B&O Play Beoplay A1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review
B&O Play is a sub-brand of Danish high-end video and audio manufacturer Bang & Olufsen that requires no introduction because of brands reputation for its remarkable products. Beoplay A1 is the latest portable Bluetooth speaker in the family of luxury home audio products of B&O Play. Renowned for its principal attention to design, this new entry is not lagging behind at all with its startling design. This astonishing wireless speaker is designed by famous Danish furniture designer Cecile Manz. Beoplay A1 is not only the smallest portable Bluetooth speaker launched by Danish company but it is also the most affordable at the price of $249. Keeping its glorification aside for a while let’s dive into the interior and performance of this latest dynamite.
Design and features:
The first that strikes you is its compact and lavish design. It is a dome-shaped speaker made up of aluminum with a polymer base with a suede-like finish. Its polymer base gives it a non-slip surface. It has no protruding buttons as all the controls are integrated seamlessly in to the polymer base. The covering is both dust and splash resistant enabling it to carry on outdoor excursions, provide you don’t submerge it in water.
It’s about 2 inches tall and 5 inches in diameter weighing 600g. It is accompanied by a leather strap, which is a nice counterpart contrasting against the metal of the portable speaker and allowing you to carry easily or hang somewhere, the way you want. This pocket size portable speaker is available in natural silver and moss green colors.
For playing and pausing your music it contains multifunction control button as well as volume controls. It also includes a microphone allowing you to use it as a conference speaker when connected through USB with a computer or either with your Bluetooth device. The microphone performs well for hands-free calling easily picking your voice from around a meter and a half away. Its rimmed lip around the edge of the base helps with the microphone’s sensitivity in every direction.
This portable wireless speaker includes two drivers a ¾ inch tweeter and a 3.5 inch mid cone woofer. It handles playing very loud for its size and delivery a stunning amount of bass. It is very strong in the midrange where vocals live. Because of its shape, it duplicates as a speakerphone and works very well. It contains 2,200mAh internal rechargeable battery and also an efficient adaptive power management system.
It utilizes USB-C cable to charge. Its battery life is almost 24 hours at moderate volume levels, providing a lot time to enjoy your favorite beat. You can also pair two Beoplay A1 speakers wirelessly to boost sound and create a stereo pair. Pairing is simple with support of Bluetooth 4.2 and a Bluetooth pairing button at the base. It also has a 3.5mm auxiliary connection offering you the option of connecting a wired device. It doesn’t support for the aptX codec.
The Beoplay iOS app is available, which is a free download that works with all the company’s speakers and can be used to upgrade their firmware. The app also allows you to play with a few of ‘Tonetouch’ EQ presets that are designed for the A1, or you can manually adjust the EQ utilizing a graphical pad which is divided into concentric quadrants, titles ‘Bright’, ‘Relaxed’, ‘Excited’ and ‘Warm’. They make an audible difference but you can also leave the EQ in the neutral position preferring the A1’s default sound.
Performance:
The Beoplay A1 has a great sound quality and works best in the midrange where it sounds natural. It is the biggest strength of this device. It goes side by side with other more expensive speakers. It also works best with well-recorded tracks not having lot of instruments playing at the same time. Voices are very present.
It does average with EDM (electronic dance music), more complicated rock tracks and hip hop. It starts to lose bass and some definition if so many frequencies are thrown at it at once. On certain tracks you can also notice some sibilance in the treble. It can also surprise you with its great quality of base at times. It indeed isn’t a party speaker; it’s only got so much volume. Like other small speakers, one of its limitations is that it’s hard for it to resolve complicated tracks
If you are trying to get better sound, you can play around with its placement. It fills a small room with sound and also works well in a kitchen, home office etc. when suspended, it gives more directional sound. It sound is evenly dispersed in every direction as the drivers are pointed upwards. It also gets a little warm at its base if volume is cranked for longer periods.
Pros:
Stylish and compact
Fast charging
Remarkable battery life
Cons:
No carry pouch supplied
Bit on a pricey side
Gets warm when played on high volume for long