracks used:
Muffin by Raven & Kreyn | • Raven & Kreyn - Muffin...
ChillShop and Redlips by Deoxys Beats | / deoxysbeats1
Homeworld Collapse by Arthur Vyncke | / arthurvost
Aimless Lyrics and Illuminate by Punch Deck | / punch-deck
The Travelling Symphony by Savfk | / savfkmusic
Twenty Nineteen Americana Instrumental by Wayne John Bradley | / ayneohnradley
Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
#xc90 #bowersandwilkins #volvo

[@MukisaSS]

Not surprised to see this get an S tier. Volvo knows how to produce high quality audio.

[@christopherrmcg]

Even the base and harman kardon systems sound excellent

[@pavlo2692]

Not in the XC40 :/@@christopherrmcg

[@ivanlowjones]

The Bowers and Wilkins system in my 2017 XC90 makes it worth driving on a daily basis.

[@Alberts_Kviesis]

Even everyday radio sounds different :)

[@telzmomo]

We have 2019 XC90 with B&W and I promise to anyone that this is so worth it. I don't really enjoy driving the car but love the car just because of the B&W sound system. It really makes a huge difference...

[@victorong7907]

Are there any difference in the speakers & audio quality of the 2019 xc90 vs the 2023 one?

[@maxineturn]

i’m really excited to hear the bowers in the EX90. i think the fact that it’s electric with no audible engine noise might enhance the level of quality while driving harder or at higher speeds.

[@DailyMotorSound]

New Bose system in the EX90 also I believe.

[@Wasabi9111]

I have yet to hear the b&w system in the Volvos. But I find Volvo interiors to be quite loud, especially compared to other luxury cars. Hopefully the EV versions will be much quieter.

[@sarpgunaydin]

@@DailyMotorSound The lower level system is Bose but the high end system is Bowers and Wilkins Bowers & Wilkins High Fidelity - 25 speakers - 25 channels - 1610W output - Dolby Atmos compatible - Includes subwoofer Bose Premium Sound - 14 speakers - 14 channels - 760W output - Includes subwoofer

[@rudresh]

Such a lovely soothing sound system, so balanced.

[@TheAaffri]

Owning an xc90 ultimate with all the bells and whistles…B&W sounds AWESOME. Just: nappa ventilated heated and massage seats are a must have with it🎉

[@TheWolod]

Ok so I just heard the S-Class Burmeister sound system and I gotta admit the system on this car sounds SO MUCH more natural and more balanced then the S-Class. Mercedes goes for more modern v-shaped sound. This sound system is pure joy to listen to. Love it!

[@DailyMotorSound]

Very well said, I totally agree!

[@vincenttremblay2580]

Had the dynaudio system in my older Volvo. Was and still is one of the best sound systems I’ve ever heard

[@diesel7903]

I highly recommend getting the Bowers and Wilkins sound system

[@or3ng3]

my new dream car

[@user-hy9pr8en9j]

I love this video! I drive a 2004 XC90 and it has the upgraded stereo system. I guess you would call it “Premium “?. My mother has a 2013 XC90 R-Design that has Premium Sound and sounds nothing like my 2004! The base in my 2004 rocks so much harder than my mom’s, not to mention, the surround sound is greatly exaggerated in my 2004!

[@ryanshannon6963]

Did they remove the equalizer? I had a '18 S90 with BW audio and there was an equalizer in the sound settings menu. It was in the Advanced or whatever drop down menu. It's almost a requisite when listening to anything on this system as far as I'm concerned. After I owned that car, I will require at least an, "A" quality audio system as I found it greatly reduced hearing fatigue and even helped with overall driving pleasure on extended road trips (I've taken it to more than 1 10+ hour trips and never felt tired in that car). I will forever be fan of BW system in that car.

