Driving the 2006 Volvo C70 around Los Angeles for a week, I grew a bit tired of people asking if they could see the new convert-ible/coupe's novel three-piece retractable hardtop in action. At first I obliged and even sort of enjoyed the attention, but after a dozen or so times it became a little annoying. Thankfully, with the powerful stereo system onboard I could just crank the volume and pretend I didn't hear the requests.
In fact, the C70's optional Dynaudio Premium Sound system - packing 910 watts and 14 speakers, including dual 8" subwoofers behind the rear seat that each get 130 watts - plays louder than just about any stock system I've heard. And I never thought I'd say an OEM system was too bass-heavy for me, but the C70's Dynaudio Premium Sound system sets a new benchmark for low-frequency extension in a stock setup.
In fact, I often had to turn the bass down, and it wasn't because it ran out of steam and started sounding crappy like so many OEM systems with "subwoofers." And there were lots of ways to shape the bass to my liking. The system has a standard bass control, of course, as well as controls to adjust the subwoofer level and separate front and rear equalization. But even with these multiple controls, I was constantly balancing the level of the bass relative to the rest of the frequency range, and I found it difficult to achieve a happy medium.
The 8" drivers in each door added to the bass barrage. The eights are squeezed into each door along with a 4" midrange and 1" silk-dome tweeter. This yielded an especially potent midbass presence up front and kept all but the lowest bass notes from smearing to the rear of the car. It also caused overemphasis of the midbass in acoustic tracks from Luka Bloom's Turf and Red House Painters' Ocean Beach, which I typically use to detect such problems. But, as with horsepower, it's always better to have more bass on tap than you need. I'd much rather have a system that can effortlessly reproduce all of the bass in a musical selection - even if it goes overboard - than one that hits its limits before the music does. Bottom line: If you're looking for a stock system that pounds, the C70 won't disappoint.
What also sets this system apart is that the sound remains virtually unchanged with the top either up or down in all but the most adverse conditions - something I've never experienced with a convertible system, stock or aftermarket. For example, while performing an A-B comparison of top-up and top-down sound on the same stretch of road using the instrumental track "Blues Walk" from the Lyle Lovett and his Large Band CD, I could detect little difference in sound quality except for a little more wind and road noise. The system's sophisticated DSP signal processing did a spectacular job of shaping the sound for open-air listening in almost every situation but high-speed freeway driving, where no amount of volume or DSP can overcome the noise of 18-wheelers on either side of me.
The rest of the system is composed of a 4" midrange and 3/4" tweeter in the center of the dash, as well as the 6 1/2" mid and 1" tweeter in each rear side panel. At the top of the "waterfall" center stack is a 6-disc CD changer with a bright and easy-to-read DIN-size display just below it. Most of the controls for the sound system are laid out in an unusual vertical strip underneath the display, except for a large volume/power knob and a tuning/sound (audio control) knob on either side. While the top controls (for disc access, etc.) were easy to use and some functions were duplicated on the steering wheel, other functions embedded in the MENU button were difficult to access. For example, getting to the surround mode to engage Dolby Pro Logic II, or to a unique 3-channel mode that changes the output of the center channel, required stepping through three separate menus. The C70's navigation system was simple and intuitive to use, and I loved the screen that pops up out of the center of the dash behind the center channel. The steering wheel-mounted controls for the system took some getting used to, however, and I wished they were duplicated on the console.
As of press time the C70 was such a hit that demand was outstripping supply and Volvo posted a notice on its website warning potential purchasers of a long wait to get one. With the optional $1,550 Dynaudio Premium Sound system, this sexy Swede sounds as good as it looks.
Audio Score 8.5Ergonomics 6Navigation 7
Key Features* 14 Speakers And 910 Watts Of Power* Dual 8" Subwoofers Behind The Back Seat* 8" Midbass Driver In Each Door* Top-Down Sound Is Best In Class* Bass Often Overpowered The Rest Of The Audio Spectrum* Dolby Pro Logic II And 3-Channel Modes* Hard-To-Access Surround-Sound Menus* Controls Weren't Always Intuitive* Navigation System With Unique Pop-Up Screen