Did anyone add subwoofer to standard system?

[yeoman]

Here is a what-hifi review of the B&W sound system in the XC90

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGYLiMwrXyo

[Rossmck]

I too could not justify the 3.5k for B&W so added the sub and am happy I did, however it is very subtle. I generally notch up the treble to 3/4 range, bass just right of mid position and with sub on full with Apple car play the difference is noticeable and worth it.

Still not as good as the HK in our bmw but totally acceptable and the sub adds a little more depth, so happy.

Btw initially I excitedly drove away our new xc90 Bluetoothed up for some musical tryouts to assess the sub and was hugely disappointed to the point of nearly driving straight back to dealership. I was convinced no sub was fitted as altering sub settings from min to max made zero difference even on the bassiest of tracks (eg. U2 with or without you). However as soon as I connected via car play (USB) the sound difference was polar. Bluetooth implementation is god awful, USB direct on the other hand is very good indeed and the sub is subtle (good thing) and definitely worth it IMHO.

[Carl Sberglager]

Originally Posted by Rossmck

I too could not justify the 3.5k for B&W so added the sub and am happy I did, however it is very subtle. I generally notch up the treble to 3/4 range, bass just right of mid position and with sub on full with Apple car play the difference is noticeable and worth it.

Still not as good as the HK in our bmw but totally acceptable and the sub adds a little more depth, so happy.

Btw initially I excitedly drove away our new xc90 Bluetoothed up for some musical tryouts to assess the sub and was hugely disappointed to the point of nearly driving straight back to dealership. I was convinced no sub was fitted as altering sub settings from min to max made zero difference even on the bassiest of tracks (eg. U2 with or without you). However as soon as I connected via car play (USB) the sound difference was polar. Bluetooth implementation is god awful, USB direct on the other hand is very good indeed and the sub is subtle (good thing) and definitely worth it IMHO.

On investigation, have found the same, where source is suppressed (Bluetooth/DAB) difference is negligible but on Car Play/Tunein/FM it comes into its own.

[marceloavg]

bumping this thread to see whether anyone was indeed able to add the subwoofer after taking delivery? Dealer continues to say it is not a dealer fitter option - question on the XC90 II (2015+)

[Calc]

A further bump 9 months later to see if anyone has now managed to retro-fit a sub?

[JAmaral]

Originally Posted by Carl Sberglager

On investigation, have found the same, where source is suppressed (Bluetooth/DAB) difference is negligible but on Car Play/Tunein/FM it comes into its own.

Within the topic: I spec’d the additional sub w/standard audio system and when I was placing the order my dealer told me that it could not be retrofitted.

On a side note and in comment to the above quote:

1) I don't want to move this thread into a new direction but I wonder whether anyone has been able to evidence (from a technical standpoint) whether there is in fact a difference between playing music by bluetooth vs carplay. I tried the same track with both sources and could not perceive a difference. I played around with the equalizer and both sounded great to me.

2) I understand that the B&W audio comes with a special app called Sound Experience. I understand that this app plays a big part in improving the sound quality of the B&W system. Is it possible to download it or is it B&W exclusive?

Thanks

[menacesco]

Originally Posted by PorkaFly

Yes, I have it. The basic system is very good, but with Subwoofer it takes it within a hair of the B&W. I've had so called top-end systems in my cars for years and this with Sub bests any of them by quite a margin. It's worth it.

PF

I agree. Well worth the cost.

[clarkgable]

I too have added a subwoofer to the standard system and it is very nice, I definitely do not regret adding it to my options. The only slightly disappointing thing is that the mids are not particularly great, but still passable. In truth, I'm not sure that having B&W would make the mids sound better anyway. As I listen to a lot of 'urban' music, the standard/sub suits me fine, when people talk about the B&W there seems to be lots of reference to classical or adult contemporary music which isn't really high on my list, so happy to save those few thousand pounds..

[Milliner]

Ditto, I've got it and it's very powerful. You might have to reign it in a bit I find as some tracks that are base heavy go right through you! Great if that's your thing, but I preferred the slightly more controlled base on my last system (Harman Kardon on the 5 series).

I can be fixed from the sound menu though.

[Fliegenpilz]

I have the std audio with the subwoofer and at first thought it had minimal difference. I compared it with a demo car that had only the std audio (was difficult enough as most demo have the BW).

However, I now think it depends on the music you listen to. On some of my files it was a huge improvement and similarly with the radio.

conclusionL: I think it is worth it and will add to the right moment when the music needs it. If you only listen to BBC debates and no music then dont bother.