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Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 - Developed with GamFratesi

Based on the Bang & Olufsen Mozart platform, the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 is said to be the most advanced portable wireless speaker with its roots in a Bang & Olufsen design icon. Developed with the Danish-Italian design duo GamFratesi, it also builds a poetic bridge between the design cultures of the North and the South.

Story Highlights
  • Inspired by the past, designed for the future, that's how Bang & Olufsen describes the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5.

The new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 is a reinterpretation of a design icon, says Bang & Olufsen about the new portable wireless speaker, which they designed together with the Danish-Italian design duo GamFratesi. It is a solution that is compact and light enough to be easily carried from room to room, so it can be used all over the house as well as on the terrace or in the garden, but is equipped in such a way that you do not have to accept any compromise in sound quality.

Bang & Olufsen therefore refers to the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 as an interface between portable speakers and home audio devices.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 – Powerful, precise and portable…

It is Bang & Olufsen’s most powerful portable loudspeaker to date, and they deliberately set out to create a solution that is portable, but where the best possible mobility should not be the top priority.

As already described, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 can easily be carried from room to room, thanks to the solid oak handle that is elegantly integrated into the design concept. The fact that you are not limited to the house is achieved by the robust design, because thanks to the water and dust protection class IP65, nothing stands in the way of outdoor use, such as in the garden and on the terrace.

A four-way loudspeaker system, driven by four Class D amplifiers with a total output of 280 watts, is supposed to provide a rich sound. The loudspeaker systems used are a 5.25 inch woofer, two 2 inch mid-range drivers and a 3/4 inch tweeter, which, according to the manufacturer, are supposed to achieve a dynamic 360° sound for a room-filling performance.

The manufacturer even speaks of an immersive sound experience, which is achieved by the innovative beamforming technology first introduced in the Bang & Olufsen Beolab Series, which is now also used in the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5. From a purely technical point of view, the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 is based on the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 50 and Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 hi-fi speaker systems.

Bang & Olufsen Mozart platform as a basis

To ensure the highest possible flexibility of use, the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 is based on the so-called Bang & Olufsen Mozart platform.

This means that the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 is ready to play a wide range of content via Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect and Bang & Olufsen Beolink Multiroom. Bluetooth 5.2 is also available, and we should not forget to mention this.

Of course, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 can be combined with another Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 to form a stereo pair, and it should also be possible to connect it to other solutions based on the Bang & Olufsen Mozart platform. In this way, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 can also be directly part of the Bang & Olufsen Smart Home System and in the future, numerous other practical functions will be available, according to the manufacturer’s promise.

For example, the company plans to introduce a wide range of functions via various technologies, such as ultra-wideband technology, which will enable new functions, such as proximity pairing, which will further improve connectivity. Proximity Pairing automatically connects two Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5s to each other, creating a more immersive stereo experience when placed side by side.

Simple control, long battery life

The new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 is designed to be controlled directly on the device via an elegant user interface or via the Bang & Olufsen app. In order to be able to enjoy music for many hours without any problems, this solution is equipped with an especially powerful battery, which is supposed to offer a playing time of up to twelve hours. Another special feature is the integrated wireless charger for smartphones.

A nod to 1960s solutions

The soft, organic curves and natural materials of the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 are said to be inspired by the rounded edges and curved handle of the Bang & Olufsen Beolit 607 from 1961. The teak surfaces of the Bang & Olufsen Beolit 800 and Bang & Olufsen Beolit 1000, originally designed by Jacob Jensen in the late 1960s and early 1970s, also influenced GamFratesi’s design process for the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5, the manufacturer says.

“We took inspiration from many things when designing the Beosound A5, including the iconic Beolit series and natural materials that reflect the colours and textures of Scandinavian nature. From the traditional Panama straw hats worn on beaches to the hand-woven leather appliqués on Danish chairs from the 1960s, we’ve been guided on our design journey by the experimental use of natural materials.”

GamFratesi on the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5

Prices and availability

The new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 is to be available immediately, at a recommended retail price of € 999,- for the Nordic Weave version and € 1.099,- for the Dark Oak version.

Getting to the point

According to Bang & Olufsen, the new Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 is a kind of mixture of a portable speaker and a compact hi-fi system, because it can be used anywhere in the house as well as in the garden and on the terrace, and it offers a particularly impressive sound quality. As far as the design is concerned, the allusions to legendary solutions of the Danes from the 1960s and 1970s are used, and from a technical point of view, the innovative Bang & Olufsen Mozart platform is used, i.e. a solution that is inspired by the past, but developed for the future.

PRODUCTBANG & OLUFSEN BEOSOUND A5
PriceBang & Olufsen Beosound A5 Nordic Weave € 999,-
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 Dark Oak € 1.099,-
BrandBANG & OLUFSEN
ManufacturerBang & Olufsen
DistributionBang & Olufsen
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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