Tag Archives: Bang and Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX tries to bring a bit of class to earbuds

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When the Apple AirPods first came out, they were ridiculed for looking like EarPods whose wires were simply cut off. Like any new thing that Apple does, however, that stem-shaped design became the next trend in True Wireless Stereo or TWS earbuds, to the point that similar-looking earbuds from other brands have been comically seized as counterfeit products. That’s not to say that there’s no room for refining that design, especially given how little it has changed in six years. That’s the breath of fresh air that good old B&O is bringing to the table with the Beoplay EX, turning earbuds into fashion accessories as much as they are tech gadgets.

Designer: Thomas Bentzen

There is admittedly something odd about the stem-shaped design popularized by the AirPods. In addition to its novelty, the form has an element of asymmetry that some might feel almost uncomfortable. Of course, our eyes and minds have gradually adjusted over time to see it as normal, which also makes it an opportune moment to refine the design with some luxurious embellishments.

The Beoplay EX brings Bang & Olufsen’s signature touch to the stem design, wresting the crown from Apple in order to make earbuds more attractive as fashionable pieces rather than just geeky accessories. As typical of B&O’s design language, there is a touch of glass on the touch-sensitive surface of the buds, surrounded by a brush aluminum ring to accentuate the contrasting surfaces while also offering protection for the more fragile material.

It isn’t all just looks either. Unlike the AirPods or even the AirPods Pro, the Beoplay EX’s body doesn’t go straight but bends a bit to the side as it tapers off to the end. This shape, along with a smaller earpiece that goes inside the ear canal, promises a more stable and comfortable fit that won’t wear down your ear or fall off on a run. It’s also IP57 rated, so it won’t shrink away from a slight shower, and neither should you.

Bang & Olufsen didn’t make a name for itself just by looking great, of course. After two generations of stem-less earbuds, it has more or less gotten the wireless audio performance down to a T. Despite its small size, the Beoplay EX boasts of Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation and lets you decide how much of the outside world to let it or keep out. Three mics on each bud ensure crystal clear voice calls on both ends by separating your voice from other sounds. And with 9.2mm drivers, you are guaranteed a listening experience that seems too big for earbuds of this size. In other words, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX promises all the trappings of high-quality wireless earbuds, now wrapped in premium clothing you wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear all the time.

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Bang & Olufsen Steering Wheel Concept paints a wild picture of the future of infotainment and smart cars

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In a future where cars are less about driving and more about riding, the Bang & Olufsen Steering Wheel Speaker lets you have your cake and eat it too. Designed by Alexandre Picard, the steering wheel/speaker concept is a wild idea that dabbles with an entertainment-driven future for cars. The inspiration for the speaker came from the Beolab series, which prompted Picard to think about how B&O could design speakers for other kinds of interiors too.

The Bang & Olufsen Steering Wheel Speaker is definitely unconventional, but it sends the audio giant on a new trajectory, allowing them to cement their position in the luxury automotive space too. Picard’s design retains the steering wheel’s original functionality, while also adding the signature B&O audio touch to it too. The speaker unit sits at the center of the wheel, right above the wheel’s airbag enclosure. The wheel comes with two controls on each side, and tiny screens above them too, allowing you to control aspects of the smart-car experience like answer/reject calls, control music/podcast playback, and even increase or decrease the car’s volume. The wheel provides just the right amount of function when you’re driving, and instantly converts into an entertainment unit when your smart car is operating on its own.

Designer: Alexandre Picard

Picard’s design provides the perfect entry for non-automotive companies to enter the automotive space. In the future, the car doesn’t remain a manual vehicle, it now becomes an extension of your home – a room on wheels. The speaker-steering wheel hybrid brings a host of smart services to the car, allowing voice assistants to enter the automotive space fully. It also allows the smart speaker (which has hitherto remained a stationary home-based device) to be present in yet another space, and another aspect of your life.

Is it a little too far-fetched to imagine a company like Bang & Olufsen entering the smart-car industry? Probably, but then again, the smart self-driving car has unlocked a new frontier for infotainment. One could argue that Apple’s reason to make a car simply helps fuel its services-model. A car would mean people use Apple Pay to buy their vehicle and to pay for recharges. The self-driving car would also allow Apple TV to really take off, and one could argue that the idea of listening to the radio or to podcasts while driving could easily propel Apple Music to the top of the music and podcast streaming business.

