Reading the room and filling it with music

NOW that music is more accessible than ever and part and parcel of everyone’s lives, Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has come up with a way to seamlessly integrate playing music into the day-to-day grind.

The Danish audio brand has partnered with GamFratesci Studio for the simple yet detailed Scandinavian design of its latest portable speaker, the Beosound A5. What sets it apart from previous designs is that it masquerades as a picnic basket.

“It becomes a conversation piece when people don’t know it’s even a speaker. People see it and get confused because how could that small thing fill an entire room with music?” Vince Miclat, Bang & Olufsen brand manager, said during the launch on July 27.“The sound engineers and designers collaborated to produce that, with the material really being wood,” Mr. Miclat said.

The Beosound A5 comes in two designs — Nordic Weave and Dark Oak — both made of real oak wood. Aside from being able to blend into the interiors of a house, it evokes colors and textures found in nature.

As an evolution of B&O’s line of quality audio equipment, the speaker has a powerful woofer that lets you feel the music. Most importantly, its signature RoomSense technology adapts playback based on the space it’s in, whether it’s in a spacious living room or a small bathroom.

“You will get the finest fidelity wherever you are. It has 360-degree sound dispersion so everyone can experience the music regardless of where they are in the room, but you can also narrow the sound direction using the B&O app,” Mr. Miclat explained.

“Some compare our speakers to other brands and wonder why the bass isn’t as strong, but our approach is that however the music or film was recorded, that’s how you’re going to hear it. That’s how the recording artist or filmmaker wanted it to sound,” he added.

The Beosound A5 can also be used outdoors (it does look like a picnic basket, after all) since it has a 12-hour battery life. People can connect to it via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and it supports all streaming technologies.

Its modular design means that individual parts can be replaced too, unlike most speakers that are entirely disposable as soon as one-part malfunctions.

At the July 27 launch at The Curator bar in Makati, BusinessWorld was invited along with other media outlets to experience the speaker. True enough, the sound was clear and powerful, filling the entire room despite the device’s compact size.

There was also total control over how the music could be projected, with the B&O app able to fine-tune the sound to play to a specific area. It was particularly thrilling to listen to classical music where the violins sounded as crisp as if they were reverberating in a concert hall.

The Nordic Weave is priced at P77,000 while the Dark Oak, being of thicker material, costs P86,000.

These prices, though steep for the average consumer, are definitely worth it for audiophiles who want more bang for their buck, according to Mr. Miclat.

“B&O specializes in design, craftsmanship, and authenticity. That’s what we’ve been known for from 1925 until now, and the Beosound A5 proves no different,” he said.

For more information, visit the Bang & Olufsen official pages on Facebook and Instagram. Its two physical stores are located in Power Plant Mall, Makati City, and Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City. — Brontë H. Lacsamana