Bang & Olufsen has introduced new home speakers that are inspired by interior objects to ‘redefine’ home audio.
Beosound Balance are a soft and rounded in shape, created using interior-first materials such as solid oak wood and knitted textile.
Design-focused, it uses an innovative interface that hides when not in use as well as seven carefully placed speaker drivers with beam-forming technology to fill the room with powerful sound.
The speakers were designed in collaboration with Benjamin Hubert from the British industrial design studio LAYER as an interior-first and shelf-friendly speaker that doesn’t compromise on the sound experience in large living spaces.
Made to blend in with other interior objects, Beosound Balance features a hidden touch interface to manually control the speaker. When approaching the speaker, the interface lights up using light-trough aluminium technology and allows the user to interact with the speaker.
Users can then swipe around the top plate to control the volume, or touch the icons to change tracks, pause the music, and select pre-saved favourite listening experience for easy access. When the user walks away from the speaker, the interface dims to nothing.
Bang & Olufsen’s vice president of design, Gavin Ivester, said: “The vision with Beosound Balance is to make the speaker feel like an extension of the atmosphere in the home, reflecting the place it is in and the person using it.
“The design is both sensational and tactile, with a look and feel driven by high quality interior craftsmanship and materials, as well as highly innovative.
“Listening modes allow tailored acoustics when needed, and carefree stunning sound when wanted, putting listeners in control of a broad range of experiences that sooth, excite, and create joy.”
Using seven uniquely configured speaker drivers with two opposing woofers that generate a powerful bass sound that cancel out vibrations, the speakers create powerful sound without upsetting neighbours.
Beosound Balance provides an acoustic experience based on two sound modes, an omni directional mode ensuring a uniform sound experience around the speaker, and a sound mode delivering a precisely focused and unique ambient experience. The technologies used in Beosound Balanced have trickled down from the flagship Bang & Olufsen Beolab speakers.
Setting up the Besound Balance for the first time, the speaker guides users through the active room compensations technology enabling the speaker to analyse the room with an internal microphone and creates a set of user defined filters that compensates for sound reflections in the home.
It is also a multiroom speaker supporting Google Chromecast, Apple Airplay 2, and Spotify Connect with built in voice assistants.
Beosound Balance is available now, priced at £1,750 / 2,000 EUR / 2,250 USD and will launch is Natural Oak and Black Oak.