Technology
Reproducing sound effectively in the cabin of a car raises all sorts of challenges – the small space, differing materials and the requirement to satisfy multiple entertainment needs, all become important issues to address. Using ground-breaking Bowers & Wilkins innovations such as aluminium dome tweeters and Kevlar® drive units, each component in the new XJ’s sound system has been specially designed for the car. The twenty-speaker, fifteen-channel system has been fine-tuned and calibrated by the same expert engineers responsible for Bowers & Wilkins’ 800 Series speakers, which are used at Abbey Road Studios.
Precise speaker positioning
A car’s interior actually offers engineers some advantages: its acoustic space – the total volume of air that the speakers have to drive – is constant and predictable, as are the materials to make this space and their relative placement. To ensure this advantage is fully exploited it is crucial that speakers are placed precisely where acoustics dictate they should best work. Jaguar gave Bowers & Wilkins unprecedented input in the audio-sensitive positioning of the speakers in order to ensure that each seat offers the same sound experience.
Lightweight drive unit perfection
Bowers & Wilkins discovered properties in Kevlar® that make it an ideal material for mid-range speaker cones. Originally used by body armour specialists around the world, Kevlar has become the material of choice for our drive units. Its unique constant dispersion properties ensure the delivery of a clean sound over a wide range of frequencies. Kevlar speaker cones are both light and rigid, which make them an apt choice for the new XJ, one of the lightest production cars Jaguar has ever made. This lightweight construction is also mirrored in the seven aluminium domed tweeters that provide passengers with a refined treble performance.
Digital Signal Processing
The Bowers & Wilkins system in the XJ uses sophisticated music-processing modes and dashboard-mounted, centre-channel loudspeaker, to produce a solid stereo image from the middle of the car, and create a satisfying surround sound effect even from a simple stereo audio signal. Meanwhile, Audyssey MultiEQ XT acoustic equalization, as used in high-end home cinema amplifiers, helps removes sonic distortion caused by the inherent variations in any car’s acoustics, resulting in a cleaner, more accurate sound. The Audyssey Dynamic Volume feature ensures sound quality is consistent at all volumes by using a front-mounted microphone to detect variations in cabin noise and then compensating for them. It provides a great starting point for the countless hours of fine-tuning by experienced engineers that follow.
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