We have it in a 2021 XC90. Not sure how much it differs from the S90 and V90 setup. I can't tell any difference between the B&W setup I had in a 2017 XC90 and the 2021 XC90 - the speaker covers are indeed different, and the marketing material says the speakers are redesigned... They sound the same to me.

Frankly, I did not like it in the '17, and I dislike it equally on the '21, so take my comments with a pinch of salt. My main issue is - they both rattle, and Volvo was never willing, nor able, to solve it. I have set in at least a dozen SPA cars with B&W, and I have never heard one that did not rattle, at 62-64 hz.

If that did not bug you before, it probably won't bug you now. But I would not expect much of a difference, to be honest.

 

We have it in a 2021 XC90. Not sure how much it differs from the S90 and V90 setup. I can't tell any difference between the B&W setup I had in a 2017 XC90 and the 2021 XC90 - the speaker covers are indeed different, and the marketing material says the speakers are redesigned... They sound the same to me.

Frankly, I did not like it in the '17, and I dislike it equally on the '21, so take my comments with a pinch of salt. My main issue is - they both rattle, and Volvo was never willing, nor able, to solve it. I have set in at least a dozen SPA cars with B&W, and I have never heard one that did not rattle, at 62-64 hz.

If that did not bug you before, it probably won't bug you now. But I would not expect much of a difference, to be honest.

Maybe you got unlucky with your cars regarding their audio systems - I've sat in many at the dealer (over 10 different individual systems in the XC90, V90, and V60, throughout model years - 2016 to 2019) and never heard this problem.

 

I have a 2021 S60 with the BW system. The summary changes are the yellow speaker cones are now silver and made out of the Continuum membrane, and all tweeters are double-dome aluminum construction. While I doubt many folks can tell a difference I'm sure it is an actual improvement as these changes are also implemented across the lineup of home speakers they sell.

I've never heard a BW system in a Volvo that had a rattle. I don't understand all these comments about rattles.... My car has no rattles when at maximum Volume, despite the fact you can physically see the door panel move from the woofers. Volvo addressed/improved that issued found in earlier cars. It no longer exists.

For the record....I nearly bought this car solely because the BW sound is is just phenomenal. Anyone that says the sound is "average" or they don't "see the big deal" about their quality is simply not an audio person and are never gonna understand the nuances these speakers produce. I've listened to about every sound system under the sun in a car. None of them have the quality of these BW Volvo setups.

 

I have a 2021 S60 with the BW system. The summary changes are the yellow speaker cones are now silver and made out of the Continuum membrane, and all tweeters are double-dome aluminum construction. While I doubt many folks can tell a difference I'm sure it is an actual improvement as these changes are also implemented across the lineup of home speakers they sell.

I've never heard a BW system in a Volvo that had a rattle. I don't understand all these comments about rattles.... My car has no rattles when at maximum Volume, despite the fact you can physically see the door panel move from the woofers. Volvo addressed/improved that issued found in earlier cars. It no longer exists.

For the record....I nearly bought this car solely because the BW sound is is just phenomenal. Anyone that says the sound is "average" or they don't "see the big deal" about their quality is simply not an audio person and are never gonna understand the nuances these speakers produce. I've listened to about every sound system under the sun in a car. None of them have the quality of these BW Volvo setups.

My former 2020 and my current 2021 XC90 rattle at the edge of the front door pockets. When its above 50% and has some decent bass. It's annoying. I may try very small amounts of hot glue to the surfaces that meet together that are the main culprits. I thought I solved it by the plastic tags attached to the internal door panel wiring. But nope.

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I have the B&W system in a 2020 V60 CC and it does not have any rattles. I have a pretty good home theater system so it's not like I don't know what a good system - or rattle, sounds like. Just because mine doesn't have rattles, does not mean yours doesn't too. It's just odd I guess.

 

Yes in 2018 s90 i never had any rattles as well.

 

My 2018 V90CC has the driver door arm rest rattle on hot days with music with a lot of bass.

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Pasting part of my reply here from another audio thread because it's relevant:

The actual speakers themselves aren't buzzing - it's the crap hard plastic panels Volvo put into the doors that's buzzing. This can be fixed with some padding between the panel that's buzzing (once you find it) and the surround. Better adhesive and tightening of any screws (with added threadlocker blue) should help too - I've seen many people with this problem actually look around, find the loose panel, and address it - not the sound system's fault.

