This Bluetooth Speaker Delivers Smooth And Glorious Sound For Almost Any Genre Of Music

1 month ago

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 3 Bluetooth speaker

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

This Bluetooth speaker is disposable connected Amazon for $399
The A1 Gen 3 delivers rich, luxurious sound successful a mini package
You'll want to usage nan app to get nan champion sound for each genre.

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I've tested galore a Bluetooth speaker, but ne'er had nan chance to acquisition 1 from Bang & Olufsen. I've heard different B&O products, but ne'er a portable speaker, specified arsenic nan Beosound A1 Gen 3 Bluetooth speaker.

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I had a bully thought what to expect from this ~5" information device, and erstwhile I pulled it from its box, I wasn't rather judge what to think. It's small, but has immoderate heft, truthful I wasn't precisely judge if this small speaker could unrecorded up to nan Bang & Olufsen reputation.

Boy, was I wrong.

The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 3 Bluetooth speaker.

My experience

As soon arsenic I had nan speaker retired of nan box, I paired it pinch my Pixel 9 Pro and decided to play Purity Ring's caller medium "Purity Ring" (don't you emotion a bully self-titled album?).

I did thing to nan speaker, prevention for connecting it to my phone. I decided not to moreover cheque if location was an app for customizing nan sound because I wanted to perceive nan speaker arsenic nan B&O engineers intended it, and I'm gladsome I did.

Within nan first fewer bars of nan first song, I knew this small speaker was special. I was instantly awash successful nan breathy, angelic sound of Megan James' sound (I could perceive to her singing nan telephone book and my bosom would still swell).

The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Gen 3 Bluetooth speaker.

The first point that deed maine pinch this speaker was nan soundstage, which is astir arsenic wide arsenic I've ever knowledgeable successful a 5" diameter Bluetooth speaker. Although Purity Ring's euphony isn't what I would telephone complex, location are still a batch of layers to it, and nan Beosound A1 3rd Gen speaker was much than up to nan task of presenting nan sonic delights pinch nan delicateness they merit while not skimping connected nan bass.

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That's not to opportunity this speaker is simply a thumper, because it's not. At nan aforesaid time, nan bass is amazingly bully for its size. Even better, nan bass doesn't get muddy. You tin decidedly perceive nan separation betwixt what would beryllium a footwear drum (electronic arsenic it is) and nan bass. I could perceive nan thumps astatine nan depths, but arsenic you move up nan wave standard into mid- and high-range lows, nan Beosound delivers awesome clarity.

There's a solo soft way connected nan medium that is truthful sweet. I could adjacent my eyes, and it felt arsenic if nan performer was really successful nan room pinch me. I could perceive nan attacks from nan keys, and I committedness I could perceive nan emergence and autumn of nan prolong pedal. For a speaker this size and priced astatine conscionable nether $400, that's earnestly impressive.

After listening to Purity Ring for a while, I decided to spot really nan Beosound A1 3rd Gen speaker could grip thing a spot much complex, specified arsenic Rush. I went pinch my all-time favourite song, "Between The Wheels" (off Grace Under Pressure), and hoped for nan best. Could this speaker present nan aforesaid soft and glorious sound arsenic it did pinch nan poppier broadside of music?

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At first, nan sound seemed a spot hollow, truthful I decided to spot what I could do pinch nan app. After installing nan B&O app, I connected it to nan speaker and was instantly informed of a firmware update. I allowed that to proceed and waited until I could get backmost into nan app to spot what location was to see.

The firmware update was sloooooooow, but it did yet decorativeness aft astir 60 minutes, which is astir apt nan slowest firmware update I've ever experienced. This is either a monolithic update aliases nan process is conscionable excruciatingly slow.

Anyway, backmost to nan music.

What to cognize astir nan B&O app

Strangely enough, nan B&O app does not person a emblematic EQ. Instead, you resistance a circle wrong quadrants of Bright, Energetic, Warm, and Relaxed. Believe it aliases not, this is simply a beautiful effective measurement of getting nan sound you want.

No, you can't set different frequencies individually, but nan nuances you tin eke retired of your euphony pinch this strategy are impressive. Even better, you tin make these adjustments successful existent time, truthful you tin perceive nan changes. Once you've recovered perfection, extremity moving nan power and prevention your caller Sound Mode.

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I went backmost to "Between The Wheels," and it was truthful overmuch better. I past skipped astir to different bands and genres to spot really nan A1 fared, and it blew maine distant pinch each tune. I could not find a opus that didn't travel live done nan A1.

I did find myself perpetually fiddling pinch nan Sound Mode, because, pinch each opus I played, I was definite I could tweak nan sound to get moreover much from nan speaker… and I wasn't wrong. Most group will astir apt instrumentality pinch nan default sound (which is rather good), but if you really attraction astir really your euphony sounds, you'll want to play wrong nan app. In nan end, I realized that I'd created respective civilization Modes and was bouncing betwixt them to my delight.

ZDNET's buying advice

I emotion this speaker. Even astatine a costs that mightiness thrust immoderate away, this isn't a business wherever you are simply paying for nan Bang & Olufsen name; nan A1 delivers, and that $399 value tag is worthy it (if you want a portable Bluetooth speaker that doesn't sound for illustration a portable Bluetooth speaker).

If you want an elegant, refined sound, nan A1 Gen 3 speaker surely fits nan bill. Given its size, this is 1 of those Bluetooth speakers that will impressment anyone.