Prestige car insurer that likes to make a hullabaloo!

The Audi A8, unlike say, the Daewoo Nubira, is one of the world's most technologically advanced saloons. Which, as prestige car insurers, you may have already been comfortable in the knowledge of. Anyhow, its now to be fitted with the world's most technologically advanced In Car Entertainment. All Audi A8s about to be sold in the UK are optionally available with the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System; a beautifully engineered audio system that offers completely new standards in automotive sound quality. And usually found in the study/library room of retired lawyers. Noted by the prestige car insurer as The first ever in-car sound system from the renowned Danish hi-fi experts, it has been tailor-made to the exact acoustic characteristics of the Audi A8's interior - its size, shape and materials have all been taken into account, which you just don't get with Blaupunkt. It even automatically adjusts to the speed of the car, to maintain the rich musical experience. Happy hardcore has never sounded so smooth.

'The bespoke quality of the new Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System matches the best high-end stereo systems for the home,' says the managing director of Bang & Olufsen UK, Derek Mottershead, who also said encouraging things about prestige car insurance. On receipt of a cheque. Proving that the product may not be good enough to sell itself just yet, but the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and kicking. 'We believe this is unique in the in-car entertainment market. The system has been specially developed for the Audi A8 and was the result of close co-operation between Audi and Bang & Olufsen.' Who else? After a spot of researching, over tea and scones, the prestige car insurer found that the sound system is specially developed for motoring, and will provide a unique musical experience for both driver and passengers. Its acoustic brilliance is achieved partly by the use of innovative new Acoustic Lens Technology. This ensures an even horizontal dispersion of higher frequencies into the car interior, and partly by using Bang & Olufsen's patented digital amplifier technology, ICEpower, that supplies the 14 speakers - each with its own dedicated amplifier - with more than 1,000 watts of power. Slightly less than you find in a Corsa 1.2SXi, yet more than you find in your average discotheque.

Acoustic Lens Technology uses two moving acoustic lenses, one mounted on each side of the A8's dashboard. When the sound system is turned on, the acoustic lenses elegantly rise to position themselves on top of the dashboard. Sound and beauty in perfect harmony. They provide superb clarity, tonal balance and detailed acoustic staging, and the music appears from where it is best experienced, at eye-level, in front of the listeners. The acoustic lens contains a tweeter with its own built-in pressure chamber. A dedicated amplifier is connected to it. The sound is radiated a full 180 degrees, eliminating the limited direction beam of conventional tweeter design. The design allows all occupants to have a full stereo experience, regardless of where they are seated. The lenses disappear when the system is turned off, gently retracting into the dashboard. Which all goes some way to prove I was paying attention in music class all those years ago. All loudspeakers are mounted in sealed enclosure cabinets for superior acoustic control, as opposed to being wedged into an appallingly cut rear parcel shelf which I'm more accustomed to; also this compact size prevents sound escaping outside the car; and each unit is custom-made for the A8. Each door is equipped with two loudspeaker units, covered in a discreet aluminium grille. Discreet when compared to a boom box with all the aesthetical appeal of a couple of scud missiles in your boot space. A full-range driver is mounted in the centre of the dashboard, controlling the staging and timbral characteristics. The lead vocal in all music appears to be standing right in front of the listeners. A 200mm long-throw subwoofer is mounted in a 10-litre enclosure in the rear parcel shelf, to ensure the lowest frequencies are reproduced with maximum performance and control. Two full-range drivers are also housed in the rear parcel shelf.

The Bang & Olufsen-patented ICEpower digital amplifying platform is extremely efficient and produces little heat. It combines Hi-Fi sound quality and high power, and is a key reason why the new Advanced Sound System breaks all previous performance barriers in car audio quality and density. It is also amazingly compact and light, a prerequisite in good automotive audio design. Its footprint is less than a sheet of A4 paper, and its height of only 6.3 cm includes amplifiers, power supplies, diagnostic capabilities and microprocessor control. The Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System is optional on all Audi A8 models and cannot be retro fitted. It costs £3,775 on the S8 and £4,500 on all other versions of the A8. for a lot less you could always buy a titchy Alpine set up, plough an even titchier amount in our prestige car insurance, and blow the rest on the gee-gee's if you really want.