It’s been a big week for Bang & Olufsen, first their Audio DAC module for the LG G5 was launched with the phone, now they’ve launched a new Bluetooth Speaker in their B&O Play range.
The BeoPlay A1 is an ultra-portable bluetooth speaker, which is their smallest to date, but even with its small size it still has an all day battery life thanks to the 2,200mAh battery. The speaker has a stunning design with an all-aluminum dome in Natural (silver), and Forest (green) finishes that not only looks stylish, but also cuts down on weight making it light and portable, but also gives great protection from bumps and scratches.
Cecilie Manz, award-winning Bang & Olufsen Designer, responsible for the creation of BeoPlay A1 said
The physical form of BeoPlay A1 is the result of a meticulous design process geared towards maximising portability, while at the same time giving a solid physical platform for category-breaking sound performance.
The design inspiration was to produce a speaker that would easily fit in a bag or pocket. That’s why there are no protruding buttons or legs to snag or to snap off, the surface of BeoPlayA1 is completely smooth and robust enough to take the bumps and scrapes that are part and parcel of a life on the move.
The speaker which comes with dual 140watt speakers and a Bass Extension comes with a number of touch controls on the side rather than physical switches or dials, and also includes a microphone so you can speak to friends or family in excellent clarity. There is a USB-C port for charging the speaker and a 3.5mm jack for headphones, but that’s about it.
B&O are intending for a lot of the controls to be through Bluetooth via an app, however from the looks of things, the app hasn’t launched as yet – with a landing page asking you to enter your email address to be notified when it launches. Still, the side controls will let you use it and you can play sound through it simply using Bluetooth.
You will be able to purchase the BeoPlay A1 Bluetooth Speaker from Bang & Olufsen or their retail partners from May for $379.
I imagine that it does Apt-x or similar, otherwise there is no point – may as well buy a $20 bluetooth speaker.
Also, what is a Bass extension?