THE SOUND OF SCIENCE

We go behind the scenes to learn about Bowers & Wilkins' premium speakers and discover why BMW has specified them for its i7 luxury electric saloon

- Tristan Shale-Hester

BOWERS & Wilkins has a few different company mottos, one of which is: "Music that will soon be heard everywhere is first heard through our speakers".

That's because the music industry regards this British firm as one of, if not the greatest, audio manufacturers in the world. Its loudspeakers can be found in star-studded locations such as Abbey Road, Skywalker Ranch and AIR Studios. Musicians and sound engineers value the unparalleled accuracy of Bowers & Wilkins devices, which replicate music as close to real life as possible, rather than try and artificially enhance any aspects as some other products might.

Like many audio companies, one area of Bowers & Wilkins' business is providing audio systems to car makers. Its speakers have been fitted to models from Volvo, Polestar, McLaren, Maserati, Jaguar and BMW. Bowers & Wilkins has fitted its latest and greatest in-car audio system to the BMW i7. To get a demonstration and find out more, we're visiting the firm's headquarters and factory in Worthing, West Sussex.

We start with a tour of the factory floor and the first sight we're greeted with is a new £47,000 tool being installed. Top-quality machinery is needed to build top-quality speakers, and that's certainly what Bowers & Wilkins offers.

Our tour covers each stage of the manufacturing process. What's noticeable is that proper, old-fashioned skilled craftsmanship is the order of the day here, with talented men and women getting hands-on to assemble the products.

Everyone we say hello to is extremely friendly and cheerful. The firm puts a strong emphasis on having a positive work environment, and it's not uncommon for parents working there to have their own sons and daughters as colleagues.