Beosound A1, the Danish luxury audio brand Bang & Olufsen’s award-winning portable Bluetooth speaker, has been redesigned to include a whole raft of performance and design improvements. Beosound A1 2nd Gen comes with a refined, slimmer design that is fully dust and waterproof, has a significantly improved battery life with up to 18 hours of play time at typical volume, an overhauled user interface and – a first for a Bluetooth only speaker – a built-in Alexa voice assistant.
“Our first A1 speaker was loved by customers for its combination of minimalist design, portability, powerful sound and the built-in speakerphone that made it easy and fun to speak with friends and family. The new Beosound A1 builds on these characteristics and improves them in every way that matters.” – Christoffer Østergaard Poulsen, VP of Product Management, Bang & Olufsen
Beosound A1 retains its elegant shape and unique contours, brought to life in collaboration with renowned Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz. The second-generation is 7 percent lighter than the original and has a fresh take on the hole pattern, with a slightly lighter casing and a tapered base giving the speaker a more weightless floating impression even though only 0,85mm lower. The leather strap – a stylish key feature that adds to its easy portability – now has a new tag to ensure that Beosound A1 remains one of the most versatile products for hanging options.
Buttons have been redesigned and repositioned to improve overall user interaction. Now placed nearer to the strap for easier location, the buttons also have bigger and clearer symbols and at the same time, the LED indicator has also been moved to the top of the speaker making a significant improvement on its visibility from all angles.
Inside Beosound A1 are two re-designed drivers for an even clearer 360-degree sound: a 3.5-inch aluminum cone mid woofer using a powerful neodymium magnetic system, a silk dome 3/4 inch dome tweeter and advanced DSP filtering powered by a pair of 30-watt class D amplifiers. The speaker now comes with aptX adaptive codec for an even better wireless listening experience.
Beosound A1 2nd gen
The new Beosound A1 2nd gen is the very first Bluetooth speaker to include a fully integrated Alexa voice assistant that will make it easy to access music, drop in on a loved one, trying out a new recipe or playing a game with the family. Using Far Field technology, Alexa can be activated from up to 5m away depending on the room conditions and remain responsive for up to 3 hours after being turned off.
The new Beosound A1 now boasts up to 18 hours of listening time at typical volume (70dB) compared to 4 hours in the first edition and up to 48 hours at moderate volume (55dB) compared to 24 hours in the first edition. More than that, a new LED warning system warns of low power and links easily to the Bang & Olufsen app to show battery status.
The speaker is resistant to water ingress up to 1m deep for 30 minutes and safe from sand and dirt so users can enjoy music outside by the pool and at the beach.
The second-generation now includes a 3-microphone array giving a notably improved call clarity when Beosound A1 is used as a speakerphone. This makes it fun and simple to drop in on friends and family, and Microsoft Swift Pair as well as Google Fast Pair gives a fast setup if you want to use the speaker for business conference calls.
Beosound A1, launched in Black Anthracite and Grey Mist, is available online, with select retailers and in Bang & Olufsen stores.
