You don’t need to be a massive Beatles fan to recognize the significance of Abbey Road or to understand that without a record deal, getting into the famous studio is nearly impossible. But what if you could recreate that experience—complete with an authentic feel of the Beatles’ prime era—right from your car parked at home?
That’s the idea behind the Abbey Road Studios sound mode, which will soon be available as an over-the-air update for every Volvo EX90 equipped with a Bowers & Wilkins sound system. This Scandinavian seven-seater electric vehicle served as the testing ground for the new software, developed collaboratively by B&W, Volvo’s audio team, and Abbey Road’s producers. The software mimics the studio’s distinctive sound qualities, allowing drivers to adjust the sound as if they were sound engineers.
I had the chance to experience this in a demo car, testing out the four presets—Intimate, Open, Energised, and Expansive—alongside the customizable Producer mode. Then, I compared it to the actual studio experience. I was amazed at how the Open mode captured the studio’s expansive acoustics, while the Intimate mode provided a closer feel of the control room.
Of course, it helps that the EX90 boasts an exceptional stereo system. High-end models come with 25 precisely positioned speakers around the cabin, including eight ceiling and headrest speakers with aluminum domes, six Continuum cone midrange drivers, and five Nautilus double-dome tweeters. It’s essentially a full Bowers & Wilkins setup on wheels, offering top-notch precision and warmth.
The Abbey Road mode shines when you stop and activate Producer mode (you can’t customize it while driving). The EX90’s large 14.2-inch portrait infotainment screen turns into a mini control desk, complete with a four-way slider for adjusting soundstage and tonality. Moving the slider up and down changes the presentation’s width, making it more expansive to mimic studio sound; left and right adjust between vintage and modern equipment. You can choose any setting and save it as a preset.
I appreciated how the vintage setting gave tracks a retro feel, with a sharper and narrower sound, without losing the original essence. Shifting to the modern and studio settings opened up the mix, which worked wonderfully for contemporary music. Although I didn’t get to hear the EX90 in motion, being an electric luxury vehicle, you’re unlikely to miss out on the finer sound details due to wind or road noise.
However, owning an EX90 isn’t exactly cheap. With its massive 111kWh battery offering a 360-mile range, dual motors generating up to 509bhp, and a minimal yet luxurious interior, the price nearly hits six figures. So, having one on my driveway soon is unlikely.
But that doesn’t mean the Abbey Road Studios mode will always be out of reach. While Bowers & Wilkins can’t control your home listening environment as they can in a car, the hard work of sound processing is done. It’s easy to imagine their speakers and headphones incorporating this feature in the future—and importantly, no one at the launch event ruled out this possibility.