[@culldera1]

I wonder what the R Design xc60’s have for speaker set up. I have an ‘18 and it’s the best I’ve had so far. Really want to hear the Bowers set up and also the Lexus Mark Levinson at some point

[@LidanyanZhou]

Wish I could afford one, really love the B&Ws

[@jacobcapaldo1204]

I’m really looking forward to hearing comparisons of the B&W systems in the forthcoming Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3 EVs. Because they’re electric and much quieter, I’m expecting one of them to be the best stock sound system yet, but I wonder which will be better? I’d like to think the Polestar 3 will be better, since they’re technically Volvo, but the Volvo brand name one might just knock it out of the park

[@pdg61met]

Love your channel. Thanks for the vids. Can you review the new Honda Accord 450 watt system? It comes on the EX-L model. The system is the level just under their Bose.

[@DailyMotorSound]

Thanks! And yeah we'll likely see that one in a few months. Honda will probably be pushing the Bose system a bunch, but maybe we can find an EX-L too.

[@KiedysToBylo]

Cant wait for EX90 B&W review. Do You plan one soon?

[@JulAgu78]

Is the B&W the standard sound system for the XC90?

[@TrezenEN]

I have this system. What the fuck were they thinking. I love DnB bit this is fucking mental 🤣

[@enriquilloMTB]

Thank you very much for your sound analysis, do you know if the soundproofing and acoustic treatment varies if the Volvo is equipped with regular, HK or B&W sound?

[@DailyMotorSound]

You're welcome! I don't believe so, but I can't say for sure.

[@pavlo2692]

Even if they do, probably Volvo wouldn't advertise (or even describe anywhere) such a thing. Never seen any car manufacturer even mention the noise reduction tech they use, except for Genesis with their active road noise cancellation.

[@djijspeakerguy4628]

You should check out the stereo in the Tesla model Y at some point. Those are not advertised as such, but B&O (not to be confused with Volvo’s B&W) makes them. Only complaint about the Tesla stereo is that the frequency response seems a bit V-shaped, that is, it lacks midrange to my ears.

[@DailyMotorSound]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4TZhXppmM-gask

[@AAhmad3449]

I wanna get a Volvo just to play music😊

[@soever]

Hi very nice review! How do you think they compare with the B&W in the bmws

[@DailyMotorSound]

Much better. Haven't been impressed with many B&W in the BMWs except for the new i7.

[@soever]

@@DailyMotorSound interesting

[@KidHall0]

@@DailyMotorSound You gave the B&W in the X7 an S-tier though 😅. Would you say the B&W in the X5 is on the same level as the X7?

[@Birmingham_racing]

What mic do you use?

[@DailyMotorSound]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003QGPCTE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thet050b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B003QGPCTE&linkId=f38b34ffbff4264a1a52451353fcf562

[@kuzonai8436]

What makes this one better over the B&W 5 series one? also thanks for your vids

[@DailyMotorSound]

Just about everything :P And thank you

[@maxl7827]

Bigger cars are usually better than smaller cars because they have better staging and better bass. Bmw ix with B&W 4D makes this xc90 B&W fall on its face

[@josephquinto5812]

@@maxl7827 Definitely doesn’t

[@maxl7827]

@@josephquinto5812 Falling on its face was maybe too much but the ix b&w 4D is better

[@steviebeavie1]

What's the name of the color of the car? Thanks for your review, v good!

[@DailyMotorSound]

Denim Blue Metallic, and thanks!

[@IOOvsI]

x7 b&w VS xc90 b&w which do u prefer?

[@DailyMotorSound]

XC90

[@muhammedenes5778]

Is there a difference between xc90 and xc60

[@DailyMotorSound]

Not very much. 90 series is a little stronger but not meaningfully

[@ptb127]

I almost want to buy a volvo because of this.

[@DailyMotorSound]

It's a strong reason why I would consider buying one. That and the S60 looks so darn good.

[@jeffmao850]

It typically beats average B&O systems.

[@degou3438]

It beats all B&O systems

[@Adamlllllllllllljjjljljjjjj]

Is this the best sound system in your opinion for this price point? If not, are there any that are better but for slightly less money?🧐

[@DailyMotorSound]

This is the best sound system at any price point in our opinion.

[@degou3438]

@@DailyMotorSound best than RR Bespoke??

