Here’s why the B&O Beosound A1 3rd Gen is the new premium portable speaker to beat

Introduction

Every bit of Bang and Olufsen kit sits at a crossroads between gadget and art piece, and the new Beosound A1 is no exception. This (relatively) affordable Bluetooth speaker might be a heck of a lot smaller than the firm’s statement-making floor standers, but it’s just as iconic. So much so, you might think little has changed for this third generation.

Underneath, though, the audio engineers have been hard at work boosting bass response. It means this mini music box should have the low end oomph to rival much larger speakers. Battery life has also been extended, making it even more of an outdoor essential. One or two features from the old model have been jettisoned, though, and the $349/£299/€349 asking price puts an awful lot of room between it and the more mainstream travel speaker crowd. I took one on tour for a week to see how it performs.

Design & build: pearl-blasted burger bun

I’m not sure there’s another portable speaker as distinctive as the Beosound A1. The puck-like unit stays true to the two previous versions, keeping the pearl-blasted aluminium top grille with 2173 holes precision-milled across its surface. The polymer underside is built to withstand more punishment, and prevents speaker vibrations passing through to whatever surface you place it on. It’s plenty grippy, too.

There’s some serious heft here, given the whole thing fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Yet at 576g it’s not so heavy I wanted to leave it at home, instead of bringing it with me on the move. Shape-wise it’s not as easy to say, shove in a bike or bag bottle holder than some rivals, but I had no qualms finding room for it in my backpack’s other pockets.

My Honey Tone review unit (which lands somewhere between bronze and rose gold) is one of two new colours, the other being Eucalyptus. Bang & Olufsen has also brought back Natural Aluminium. Personally I don’t think you can go wrong; all would look comfortable in an interior design catalogue.

Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz was brought back in for a third time to keep the new Beosound A1 looking fresh. The only real changes are to the leather wrist strap’s metal fastener, which is a little simpler this time around. It’s still water resistant, just like the speaker itself: an IP67 rating means it can shrug off showers and splashes.

B&O also get a thumbs up for securing ‘Cradle-to-Cradle Bronze’ certification – the first Bluetooth speaker to get one – meaning it uses sustainable, recyclable materials. Though with the battery now able to be replaced (by a firm-approved technician, that is), this speaker should hopefully never see the scrapheap.

Features & battery: Dane kept a-rollin’

The 3rd-gen Beosound A1 keeps things simple, with just a single activity LED on the top subtly integrated into the grille, and a few buttons dotted around the edge for controlling power, playback, volume, and Bluetooth pairing. There’s also a microphone mute button, as it still doubles as a speakerphone; the three integrated mics had no trouble picking up my voice when taking calls via my paired smartphone.

What you won’t find here is any sort of Alexa integration. The outgoing Beosound A1 2nd Gen could piggyback off your phone to ask Amazon’s voice assistant questions, despite not having any Wi-Fi on board. Personally I don’t miss it, as I usually have my phone close by when using any kind of travel speaker, but it’s something to think about if you’re an Alexa super-fan.

The single USB-C port can be used for wired playback if you’re so inclined, but I’m betting most owners will stick with Bluetooth. The Beosound A1 has multipoint connectivity, Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair, which makes getting set up a breeze. aptX Adaptive returns for high quality streaming, though because B&O has gone with Bluetooth 5.1, it rules out getting Auracast connectivity later down the line via software updates. That makes it just a little less future-proof than some rivals.

Though I didn’t have a second speaker to test it, the Beosound A1 3rd Gen does support stereo pairing. It can also pair with the older A1 2nd Gen if you have one of those already.

I was happy to see B&O’s claim of improved battery life stack up. The 3300mAh cell inside the A1 3rd Gen gives it a six hour lead over the previous generation speaker, meaning at sensible volume levels I could eke 24 hours of playback per charge. Refuelling isn’t the fastest, though, needing several hours on mains power before I was fully recharged.

Interface: tune it in, turn it up

With those on-device controls you might not instantly reach for the Bang & Olufsen smartphone companion app, but it’s worth a download. As well as handling firmware updates and setting up stereo pairing (assuming you have the funds to buy two A1s) it also lets you customise the sound.

A few of the five equalizer presets are a bit nebulous (ambient, favourite) while others are a little clearer (party, speech, optimal – which the speaker defaults to). You can create your own, but B&O has rejected the usual multi-band EQ in favour of a simple circle with labels like Energetic and Relaxed. It’s a great way to simplify things for owners who might not understand bass or treble frequencies.

The app in general doesn’t overwhelm you with options, and the layout is as minimal as the speaker itself.

Integrating an internet radio player into the app was a clever move, as it means you’ll never be short on something to listen to. You can access your Deezer and Tidal libraries here too. Spotify also gets a mention here, though it’s a token one – you’ve got to open the Spotify app proper to pick playlists.

Sound quality: let me entertain you

B&O has managed to squeeze an 85mm mid/bass driver and 15mm tweeter inside the Beosound A1. They’re powered by 30W of Class D amplification, and promise a fair bit more bass this time around. Not to say the old one sounded at all hollow, mind – but I definitely appreciated a little extra oomph when playing my Spotify “summer dance anthems” playlist. The kicks on Phats & Small’s Turn around had real punch.

It’s not like Bang and Olufsen has cranked the tuning dial to totally favour the low-end, though – but the A1 3rd Gen isn’t an analytical listen intended to only please audiophiles, either. This listen leans a little warm, a bit more dynamic than the firm’s higher-end gear, just in a way that works so well for the sort of impromptu backing tracks a Bluetooth speaker is best at. Chaism’s Isolated kept its soft electronic drum track intact while outdoors, so it’s not like the presence falls off once you’ve left four walls behind.

Things are clean and contained at the top-end, with no shortage of detail for such a compact speaker. Vocals have enough presence, with Luude’s Big City Life coming through clearly over the relentless snares. Every part of the frequency range is well controlled, with rumble where it’s deserved and room for the rest of the mix to breathe when it isn’t. There’s no obvious crossover point between the two drivers, and volume can be pushed pretty high without affecting the soundstage.

OK, it’s not going to out-shout speakers several times its size. I’ve heard similarly travel-friendly speakers get louder, which might be something to consider if you were hoping to supply sound for a pool party. But will it soundtrack a yacht pleasure cruise or après ski session? Absolutely.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd gen verdict

Rugged, long-lasting portable Bluetooth speakers aren’t exactly a rarity, but there are far fewer that feel as luxurious as the Beosound A1. It continues to impress in its third generation, with the sound to match its styling. That sound isn’t perhaps as loud as some of the cheaper alternatives, admittedly, but the quality is really rather great.

So sure, a JBL Flip 7 costs almost a third of the price and has extra goodies like Auracast – but it’s nowhere near as easy on the eyes, as repairable, or as much of a style statement as this. If your outdoor speaker needs are more garden party than trail hike (and your budget stretches this far) the B&O should be a top contender.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd gen technical specifications