There aren’t too many Bluetooth speakers I’d go as far to call ‘iconic’, but the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 is one of ’em. The lavish little music box is now back for a third generation, with brawnier bass and a longer-lasting battery. B&O has also stepped things up on the repairability side, too.
The 3rd-gen Beosound A1 is the firm’s third style collab with Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz, though the styling tweaks have largely focused on the waterproof leather wrist strap’s metal lock and the colour options. It still looks every bit the forbidden burger bun, with 2,173 precision-milled holes across its top to let the speaker drivers inside sing loud. Only now you can have it in nature-inspired Honey Tone or Eucalyptus hues, as well as the returning Natural Aluminium.
B&O’s audio engineers have spent the two years between Beosound A1 generations finding ways to squeeze even more bass out of its diminutive drivers. The largest woofer in its class now pumps out a bass sound pressure level (SPL) of 64dB, so should have an easier job of filling your room with sound.
There’s high quality aptX Bluetooth on board, along with Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair for a painless setup. A three-mic array also lets the Beosound A1 double as a speakerphone when paired to your smartphone.
Got two A1s handy? They can be stereo paired for audio that’s twice as nice. You can mix and match between 2nd and 3rd-gen models, which is neat given 1st and 2nd-gen pairings weren’t possible.
The whole thing is once again IP67 dust and water resistant, so can go with you pretty much anywhere: from the bedroom, to the bathroom, to the beach. Battery life is also now good for up to 24 hours of playback (up from 18 on the old model), so you can soundtrack your entire day and night before needing to recharge over USB-C.
The Beosound A1 is also Cradle to Cradle certified – a world-first for a Bluetooth speaker – meaning it’s about as recyclable as it’s possible to get. The battery is also replaceable (by a B&O technician) which bodes well for long-term ownership.
Prices have climbed a fair bit from the previous generation, meaning you can expect to pay $349/£299/€349 to take one home. The Beosound A1 is available right now, direct from the Bang & Olufsen website.
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