The beauty of sound and design BY Bang & Olufsen

B&O’s new Beosound Edge is minimalist but packs a powerful sound performance.

I have a small Bluetooth speaker that I bring whenever and wherever I travel. Every time I bring it out to play music, usually on the beach with friends, the two reactions I get are “Oh, how cute!” and “For a small speaker, it sounds powerful.” Called Beoplay 2 by Bang & Olufsen, it’s shaped like a pebble and operated by touch and doesn’t have buttons except for the “on” switch.

This is a portable speaker. Imagine the ones Bang & Olufsen designs for homes, where the idea is that B&O is a home accessory too, not just audio equipment.  

The B&O showroom in Manila reflects the brand’s unique way of combining sound engineering and design with its display of the latest from the Danish brand and the showroom itself.

The boutique, located at the East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, is a 140-sqm. showroom that boasts the latest global look for the luxury brand. This sensory store for cutting-edge devices features clean and immaculately white walls and warm parquet floors in a classic herringbone pattern.

“B&O is a leading luxury lifestyle brand steeped in rich history,” said Ferdie Ong, general manager of Living Innovations, official distributor of Bang & Olufsen in Manila. “Coming from a long line of innovators since 1925, B&O is known for its unique way of combining sound, design and craft – the three pillars who define the brand and gives rise to a collection which is highly sought after.”

Limited-edition bronze collection of B&O’s popular multiroom speakers

The latest the Manila showroom unveiled is the Beosound Edge, a speaker designed for intuitive touch and motion while delivering a powerful sound performance.

B&O head of development for Southeast Asia Morten Kalle was on hand to demonstrate the beauty of the spherical Beosound Edge.

Positioned on top of a table, the speaker knows when you get close to it through proximity sensors and illuminates the aluminum touch interface. Volume can be adjusted by rolling the BeoSound Edge forwards and backwards (don’t worry, it’s not going to topple — but yes that’s your first instinct). Also, you can control where the sound comes from with the directional sound control, creating two acoustic “fronts, which means a room can be divided into an active or passive listening area. Alternatively, you can choose to blast true 360-degree room-filling sound from both sides of the speakers to fill the entire space.”

Through B&O’s latest patent for the world’s first Active Bass Port, the speaker provides perfect potent bass at high volumes and maintains accurate bass at low volumes.  Also included is a 10” woofer bass driver on one side, which has an innovatively slim design and long excursion, while both sides of the speaker enjoy a dedicated 4” midrange and a 1/4” tweeter. 

The speaker is part of the BeoLink Multiroom family and supports Airplay 2, GoogleCast, DLNA and Bluetooth.

Designed by Michael Anastassiades, BeoSound Edge transforms the everyday mundane to music mastery and adds aesthetic value to the home. The circular shape allows for two placement options: on the floor or mounted on the wall like a train station clock.

Anastassiades drew inspiration from the classic British 1 pound coin and by the looks of it, it’s just as timeless.

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Bang & Olufsen is located at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Powerplant Mall, Solaire Resorts & Casino, Greenbelt 5, The Podium, SM MOA and SM Seaside Cebu. For inquiries, call 654-2240 or email info@livinginnovations.ph.

Visit the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net.  Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @iamtanyalara.