Bang & Olufsen has entered the Bluetooth speaker market but in typical style, the company has put its own unique design spin on it to make it stand out from the crowd.
The BeoPlay A2 is about the size of a trade paperback book and has a leather strap on one end.
It is also flat – an unusual shape for a speaker – with a grille on the front and the back.
Not that you can actually pick the front or the back – it’s really up to the listener how they’d like to place it or hold it.
The BeoPlay A2 has True360 omni-directional technology onboard.
This means everyone listening to the speaker will have an equally good sound no matter where they are and how you position the speaker.
We put this to the test and found the audio output had more of a full body for greater volume than the finesse you’ll find with other speakers.
The speaker is designed to heard and enjoyed by many rather than just one person in the ideal position like a lot of other speakers.
Under the hood is a digital sound processor to provide a balanced sound and a very healthy dose of bass.
Audio quality is above average but lacks the detail you’d find on other speakers from companies like Bose and JBL.
But what it lacks in pure clarity it more than makes up with it expansive sound that can easily power your party.
It has a solid aluminium core and a polymer shell to give it the strength for day-to-day use anywhere.
And with that leather strap handle the BeoPlay A2 is just inviting you to take it with you everywhere.
There are volume controls, on/off switch and a Bluetooth pairing button along the top edge while the side has an auxiliary input, a USB port and a power port.
This speaker can’t be charged with a microUSB cable – you need to use the dedicated charger to fully recharge the device.
And because the product is a decent size it means there’s also a decent sized battery on board that can run for up to 24 hours on a single charge.
But users can also tap into that battery power and never be short of a charge for their smartphones.
Simply attach the smartphone’s cable into the BeoPlay A2’s USB port and you’ll be powering up your mobile device.
The BeoPlay A2 can remember up to eight paired devices and can also play from two paired devices at the same time.
The BeoPlay A2 is priced at $479 and is an excellent first-up Bluetooth speaker from Bang & Olufsen and maintains the company’s distinct style and design language while at the same time providing an impressive sound.
It is available from David Jones, Myer, Move and all Bang & Olufsen stores across Australia.
Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A2
Price: $479
