Not one to shy away from taking risks when it comes to speaker design, Bang & Olufsen has introduced a wireless speaker for the home that is “rolled forwards and backwards to increase and decrease volume†– the Beosound Edge.
Designed in collaboration with London-based designer Michael Anastassiades, the circular Beosound Edge can act as both a floorstanding and wall-mounted speaker, and features an interactive aluminium frame that illuminates (via lasered tiny holes) to the touch. Its most unique feature however, perhaps has to be its ability to act as a volume dial, activated by rocking the speaker forwards of backwards to adjust how sound is being delivered.
The Danish company explains (kind of): “Softly to change the volume moderately, while a stronger touch will change it more dramatically. Let go, and it gently rolls back to its original position.”
Tech-wise, a 10-in woofer for bass, two pairs of 4-in media drivers and 0.75-in tweeters power performance, with B&O’s newly developed Active Bass Port technology – blending “closed-box” design and the “ported design” – also packed in to provide the most suitable level of bass to suit the environment.
B&O’s “directional sound control” allows owners to choose the radiation across each acoustic side of the speaker, which targets 360-degree sound, and create an active and passive listening area. Control is via the manufacturer’s app.
It comes with AirPlay 2, Chromecast2 and Bluetooth and supports voice control when paired with enabled speakers.
The Edge’s polished aluminium exterior is covered by matte black fabric that at a later date will be switchable with different fabrics to suit different interiors.
In addition to the launch of its Edge speaker, B & O’s Beosound 1 and 2 speakers’ integration with Google Assistant was the other key announcement for the manufacturer at its CEDIA stand shared with partner Origin Acoustics.
Reflecting on the company’s position in the audio market and its recent move back from having a direct dealer channel, a senior spokesperson told HiddenWires that the focus will be on “doing what the company has always done well” in 2018 and beyond.
The Beosound Edge will be released in mid-November 2018 (3,250 EUR RRP).