[@cougargold]

I want to like this system, but you have no control over balance/fade and no mid-range adjustment. Deal breaker. One of the things I find very important for a vehicle purchase is the factory sound system. I'm not into cutting out factory components for aftermarket like I did in high school. Looks like the Mark Levinson from Lexus has my vote at this point. I was torn between an XC90 and a RX500H. Looks like the 500H is gonna be the car I buy (assuming I can find one with Mark Levinson soon).

[@MustacheRainbow]

I just took this car for a test drive today and was so pumped... Turned out to be let down. I was actually pretty bummed with the lack of EQ control. I couldn't get enough warthm in the low mids for my taste. I may have to go try it again tomorrow and put both bass and treble into the negative EQ settings and turn up the overall level to see if that helps. Also, I was not perceiving the change in "intensity." Just my two cents.

[@Orangematz]

Even better than the Burmester High-End in the S Class??

[@DailyMotorSound]

Yes. Some people may prefer the S-class, but we find it marginally too artificial and gimmicky.

[@DailyMotorSound]

And I mean the sound is artificial.

[@degou3438]

@@DailyMotorSound so the sound signature in the s class is not natural? I did not expect this, interesting!

[@Yes-qc7qt]

As good or better than the LX 570 ML without the terrible infotainment

[@DailyMotorSound]

Better.

[@KiedysToBylo]

Soundsystem on wheels.... I own one and it's hard to replace it with other car because it will be a downgrade in terms of soundsytem.

[@Julian-yy3sj]

The sound is still great but the change from sensus to google infotainment system was a disaster therefore i will not buy the xc90 2023 and instead an Mercedes GLE .

[@ohnemar4285]

No EQ for a BW system? No buy!

[@boiing9274]

XC90 is definitely not S tier.. maybe A at best. The soundstage isn't too immersive -- no overhead speakers -- the clarity isn't as good as burmester, the bass extension, surprisingly enough, isn't up to scratch for a system of this price. The bass is punchy enough, but it doesn't hit the lowest notes quite like the Burmester system does. The seating positions are great in the XC90, and you do get equal sound both front and second row (obviously the third row is sub-par) just like the Merc, but overall, I would say that in almost every measurable way, the Mercedes beats the Volvo. For systems that command such a premium, this great a difference certainly means that the XC90 doesn't deserve an S tier rating, for sure. And I have listened to both systems, obviously.

[@josephquinto5812]

Wrong

[@QuiresPan]

Your ears must be broken lol. I listened to both and there’s no comparison, which is why I now have a Volvo.

[@mgp9733]

The Acura ELS Signature Edition laughs at this Volvo's B&W.

[@ivanlowjones]

No, it doesn't.

[@barbecuetechtips6024]

Els 3d is one of the best in class. But at the end of the day it's a Harmon kardon product.

[@DailyMotorSound]

Nope.

[@citays]

@@barbecuetechtips6024 Guess links hid my previous reply, by ELS is with Panasonic, Harman is with Samsung. Also, many people don't know this, or never point it out for some reason, but Harman has the Bowers license for cars. "HARMAN’s leading brands and cutting-edge audio systems include JBL, Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, AKG, Lexicon, Infinity, and Revel. The company also licenses Bowers & Wilkins and Bang & Olufsen brands for automotive." "HARMAN continues to lead premium automotive audio through partnerships with top automotive OEMs...This includes the latest HARMAN audio systems from JBL, Harman Kardon, Bang & Olufsen and Bowers & Wilkins, as well as key technologies such as Clari-Fi, which restores the rich original sound of music that gets lost during digital audio compression, QuantumLogic Surround, which recreates an authentic concert hall experience in the car by mimicking the acoustics of the original recording space and Logic 7 surround audio processing to transform normal two-channel stereo recordings into realistic, atmospheric multi-channel surround sound."

[@barbecuetechtips6024]

@@citays Another reason I stay away from Harmon products. Even though they usually produce or license the processing or software side. That's why Panasonic, Burmeister, Naim, and Kef are my go to.