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Jaguar Partners with Bowers & Wilkins: Exclusive collaboration reveals exciting audio entertainment innovations
Jaguar’s new C-XF concept car, unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show, features next generation audio solutions from renowned sound expert Bowers & Wilkins. Emphasizing the company’s reputation for audio excellence and innovation, Bowers & Wilkins’ first foray into the automotive entertainment arena reveals a range of technologies, materials and techniques, many of which make their debut.
Applying over 40 years of experience to the challenges of achieving great sound in the automotive environment, Bowers & Wilkins’ engineers have developed a unique in-car audio system, featuring Micro-Matrix speaker panels, ‘Bass Beam’ low-frequency driver technology, Kevlar® cone midrange speakers, diamond-dome tweeters, selective-directivity arrays in the rear passenger compartment, and a rear deck panel featuring a full complement of bass and wide-dispersion drivers.
 Within the C-XF concept car, Bowers & Wilkins demonstrates a clear understanding of the challenges in reproducing sound effectively in-car, combining high-performance materials and technologies and integrating them into the Jaguar’s luxury interior. “The in-car environment is very complex,” says Martin Lindsay, Senior Business Development Manager at Bowers & Wilkins Automotive. “Restricted space, differing materials, and the need to satisfy multiple entertainment needs pose unique and often conflicting requirements.” Bowers & Wilkins has been involved in the concept car’s development from the start, and each element of the system has been devised using technologically-advanced concepts aimed at ensuring the best possible sound experience throughout.
This collaboration marks the beginning of Bowers and Wilkins’ relationship with Jaguar and selected partners to develop and deliver next-generation premium audio solutions. The system created for the Jaguar C-XF attests to Bowers & Wilkins’ acoustic expertise and signals the company’s commitment to bringing audio innovations to the car. “We recognize that consumers demand high-quality sound reproduction in their cars as well as in their homes,” continues Lindsay.
Bowers & Wilkins’ custom ‘audio concept’ system includes:
Jewel-like front and rear speaker panels utilizing patented Micro-Matrix material, designed to deliver improved stiffness and damping properties. The material adds strength, avoids vibration and makes a good use of the limited space typically available in the interior of the car.
‘Bass Beam’ low-frequency driver components, mounted in the doors, promoting structural integrity and superior audio imaging. Finding an ideal space for subwoofers in the car has always been problematic. This innovative design makes incorporation within the car’s doors possible and provides an optimal implementation for the achievement of forward stereo imaging and concentrated ‘up front’ bass.
Incorporation of Kevlar® cone drivers in the dashboard and doors, designed to achieve smoother response throughout its frequency range. The end result is that these speakers deliver more fine detail to the listener and eliminate off-axis tonal-balance problems.
Diamond-dome tweeters combined with award-winning Nautilus technology deliver unmatched high-frequency performance. The elements in the C-XF are taken from Bowers & Wilkins critically-acclaimed 800 Diamond Series loudspeakers. The tapered Nautilus™ tube is now replaced by a compact, spiral version which damps unwanted reflections from the rear side of the tweeter element.
Selective-Directivity arrays under DSP control accurately direct full-range audio, creating improved clarity for back seat passengers while avoiding driver distraction. These components help achieve the goal of soundstage optimization in response to changing passenger entertainment needs. These can be used to cover all listening conditions. For multi-channel surround entertainment, these drivers help to deliver a seamless presentation front to rear.
Rear deck panel designed to create an even sound experience with a central-mounted bass driver and two flanking wide-dispersion drivers.
Further information about Bowers & Wilkins in-car entertainment may be found at:
www.bowers-wilkins.com
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