Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (third Gen) overview: Excellent for outside music

Greatest Costs Right now: Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (third Gen)

Bang & Olufen’s Beosound A1 is among the dearer transportable audio system at the moment obtainable – particularly given its comparatively modest dimensions. It packs quite a bit into that compact design, although, combining spectacular sound high quality and good battery life with a rugged design that’s best for outside use.

Priced at $399/£299 and obtainable in quite a lot of colors, that is really the third-generation model of the A1, with the earlier second-gen mannequin having been launched in 2021. The outward look of this new mannequin hasn’t modified in any respect, sticking with B&O’s distinctive round design with a perforated aluminium grille on prime.

That second-gen mannequin continues to be obtainable from Amazon and different on-line shops, although, so be sure you purchase the right mannequin when ordering on-line. Thoughts you, the second-gen mannequin has additionally had a value minimize to round $199/£160 ($149.99 and £147.25 within the Amazon Prime Day sale), which is a superb value should you’re searching for a cut price.

For extra Prime Day offers on audio tools see our spherical up of the greatest Prime Day AirPods offers, which incorporates an assortment of different earbuds too.

The low-profile metallic design of the A1 seems nice, and it measures simply 46mm excessive and 133mm in diameter, and weighs 576g, so it’s simple to slide it right into a backpack or bag once you’re travelling. It’s sturdily constructed although, with that metallic case boasting an IP67 score for water and dust-resistance. Which means it’s utterly sealed towards mud and different small particles, and might survive being utterly immersed in water as much as one metre deep for half-hour.

That makes it best to be used open air, on a seaside vacation, or should you simply need to have a little bit of a sing-along within the bathe within the morning. The bottom of the speaker has a non-slip rubber coating to assist hold it protected, and there’s a leather-based wrist-rap as nicely, though it’s a disgrace that such an costly speaker doesn’t embody a carrying case too.

New options on this third-gen mannequin embody a brand new 3.25-inch woofer, which is designed to offer stronger bass than the earlier mannequin. Greater frequencies are dealt with by an 0.6-inch tweeter, with the 2 drivers offering a wholesome 60W output. Battery life has improved too, rising from 18 hours to 24 hours when taking part in music at medium quantity.

It’s a bit of odd that the A1 nonetheless depends on the comparatively previous Bluetooth 5.1, as latest updates to Bluetooth have helped to enhance energy effectivity even additional. Even so, 24 hours of music ought to nonetheless see you thru an extended weekend, and the A1 helps each Apple’s AAC codec for Bluetooth audio, and aptX Adaptive for Android customers.

There’s a wired choice as nicely, because the A1 has a USB-C interface that can be utilized to each cost the battery and supply a wired audio enter on the identical time. This implies that you could plug it right into a laptop computer once you’re away from dwelling in an effort to cost the speaker and use it as an exterior speaker for the laptop computer as nicely.

The one factor that forestalls the A1 from being the right transportable speaker for Apple customers is that it doesn’t assist Wi-Fi or AirPlay – as some inexpensive transportable audio system do, such because the JBL Authentics 300 or Sonos Roam 2. See our spherical up of the Greatest AirPlay Audio system.

However, in fact, it’s sound high quality that issues most, and the A1 produces a surprisingly robust and clear sound for such a compact speaker. Muse are all the time an excellent wager for the summer time pageant season, and the A1 has loads of energy to deal with the prog-rock mayhem of Knights Of Cydonia. The monitor’s galloping drum beat hits the bottom working with a agency, exact rhythm, and Matt Bellamy’s falsetto rings out loud and clear because the band do their greatest Queen impersonation. Our solely criticism right here is that a number of the greater frequencies can lack affect, and a few sounds – such because the mariachi horns within the opening part – get a bit of overwhelmed by the headbanging guitars and drums.

Compact audio system similar to this could additionally battle with bass output too, however the A1 manages to get right down to the bouncing digital bass on Dangerous Man by Billie Eilish. There’s a clean tone to Billie’s voice as she whispers – “I’m solely good at being dangerous” – and a crisp, sharp sound to the finger snaps that float above. The actually deep bass pulse that ends the monitor may very well be a bit of firmer, however that’s asking quite a bit from such a small speaker, and the A1 is nearly as good as you’ll get from a speaker of this measurement.

Must you purchase B&Os Besound A1 (third gen)?

There are definitely inexpensive transportable audio system obtainable, however the Beosound A1 can earn its hold once you’re out and about this summer time. It offers spectacular sound high quality for such a compact and light-weight speaker, and it’s nice that you could cost it and play music from a laptop computer on the identical time. And, in fact, its rugged design makes it best for outside use, even on a sandy seaside or a muddy music pageant.