When you suppose the speaker above would look proper at house on the set of Mad Males, give your self a pat on the again: Bang & Olufsen formed the final century’s audio outlook with its iconic, enduring designs. And the agency has mined its celebrated previous (significantly its Sixties Beolit radio collection) for the brand new Beosound A5.
The brand new B&O product vying to be among the best Bluetooth audio system to grace our 2023 testing course of – and it is received each likelihood, provided that the distinctive Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) and Beosound Discover at present characteristic in that roundup – has been designed in collaboration with the Danish-Italian design duo GamFratesi. It’s out there in two colorways, our favourite being the pure aluminum with a woven paper fiber entrance with a light-weight oak deal with.
GamFratesi’s imaginative and prescient right here is certainly one of laid-back Scandinavian summers on the seaside, conventional Panama straw hats, hand-woven leather-based accents on Sixties Danish chairs, and, in fact, the curved edges and deal with from B&0’s Beolit 607 radio, launched in 1961.
With greater than 12 hours of playtime and a wi-fi telephone charger built-in into the highest panel of the speaker, B&O says Beosound A5 is Bang & Olufsen’s most versatile speaker thus far – and if you happen to like the thought of wickerwork in your hi-fi equipment, it is a handsome factor.
The four-way driver setup with 4 digital amplifiers supplies a mixed 280W of energy, which guarantees to fill giant rooms with dynamic 360-degree sound. The design contains a 5.25-inch woofer, twin 2-inch midrange drivers, and a 1.75-inch tweeter.
Beosound A5 in Nordic Weave is accessible now, priced $1,049 / £899 from April 27. The darker oak model? That is $100 / £100 dearer. That places the Beosound A5 very a lot on the prime finish on the subject of one of the best Bluetooth audio system – however that is Danish high-end territory; we count on nothing much less…
Nostalgia – its delicate however potent. Teddy instructed me that in Greek nostalgia actually means ‘the ache from an previous wound’
One for the Don Draper followers, there – a most memorable quote from Mad Males. Anyway, Beosound A5 sits on the junction the place transportable and residential audio meet. The strong oak deal with permits the speaker to be carried from room to room and casually positioned on the ground, shelf, desk or manic Madison Avenue New York promoting company however, because of an IP65 water-and dustproof ranking, Beosound A5 may be taken on adventures too. And I feel it seems stunning.
And it’s miles from a case of genuine hygge vibes and no substance. In the identical method, as the corporate showcased at IFA 2022 with the Beosound Theater, this unit has been modularly designed in order that it may be simply serviced and repaired to increase its lifetime if wanted, moderately than being changed by a more recent mannequin – even Don Draper can change, folks.
And because of Bang & Olufsen’s Mozart software program platform, the longevity of Beosound A5 goes past bodily craftsmanship and modular design, giving it the capability and functionality to evolve with new applied sciences and, the corporate says, “unlock new listening experiences for years to come back.”
When it comes to connectivity, Beosound A5 helps Bluetooth 5.2 and is appropriate with Beolink Multiroom, Airplay 2, Chromecast, and Spotify Join. Given these credentials, the gorgeous Beosound A5 may turn into among the best AirPlay audio system to ever make it via our testing course of, however time will inform. As Don Draper famously taught us: “It is your life. You do not know how lengthy it is gonna final, however it does not finish nicely. You have gotta transfer ahead …as quickly as you possibly can work out what meaning.”