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Inspired by Bang & Olufsen, this headphone concept takes audio clarity literally

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Audio quality has been one of the biggest apprehensions that audiophiles and audio experts have had over Bluetooth headphones and speakers. That’s why it took a while before the biggest names in the industry were willing to put their brand on wireless audio equipment. Since then, however, Bang and Olufsen, sometimes under its B&O and Beo names, has brought its legacy and iconic aesthetic to the market, inspiring designers and dreamers to come up with beautiful concepts that get that design DNA across in a rather unique way.

Designer: Anis Jabloun

Bang and Olufsen is one of the oldest marques in the audio equipment market, giving its name to a number of iconic speakers, installations, and even cars. Like many brands that have been around for decades, B&O has earned a reputation and a unique visual language that makes it easily identifiable as a Bang and Olufsen product. Of course, such a brand identity also comes with the quality and performance assurances that B&O’s name has been carrying for years.

That is the same association that this headset concept tries to summon using design cues distinct to B&O’s products. In addition to a minimalist design, that design language often involves the use of gold accents or components that add a touch of luxury to the product’s appearance. There’s also the telltale sign of premium materials, like natural leather for comfort and looks.

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This concept design almost looks similar to B&O’s first wireless on-ear headphones, the BeoPlay H8 that launched way back in 2015. A key difference, visually speaking at least, is that the inner part of the cups is completely transparent. In theory, this has no effect on the quality of the audio the speakers put out, but it does send a clear (pun intended) message to anyone who sees it. Just like the cups, the sound you should expect from a B&O-branded headphone is crystal clear and unadulterated.

The ring around that transparent cup isn’t just for show either. It invites people to touch it and discover that it is actually the headphone’s controls. In an age where flat, smooth touch surfaces have become the norm for many Bluetooth headsets and earbuds, a return to tactile controls is somewhat comforting, reminding us of our humanity and the need to touch and feel things.

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Bang & Olufsen’s design language influences this sound bar concept to achieve a midcentury modern look

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Using the design language of Bang & Olufsen, Andrey Dalakishvili conceptualized a midcentury modern soundbar that’s defined by a parametric wave that courses through its center.

When on the hunt for household appliances, it’s important that they match the rest of the home’s style. If you’re going for a more Scandinavian-inspired, minimalist look, then appliances that embrace simplicity and clean lines are the way to go.

Alternatively, if you tend towards more of an Art Deco look, then maximalist appliances painted with highly saturated colors would make more sense. Interpreting midcentury modern design through the design language of Bang & Olufsen, Andrey Dalakishvili, founder of Work People Agency, conceptualized a soundbar.

Midcentury modernism is hard to define because the movement finds its groove by merging together two opposing styles—touches of organic material are thrown together with synthetic elements, and the boundary between outdoor and indoor spaces is usually blurred.

Rendered in Grasshopper 3D, Dalakishvili remained close to midcentury modernism by combining a dynamic centerpiece with a clean, geometric basin. “During the development,” Dalakishvili explains, “the goal was to achieve a strict style, but not devoid of emotionality. A soundbar can fit perfectly into a laconic interior, and if necessary, become an extravagant art object.”

Defined by the visual scheme of parametric waves, Dalakishvili wanted to simulate the look of ripples on water caused by sound vibrations. Following this concept, the wave seems to start where the remote is located. Magnets and ribbed fasteners rise with the inclined base to form the crest of a wave and a snug fastener for the remote to rest when not in use. On the opposite end of the soundbar, a control panel and volume slide can be found where the ripples flatten.

Designer: Andrey Dalakishvili x Working People Agency

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Bang and Olufsen might want to make this modular speaker concept a reality

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Bang & Olufsen Orchestra Concept

Going to a theater to watch and listen to live orchestra music is something many people around the world miss. The social distancing mandate is making us feel limited but it has to be done, unfortunately.

For music lovers, they need to find ways how to experience live music once again. It can be a challenge to achieve but setting up an audio experience at home that is immersive may be close to the real thing. Buying any speaker system that is popular in the market won’t always cut it. You need to find the perfect device and for some people, even software.

Designer: Daniel Valentine

1There is also a science behind room acoustics so it can be a challenge to accomplish if you’re doing things on your own. You may need advice from professional sound engineers if you’re interested but you can also begin by going for high-end brands that deliver products that can exceed expectations.

Bang & Olufsen is a brand known for such a premium level of quality. Every product line released is expensive and yet people won’t stop asking why. Of course, there are numerous reasons. Apart from the high cost of production and materials, the company really takes into consideration several esthetic elements.

The Bang & Olufsen Orchestra designed by industrial design engineer Daniel Valentine is only an idea but the Danish premium audio company may consider bringing this design to production. The modular speaker concept aims to offer any audiophile or even ordinary user the best personal soundscape money can buy.

