Lifewire / Jason Schneider Portability: Bulky and awkward The bottom of the unit is built of rugged rubber-plastic material that makes putting the speaker on a table feel stable and secure. The finish was what B&O calls “natural,” but in actuality, it’s a mostly brushed aluminum build that’s not dissimilar from the original MacBook unibody finish. The A1 doesn’t exactly look like the A9, it’s much thicker, and from a shape perspective, it looks a little like a smoke detector. The A1 tries to take that circular speaker design, shrink it down, and pull it off the tripod. Most audiophiles with an eye for visual design know B&O as a company that takes the pairing of visual and audio aesthetics seriously. I wanted to get the whole story of this $250 portable Bluetooth speaker, so I got my hands on a natural brushed aluminum unit and gave it a spin for the better part of a week in NYC.īang & Olufsen is perhaps best known for its extraterrestrial-looking Beoplay A9-a tripod-based circular speaker that’s meant to sit elegantly in the corner of your living room or den. While the build quality feels very premium, the speaker is heavy, bulky, and awkwardly shaped.
Where the experiment falls short is in the size and form factor.
For the most part, the experiment is a success, thanks to the unbelievably balanced sound, crisp, detailed mids, and elegant design. The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A1 is an experiment in bringing B&O’s world-class home listening experience to a Bluetooth speaker that fits in your bag.
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