2011 Jaguar XJ - the Bowers and Wilkins experience
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2011 Jaguar XJ - the Bowers and Wilkins experience
while I havent driven the car yet since it isnt even in the showroom yet, I am just going to provide a quick review on the demo I had of the car's interior and the B&W speaker package when I was at CES 2010 in Vegas.
So at the B&W booth at CES (consumer electronic show, in Las Vegas), they had a brand new (close to production model) 2011 XJL Supercharged (L for long wheelbase) the one with 510hp...
as most of you know, Jaguar has been on the road of improvement in terms of quality and reliability
so when they totally went with a whole new design scheme that started with the XF, they have captured my attention more than ever
the car on display at CES was fully loaded for show purpose and of course it had the B&W speakers systems.
here is what it had for audio:
21 B&W speakers
1200W total (peak rating i believe)
kevlar cones
DSP with Dolby Pro-Logic IIx (a world first for a car) and DTS Neo:6
here is where I began my true appreciation for a Jaguar.
The moment i sat into the delightfully designed driver seat, i was greeted by the jaguar audio designer who worked with B&W and he had a laptop on hand to wireless demo the audio system.
1st test: audio quality
first he began with a couple of simple audio tracks so we could hear the full range of the system.
Right from the moment i closed the door on the car, I could tell that this car is setup for a supreme auditory experience with its almost vacuum like quietness and sound insulation.
But of course the same dampening and insulation could be had on the Lexus LS
what amused me was the next song he played for me
he played the now standard track for audio testing, Norah Jones' Dont Know Why
the B&W system was able to clearly set apart its mid and low range from the door panel speakers with rich and almost full range speaker like quality.
What was interesting was the way the sound projected from the front of the car instead of from the sides and there was enough low range from the side door panels to make me thing they were at least 8" of woofers in there (where in fact im sure it had a much smaller physical dimensions)
2nd test: DSP and surround sound
he demo'ed the surround sound capabilities of the system by playing a track that went from front to rear and left to right
it was a seamingless transfer of sound from front to rear and left to right due to the incredible amount of speakers in the car offering the near perfect soundstage and positioning.
i would dare to say that no other cars can do this as good as the XJ's B&W package
to end this on a short note (tired of typing here), with B&O system on the Audi A8, you see the speakers rising up
sure it sounds pretty good too but what happened was, I could "see" the music with the B&W
with B&O instead, i would just be seeing the speakers and hearing the music on the B&O
btw I think it was Matt Jones who gave me the tour (the guy in the video here: http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=4295)
i guess it helps when you have a super "sales" introducing the product to you
haha
so the XJ will start to arrive in Jaguar showrooms in US starting April
i highly recommend anyone interested in this class of sedans go check it out and all audiophiles should also have a listen
just be sure to bring your fav CD
So at the B&W booth at CES (consumer electronic show, in Las Vegas), they had a brand new (close to production model) 2011 XJL Supercharged (L for long wheelbase) the one with 510hp...
as most of you know, Jaguar has been on the road of improvement in terms of quality and reliability
so when they totally went with a whole new design scheme that started with the XF, they have captured my attention more than ever
the car on display at CES was fully loaded for show purpose and of course it had the B&W speakers systems.
here is what it had for audio:
21 B&W speakers
1200W total (peak rating i believe)
kevlar cones
DSP with Dolby Pro-Logic IIx (a world first for a car) and DTS Neo:6
here is where I began my true appreciation for a Jaguar.
The moment i sat into the delightfully designed driver seat, i was greeted by the jaguar audio designer who worked with B&W and he had a laptop on hand to wireless demo the audio system.
1st test: audio quality
first he began with a couple of simple audio tracks so we could hear the full range of the system.
Right from the moment i closed the door on the car, I could tell that this car is setup for a supreme auditory experience with its almost vacuum like quietness and sound insulation.
But of course the same dampening and insulation could be had on the Lexus LS
what amused me was the next song he played for me
he played the now standard track for audio testing, Norah Jones' Dont Know Why
the B&W system was able to clearly set apart its mid and low range from the door panel speakers with rich and almost full range speaker like quality.
What was interesting was the way the sound projected from the front of the car instead of from the sides and there was enough low range from the side door panels to make me thing they were at least 8" of woofers in there (where in fact im sure it had a much smaller physical dimensions)
2nd test: DSP and surround sound
he demo'ed the surround sound capabilities of the system by playing a track that went from front to rear and left to right
it was a seamingless transfer of sound from front to rear and left to right due to the incredible amount of speakers in the car offering the near perfect soundstage and positioning.
i would dare to say that no other cars can do this as good as the XJ's B&W package
to end this on a short note (tired of typing here), with B&O system on the Audi A8, you see the speakers rising up
sure it sounds pretty good too but what happened was, I could "see" the music with the B&W
with B&O instead, i would just be seeing the speakers and hearing the music on the B&O
btw I think it was Matt Jones who gave me the tour (the guy in the video here: http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=4295)
i guess it helps when you have a super "sales" introducing the product to you
haha
so the XJ will start to arrive in Jaguar showrooms in US starting April
i highly recommend anyone interested in this class of sedans go check it out and all audiophiles should also have a listen
just be sure to bring your fav CD
Last edited by UberNoob; 01-16-10 at 11:22 PM.
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p.s. the contraversial rear styling looked great in person
although ive never hated that rear when just seeing the product launch photos, i gave it more appreciation when i saw it in person
the swooping lines blended very well with its side profile and subtle lines hidden in its blacked out C pillar
here are some pics of the XJ
needless to say, my goal is to have one within 5 years
the 380hp, standard wheelbase + luxury package + B&W speaker package model that is
although ive never hated that rear when just seeing the product launch photos, i gave it more appreciation when i saw it in person
the swooping lines blended very well with its side profile and subtle lines hidden in its blacked out C pillar
here are some pics of the XJ
needless to say, my goal is to have one within 5 years
the 380hp, standard wheelbase + luxury package + B&W speaker package model that is
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tata has put them back on the map it seems
by closing unnecessary plants, i think that has alerted the workers to pay more attention when building the cars... i hope
lol
by closing unnecessary plants, i think that has alerted the workers to pay more attention when building the cars... i hope
lol
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BTW is it just me or does the XF's interior look more "luxurious" than the XJ's? Something about the round vents look cheap to me.
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yeah i used to think Focal is all that
they are very good indeed
but theres nothing like an OEM DSP system this advanced with such flawless implementation
the round vents actually look a bit more detailed in person so looks less "cheap"
to be honest, i didnt pay as much attention to the interior as i would like
because once they started the sound demo, i just closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride
and that was all i could think about for the rest of that day
they are very good indeed
but theres nothing like an OEM DSP system this advanced with such flawless implementation
the round vents actually look a bit more detailed in person so looks less "cheap"
to be honest, i didnt pay as much attention to the interior as i would like
because once they started the sound demo, i just closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride
and that was all i could think about for the rest of that day
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the round vents actually look a bit more detailed in person so looks less "cheap"
to be honest, i didnt pay as much attention to the interior as i would like
because once they started the sound demo, i just closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride
and that was all i could think about for the rest of that day
to be honest, i didnt pay as much attention to the interior as i would like
because once they started the sound demo, i just closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride
and that was all i could think about for the rest of that day
#15
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stunning!!! hope the manufacturing quality is good too.