Bang & Olufsen Inspired Orchestra Renders

B&O Orchestra has been designed to spread audio around the whole room. A surround-sound system is probably the easiest term to use but we prefer to say orchestra-like. The idea is for several speaker parts to be dispersed around a room.

A user can be surrounded by premium audio—like a real orchestra. You will hear music from different directions as natural audio in the real world. The B&O Orchestra gives you a chance to be a composer by deciding where to place the speakers within an environment.

Bang & Olufsen Orchestra Aesthetic

The whole speaker system is comprised of smaller parts that are split and distributed. A room’s music layout can be customized as you place the speakers around. When not listening to your favorite band or artist, you can use the B&O Orchestra speaker system for watching movies. The result will be a movie-theater-like experience with sound moving across the room for a more realistic effect.

Bang & Olufsen Orchestra

The shape of the B&O Orchestra will remind you of the bell part of a trumpet. It’s placed in a standing position with the larger part functioning as the sub-woofer that delivers low-frequency audio. Above it is the mid-range driver and the tweeter for high-frequency sound such as the picollo, violin, or vocals. On top of the system is the mid-range driver for mid-frequency audio like guitar, snare, or trumpet.

Bang & Olufsen Inspired Orchestra

The complete system is called the Assembled Mode. The Segment Mode is when the parts are separated into smaller pieces to be distributed. We don’t see any cables here as it charges wirelessly via the bass unit that should be plugged to work. Definitely, the speaker system will also connect via Bluetooth.

Bang & Olufsen Inspired Orchestra Parts

This Bang & Olufsen concept speaker system comes in a neutral shade for a subtle, minimalist look. It’s very Bang and Olufsen with its simplicity and signature clean style. Audio quality isn’t compromised and actually matches the striking design of the product. Hi-fi reproduction of audio is always a promise of the brand although this isn’t a real product—at least, not yet.

The designer has already worked with Bang & Olufsen before. There is a slight chance the bosses at the premium audio company can see this and consider the idea. It’s actually a solution to let the audiophile take control of the sound space and overall listening experience. It can be interesting to set up as you decide on where to put each speaker unit. Perhaps every movie preview or listening experience will be different depending on the position and volume of each speaker.

Bang & Olufsen Orchestra Function

Bang & Olufsen isn’t always just about the aesthetics but we can really say the design of every product serves a purpose. B&O speakers aren’t only stylish and pleasing to the eyes. They also produce audio and music pleasing to the ears. It’s too bad this is only a concept but we won’t be surprised if something similar enters the market in the near future.

Bang & Olufsen Orchestra Creation

Bang & Olufsen Orchestra Idea

Bang & Olufsen Inspired Orchestra Wireless

Bang & Olufsen Inspired Orchestra Sound

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Meet Beospeed, an electric scooter that showcases steel edges + classic leather accents for its aesthetic inspiration

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BeoSpeed is an electric scooter concept that follows Bang & Olufsen’s iconic design language, bringing a contemporary twist to a classic taste that won’t ever go out of style.

For decades, Bang & Olufsen has been known for designing high-end consumer electronics, from headphones to speakers. Known for exquisite attention to detail, sophisticated design, and quality audio, Bang & Olufsen has remained within its own niche market for as long as it’s been around. Inspiring young designers in the meantime, Buenos Aires-based designer Luca Martini conceptualized an electric scooter in the design language of Bang & Olufsen called BeoSpeed.

Aiming to capture the electronics company’s laser focus on the details, Martini outfitted BeoSpeed with a polished, clean exterior that asserts its durable, hefty weight with a stainless steel coat. Striking a mix between modern and classic, BeoSpeed dons natural leather seating and handlebars reminiscent of Bang & Olufsen’s headphone cushions. Working Bang & Olufsen’s curated sophistication into BeoSpeed, the electric scooter features smooth edges, minimally adorned wheels, and stripped-back leather accents that give it a retro and slicked-back personality. Soft, warm headlights and wheel lights are subdued with leather straps and metal stencils, giving the scooter an elusive edge while coasting through night-dark city streets.

Martini’s BeoSpeed captures Bang & Olufsen’s vivid brand through a stainless steel coat that implicitly marks its sheer weight and durability, minimal, natural leather accents, and metallic stencils engraved in various places over the scooter’s frame. Like a pair of Bang & Olufsen headphones, BeoSpeed exudes cool, bringing a contemporary twist to a classic taste that won’t ever go out of style.

Designer: Luca Martini

Disclaimer: The Beospeed is a conceptual render created by Luca Martini as a design exercise. These renders aren’t affiliated with or connected to the Bang & Olufsen brand in any way.

