Bang & Olufsen Beosound Balance Review

[Spocko]

Can you think of another omnidirectional speaker that sells for a fraction of the cost that goes down to 30Hz and has the same build quality? If you can name one, I will change my vote from "Great" to "Poor".

One thing that strikes me about the contour plot is the lack of left/right symmetry. It made me wonder how the drivers are arranged in this thing because Amir mentioned he had difficulty finding where the tweeters were. I was wondering whether the awful measurements may be due to the microphone not positioned along the tweeter axis. What do you think @amirm?

YES, the $2,399 Syng Alpha Cell has been shown to hit below 30hz here are some reviews confirming that spec:

• Erin's thorough YouTube review
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradmoon/2022/11/19/review-syng-cell-alpha-triphonic-wireless-speaker/
• https://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/151/cell-alpha-triphonic-speaker/

I too have these speakers and they definitely get low enough and the app is pretty easy to use although I think design wise it's an acquired taste for WAF while the B&O is instant WAF. Personally, I like that I have 3 of them to reinforce/even out the bass while providing true omni-directional sound but then we're talking $8000.

But to your point, "cheap" ominidirectional speakers that legitimately hit 30Hz is not there for under $2000. Obviously this isn't enough to change your vote to Poor, but maybe to "Not Terrible" because it's not really a "fraction" of the B&O.

 

[testp]

It was hard to tell from the pictures how big it actually is, but it seems to be medium size. And I quite like the design, which is the one thing B&O always should get right.

View attachment 392030

it takes one full grown man to lift it..

 

[Spocko]

it takes one full grown man to lift it..

He looks like a 6'3" Swedish model

 

[Toni Mas]

Running Only Fans is a much better business. Their profit is the same as B&O's revenue.

As I understand it, B&O has a profit of 1% in the end (up from -3%)

https://investor.bang-olufsen.com/news-releases/news-release-details/annual-report-202324-bo-reports-positive-ebit-margin-202324/

Wow, much ado for almost nothing...

 

[Sokel]

B&O was never audiophile choice,neither Hi-fi,B&O is B&O.
Maybe the 90 can qualify as such (at all levels,I consider it the most chameleonic speaker out there,it's an experience to listen to it)
At all other aspects and models it's too easy to be audiophile and too broad to be hi-fi.

I think all the published papers,all the amazing people worked for the company never had accurate reproduction as a goal,their goal was fun (again,apart from the Beolad 90,they flexed their muscles there)

And the review showed exactly that,that under some conditions it's fun.

Thanks Amir!

 

[Toni Mas]

Headless panthers are kind of fun too!

 

[amirm]

There are incredible constraints in this type of design. So we need to keep that in mind as we look at the Balance. The idea of producing sound all around in large spaces is hard to execute on.

 

[AudioSceptic]

There are incredible constraints in this type of design. So we need to keep that in mind as we look at the Balance. The idea of producing sound all around in large spaces is hard to execute on.

Was the Bose 901 (1968) an early attempt at this or aiming for something different?

Does the Balance do a better job than the Apple Homepod and the other similar(?) products, or are you saying that they are just "smart" speakers with no pretentions to omni-sound?

 

[restorer-john]

For what it's worth, this is only $1299 at Drop.

Has it been an utter failure and they are blowing them out cheap?

 

[amj101]

On another note, B&O is developing some very interesting tech (although we'll have to wait to see implementation) outside of the purely acoustic realm. Tracking your phone's positioning in relation to the speakers and adjusting the audio to optimize for that specific location is something I don't see any other traditional audio company doing.

B&O’s Beolab 8 wireless speaker uses AirTag tech to track you

The Bang & Olufsen Beolab 8 is a stunning, all-aluminum wireless speaker with some seriously advanced tech.

www.digitaltrends.com

 

[Sokel]

On another note, B&O is developing some very interesting tech (although we'll have to wait to see implementation) outside of the purely acoustic realm. Tracking your phone's positioning in relation to the speakers and adjusting the audio to optimize for that specific location is something I don't see any other traditional audio company doing.

B&O’s Beolab 8 wireless speaker uses AirTag tech to track you

The Bang & Olufsen Beolab 8 is a stunning, all-aluminum wireless speaker with some seriously advanced tech.

www.digitaltrends.com

Hey,that was my idea,I suggested it here a year ago .
Someone is gonna get sued!

 

[RayDunzl]

Several certifications I've never noticed before.

UL seems to be missing, though.

 

[GXAlan]

Has it been an utter failure and they are blowing them out cheap?

Drop follows a bit of Costco approach.

You have the same exact product, have a different SKU, and rely on volume and the guise of “group buy.”

Although somehow it’s gone to $1199 when I check now!

 

[Steven Holt]

So, like, do they sell this thing at IKEA?

 

[amirm]

I would imagine they want nothing to do with IKEA. IKEA has their own line of lifestyle speakers anyway.

 

[amirm]

Drop follows a bit of Costco approach.

Exactly. Likely they have overstock of certain colors, in this case, black that they want to clear out.

 

[NTK]

Several certifications I've never noticed before.

UL seems to be missing, though.

View attachment 392147

It has the logo of TÜV Rheinland, the German equivalent of UL. TÜV Rheinland is on the list of OSHA's NRTLs (national recognized testing laboratories). So all is good.

 

[Steven Holt]

I would imagine they want nothing to do with IKEA. IKEA has their own line of lifestyle speakers anyway.

Thank you for the reply, Amir -- I meant it as a pun on all things Scandanavian!

 

[Ktacos]

View attachment 392115

YES, the $2,399 Syng Alpha Cell has been shown to hit below 30hz here are some reviews confirming that spec:

• Erin's thorough YouTube review
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradmoon/2022/11/19/review-syng-cell-alpha-triphonic-wireless-speaker/
• https://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/151/cell-alpha-triphonic-speaker/

I too have these speakers and they definitely get low enough and the app is pretty easy to use although I think design wise it's an acquired taste for WAF while the B&O is instant WAF. Personally, I like that I have 3 of them to reinforce/even out the bass while providing true omni-directional sound but then we're talking $8000.

But to your point, "cheap" ominidirectional speakers that legitimately hit 30Hz is not there for under $2000. Obviously this isn't enough to change your vote to Poor, but maybe to "Not Terrible" because it's not really a "fraction" of the B&O.

We should just call it HAF, human approval factor, because gender has no real bearing on the fact that them things are ugly

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Running Only Fans is a much better business. Their profit is the same as B&O's revenue.

As I understand it, B&O has a profit of 1% in the end (up from -3%)

https://investor.bang-olufsen.com/news-releases/news-release-details/annual-report-202324-bo-reports-positive-ebit-margin-202324/

I know. This is a predicament. I've been following B&O for decades. Apart from trying to make portable BT speakers and headphones, they've stubbornly stuck with the old formula still. Of which they seem to struggle to profit from. Probably because the design is hard(er) to manufacture with the materials they want.