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Review: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A1 Wireless Speaker

Stephen Watson
July 23, 2019

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A1- Available for £230 from Bang & Olufsen.com

FInally readers the day has arrived we have had a chance to review something from Bang & Olufsen and this review was for the Beoplay A1 speaker and it did not disappoint.  Bang & Olufsen is a luxury brand and the Beoplay A1 is the best quality speaker in terms of sound quality that I have had a chance to listen to.  

Design-wise sometimes less is more and that really is the case with this speaker it has a drilled metallic grille paired solid base.  The speaker just looks sexy it’s designed simply for a top draw sound. The speaker is not massive but can pump out a glorious amount of power. The Speaker comes in 7 different colours such as:

The buttons are 3 on each side separated by the leather cable with a B&O toggle which is ideal for hanging the speaker up when outside having a BBQ. One one side you have the power and volume controls and on the other side you have Bluetooth and a smart assistant button that will bring up your smart assistant either Siri or Google assistant whatever you use plus the final button is a quick reconnection to your last paired device however I never needed it.

All the buttons are very responsive and the volume controls also double up as track controls. You also get a 3.5mm port although no cable provided however if you’re like me you have one hanging around. Last but not least you also have the charging port that charged by a USB-C that is included in the box. The A1 also has a built-in microphone meaning taking calls are possible and the quality is very good as you would expect.

Unfortunately, the Beoplay A1 is not waterproof but with the Leather strap allows you to hang the speaker away from the water but with the sound quality means you can keep it away from the water and still enjoy. It would have been nice to have it been waterproof but as mentioned it’s not essential. 

Features wise it allows for aptX quality sound streamed from your device meaning using Tidal Hi-Fi or the B&O Beoplay app just sounds amazing. 

The B&O Beoplay app allows you to link to a second speaker for a stereo sound profile which is great for having multiroom sound. The app also allows you to change presets and move between the following settings:  Warm, Relaxed, Bright & Excited levels.

Battery wise you get 24 hours of use and can be charged up from 0% in 2.5-hour charge. This is because of its a 2200mAh battery. The battery life as mentioned it is 24 hours but if you are careful you will definitely get more hours out of this speaker.  

Sound Quality this speaker is just head and shoulders over anything I have tested. The bass is 60Hz and is just fantastic it’s so good and this is due to the aluminium core subwoofer. The sound is also balanced and offers a great mid-range and treble provides just a lovely smooth sound.

Crank up the volume and no sign of distortion you just get a well balanced and clear sound that made me fall in love with this speaker. If I had to find one negative I would say the price of £230 from bang-olufsen.com might put some people off but if you are looking for a quality sound and sophisticated design get saving.

Overall, this speaker is just fantastic and I can not wait to test more B&O products to see how they compare. If you want a speaker you can use anywhere in the house our outside or even on holiday this will be the only wireless speaker you will buy.  The Lack of waterproofing might be an issue for some but just hang it up and problem solved.

If I could give this 6 stars I would its that good!

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