Bang & Olufsen gets outdoor ready with aluminum wireless speaker sporting 27 hours of battery life!

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Speakers are often only an afterthought when hitting the outdoors for a hiking trail or campsite. But once you’re nestled around the campfire, or reach the mountain’s summit, it’s the only thing you can think of that would make the moment that much better. Available starting today for $199, Bang & Olufsen’s new waterproof speaker, Beosound Explore is the rugged speaker you won’t think twice about bringing along to the campground.

When packing for camping or hiking, we typically pack the bare essentials– water, change of clothes, some granola, a headlamp– but we forget about accessories that could turn a quiet fireside chat into a firelit dance party. The Beosound Explore even boasts 27 hours of battery life, so those dance parties could run on into the daylight hours. Built to be compatible with the new Bluetooth 5.2 standard, Beosound Explore’s 2,400 mAh battery offers a lot of playback with power efficiency in mind, receiving audio from external devices at lightning speed. In addition to its impressively long-lasting battery life, the Beosound Explore speaker was built to be weatherproof, further enhancing its durability and shelflife. Coated in a dust and waterproof shell, the Beosound Explore can be taken anywhere, including underwater. Finished with an IP67 water resistance level, Beosound Explore is entirely protected against immersion for up to one meter for thirty minutes and can be tossed around on sandy beaches, ensuring the grains won’t affect the speaker’s quality or shelf life.

Bang & Olufsen’s new wireless speaker dons a rubberized base and aluminum body and carefully constructed internal structure that allows it to safely be used on all surfaces in any environment, from muddy riverbanks to rainy campgrounds. Surprisingly lightweight at only 631 grams, Beosound Explore carries some hefty bass and delivers True360 sound that’s provided by dual 1.8 full-range drivers for all-around sound wherever the trails take you.

Designer: Bang & Olufsen





Beosound Explore’s hard-anodized aluminum shell was developed in Denmark’s Factory 5 to ensure resistance against dust and water.





The speaker’s tough rubberized base means you can use the speaker on any surface in any environment.





The speaker’s waterproof strap and carabiner blend portability with durability.





Strap Beosound Explore onto your pack and take it with you anywhere the trails bring you.





With an intuitive control panel, everything about Beosound Explore was made with practicality in mind.

Beosound Explore was designed to work under any circumstance, meaning you can use it even on sandy beaches.

Bang & Olufsen’s new $499 wireless headphones deliver a knockout blow to the Airpods Max

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Some could say that these headphones really deliver a ‘Bang’ for their buck!

At $499, the B&O Beoplay HX aren’t cheap headphones. They carry the Bang & Olufsen tag (which does account for a slightly inflated price), but then again, the Beoplay HX are a solid piece of gear. They’re over-ear, active noise-canceling, have 40mm audio drivers, and come with an impressive 35-hour battery life. If you delve down into the details, they sport metallic accents too (although the body is primarily plastic), and even have a much better-looking protective case than the AirPods Max. Feature-for-feature, the Beoplay HX seem like they were designed to compete with the AirPods Max… and probably even win.

The wireless over-ear headphones have the highest battery-life in their category (with the AirPods Max falling short by 10 hours, and the Sony WH-1000XM4 by 5). They’re outfitted with ANC (active noise-canceling) on the inside, and when the feature’s switched off, the headphones last well beyond 40 hours on a single charge. The headphones come in black (with an all-white variant launching in a month), featuring a body made from recycled plastic, capped off with a radial-brushed aluminum disc. The ear-cups are made from lambskin with a memory foam interior, while the headband uses a combination of cowhide and knitted fabric… and the adjustable sliding mechanism is all-aluminum, offering low-tolerance, sleek adjustability like the AirPods Max. However, unlike the AirPods Max, the Beoplay HX are pretty traditional with their UI, with buttons on the left and right ear cup and even a touch-sensitive panel on the right side. The headphones support Bluetooth 5.1, although there’s even a 3.5mm jack if you’re a bit of a purist!

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen’s $2,000 ‘portable’ speaker is designed to last decades

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Bang & Olufsen’s audio gear ranges from the opulent to the functional. The company has a line of speakers that encompasses everything from soundbars and pocket-sized Bluetooth units to modular wall sculptures and expensive showpieces. Today, the...

B&O is bringing back a turntable from the ’70s and it costs $11,000

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Bang & Olufsen is giving a new life to one of its classic turntables: the Beogram 4000 series. It has tracked down and restored 95 units of the device, which it created in the early '70s. If you're interested, you'll be able to get your hands on...