The source audio quality also matters. A lot. Radio, SiriusXM, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. etc. sound as good as they can sound capped at 256kbps. The strength of the B&W system can only really be displayed properly when listening to FLAC, CDs, or other lossless and/or high bitrate sources - not the lossy sources mentioned previously (some being much worse than others).
This is obviously more easy to tell using actual speakers at home (full 7.1 B&W 800-series setup hooked up to a McIntosh MX160, in my case), instead of a car system which has to compete with road noise, etc., but you can still tell nonetheless.
Last summer, I drove from the Netherlands to Sweden in a V90 that had base audio. I already had a headache going into the third movement of Mahler's 5th.
Absolutely unfathomable how that sound system sounds absolutely abysmal compared to my V70's midrange audio + HU803 (both stock), and I even spent at least 20 minutes EQing it before I set off from Hertz at Schiphol.
YMMV, especially when it comes to if you care about music and your audio system's characteristics, but yeah - SPA base audio? Not for me lol. If/when I buy an SPA to add to the fleet, B&W is at the top of my list in terms of options.

 

...I already had a headache going into the third movement of Mahler's 5th...

Interestingly, this was Alma's go-to excuse for wanting to have Gustav sleep in the guest bedroom. 'Not tonight, dear. I've been listening to your 5th and I simply have a raging headache...'

 

Regarding rattles - I get it, it is subjective, how much it bothers yo, or whether you even notice. I sold custom car audio solutions as a kid, growing up in Italy... I have seen how much variation there is in how people perceive these things.

The couple of things I can say...

1. My 2017 developed a rattle over time. On the 2021, I could hear the same even before picking up the car. The dealer acknowledge the rattle, and it was part of the price negotiations.
2. On both the 2017 and 2021, multiple Volvo dealerships diagnosed it and acknowledge it. It is not "in my head". Every technician that listened to the car said they heard it clearly. They just couldn't fix it.
3. It is not the speakers. As someone said above, it is the caps holding the lower speakers in the doors in place. I noticed that temperature also affects it. It is a lot more noticeable on cold days, before the cars warm up.
4. All rattles I heard were between 62 and 64 Hz. Very easy to spot with any sound-generating app. If you touch specific areas of the door around the speakers, the rattling disappears.

 

Re the Scouts: Although I do not subscribe to this particular philosophy myself, I recall James Dean, on being queried as to his orientation,replying "Why cut your chances in half on Saturday night?

I think we should get back to discussing audio.

Alas, although my aging ears are able to hear the difference between the B&W system in my totaled 2018 V90CC and the base system in my 2019 V90CC, it no longer is great enough o warrant the extra $$$$$ to me. For someone with still good hearing in probably is.

As an aside, the best value for money audio upgrade improvement I ever had was the Scan Dyna system in a 2000 Passat. It cost a whopping $247 and easily was the equal of SAAB basic, and Lexus upgraded audio.

 

My 2018 XC60 with B&W rattled with heavy bass. It is the door panel that is rattling. I know this because if you push on the door panel while the bass is playing it solves the problem. This was on the passenger side only. My problem has been intermittent. The last quarter of "Bury a Friend" from Billie Eilish is a good test of the rattle.

Additionally, I had a rattle on the drivers side, but that went away after about six months of ownership.

I heard the 2021 Harmon Kardon system yesterday and I don't think I would splurge for the B&W again, though I have not heard the 2021 B&W.

 

Yea mine rattles with bass. I downloaded a tone generator app on my phone so I could make it rattle to show the dealer. They didn't care. I haven't gotten around to taking the door panel off to see if I can stop it

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Interesting to see this thread resurrected. B&W home audio owners are now admitting deficiencies in the D3s as they now hear and upgrade to the recently released D4s. D3s is when B&W transitioned from the yellow kevlar to the continuum cone material. Can't help but wonder if they've 'corrected' the same 'deficiencies' of their home audio units in their Volvo units. I'm an extremely satisfied D2 and '18 V90 owner, both with the yellow kevlar.

 

Interesting to see this thread resurrected. B&W home audio owners are now admitting deficiencies in the D3s as they now hear and upgrade to the recently released D4s. D3s is when B&W transitioned from the yellow kevlar to the continuum cone material. Can't help but wonder if they've 'corrected' the same 'deficiencies' of their home audio units in their Volvo units. I'm an extremely satisfied D2 and '18 V90 owner, both with the yellow kevlar.

Total speculation, but I'm guessing that the price and demand of Kevlar has sky rocketed so much that B&W made a financial decision to cheapen out materials. I do like B&W in our 2021 a lot. But our former 2020 with the yellow Kevlar material was a little less tamed.

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