It is difficult to raise the eyebrow of dry facts in terms of range portable wireless speaker. Therefore, it is important that new products in this category argue in particular two exercises - sound and design. The first exercise we can not yet say anything specifically about yet, but there is no doubt that B & O here have found a great design that separates the wheat from the chaff.

Add in addition to that we are talking about a very special duplex speaker concept, and that portability is a ... ehh ... bearing element in the design concept, and we have a very exciting product in BeoPlayer A2.

Read the press release from Bang & Olufsen, edited by Audiophile.no:

B&O PLAY LAUNCHES 24 HOURS AND 360 DEGREES OF BREATH-TAKING INNOVATION AND SOUND

Introducing BeoPlay A2 a powerful, ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker with 360 degrees of ground breaking sound - and an unprecedented 24 hours of battery life. 

The freedom to enjoy great music wherever, whenever!

B&O PLAY today unveiled BeoPlay A2 – its first ever Bluetooth speaker – featuring ground breaking innovation, jaw dropping sound and design and a functionality that will leave you speechless.

360 DEGREES OF MAGNIFICENT SOUND

Featuring a world’s first omni-directional sound solution for a flat speaker, True360, ensures that everyone listening to the ultra-portable speaker enjoys equally good sound – no matter where they’re placed. 

The BeoPlay A2 is a two-channel speaker – with a channel on each side of the device applying a new solution called ”Power Response Enhancement”. It includes an extra tweeter on the rear side of the main driver that gives you an even high frequency radiation around the edges.

The “Power Response Enhancement” combined with the main speaker drivers’ omni-directional low frequency sound dispersion, results in a True360 sound experience - powerful, room-filling music in all directions.

The sound profile of the speaker is a signature feature of B&O PLAY: honest, clean and passionate – and delivers all the beautiful details your music has to offer.

24 HOURS BATTERY LIFE

BeoPlay A2 has enough battery power to keep the music and party going for up to 24 hours on a single battery charge – this is a market first, as no other speaker of the same size and category can match the same playing time.

The rechargeable Li-ion battery inside the speaker features an “Adaptive Power Management” technology that both monitors and anticipates the incoming audio signal in order to save battery life. This innovative technology makes it possible to feed the exact amount of power needed by the amplifiers – and only when it is needed.

MADE TO MOVE

Designed by the award-winning Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz, BeoPlay A2 has a unique flat design with two rugged polymer shells and a rock solid aluminium core that brings cool Scandinavian elegance, acoustic stability and durability.

“BeoPlay A2 was designed for a life on the go – and that has influenced every aspect of the speaker in terms of its design. There is no front, there is no back - and there is no up or down, but there’s sound everywhere,”says Cecilie Manz.

A short, exchangeable, premium leather strap lets you easily carry the speaker with you wherever you’re going – and because of the Bluetooth technology there’s no need for an internet connection, just pair your mobile device with the speaker, and you’re ready in a matter of seconds.

MUSIC WITHOUT LIMITS

BeoPlay A2 is the first Bluetooth speaker from B&O PLAY– and with a price point of just USD399/EUR349 it’s a product with lots of potential to make a splash in the market.

Henrik Taudorf Lorensen, Corporate VP of B&O PLAY comments, “BeoPlay A2 is a ground-breaking product that will set new industry standards, thanks to the innovative True360 sound and the unprecedented 24 hours of battery life but also because you get best-in-class sound quality for this type of product.”

To buy and learn more about BeoPlay A2, visit www.beoplay.com/a2

VARIANTS & PRICING

BeoPlay A2 is available in 3 variants: Grey, Green and Black.

BeoPlay A2 will be priced at: EUR 349 / USD 399 / DKK 2499.

Available at Bang & Olufsen stores, the B&O PLAY online store (beoplay.com), and selected design and department stores from October 2014.  

BeoPlayer A2 - PRODUCT

BASIC SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions (D x H x W): 4.4 x 14.2 x 25.6 (cm)

Weight: 1.1 kg

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Power amplifiers 180 watt digital amplifier Class D

Driver Units: 2 x 3 "woofer with full frequency, 2 x 3" passive bass coolers, 2 x 3/4 "tweeters

Effective frequency range: 55 Hz to 24kHz

Energy consumption: 15 Watts

Housing Principle: Passive bass coolers

Battery: Built-in, removable Li-ion battery with thermal protection circuit. Up to 24 hours playback

Charging time: 3 hours

CONNECTION

Wireless Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX

Connectivity: 1 x Line-in for MP3 player or mobile device, 1 x USB connection for charging your device while it plays music, 1 x DC power input

Remote Control

Via Bluetooth 4.0

Control of devices: switch on / off, increase or decrease the volume and connect the Bluetooth to / from.

USEFUL INFORMATION

True360 Sound Technology: With the multi-directional sound technology True360, so everyone can enjoy the same great sound wherever they are located

Basic Colors: Black, green, gray

Accessories: Long or short leather strap

Designer: Cecilie Manz