Bang & Olufsen is having blast in rolling out new products. In a short span of just three months, it has introduced two wireless speakers and a pair of wireless ANC headphones, and now there is one more. This time, this is targeted at the very affluent.
Not that the Emerge and Level are anywhere near affordable, but the new Bang and Olufsen Beolab 28 Hi-res Wireless Stereo Speakers is going make those wireless speakers feel like bargains.
Obviously, Beolab 28 is on a different level, both literally and figuratively. It is a twist on the classic column design with a new twist. It is not bulky like traditional floor standing speakers, which it also is, btw, but because of its lightweight and slim form, it is actually wall-mountable too.
The pair offers a total of 1250 watts of audio bliss, with a wide frequency range of 27Hz to 23KHz, pumped out through three custom-designed 3” full-range drivers, a 1” tweeter and one 6.5” woofer. Each driver is paired to a DSP and a Class D amplifier (100W each, with the woofer getting boost from a 225W amp).
Bang & Olufsen said the set up promised to deliver “studio-grade audio” with immersive bass.
The hardware is further bolstered by B&O proprietary technologies, including Active Room Compensation and Advanced Adaptive Bass Linearization (ABL) technology that “monitors output, reducing excessive peaks and ensuring optimal performance across all levels.”
The speaker system has built-in Bang & Olufsen Radio, Chromecast built-in, and supports AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. That brings us to connectivity which it has Bluetooth 5.0 and dual band 802.11b/g/a/n/ac, and supports both B&O Wireless Power Link 24-bit/48 kHz and WiSA 24-bit/48 kHz.
Other connectivity that are present includes analog/optical line-line with sensing, Ethernet 10/100 Mbit ports and USB-C.
It can be control in a variety of ways, including Beoremote One BT, Beoremote Halo as well as Bang & Olufsen App. In addition, it touts proximity-activated user interface and response touch controls if you are not feeling lazy.
One of the star feature of this hi-res audio equipment would be the adjustable sheath of sort. It allows you to adjust between narrow and wide mode to match any moment, from private listening to dinner parties.
Definitely not designed with college parties in mind because, at US$16,500 the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28 Hi-res Wireless Stereo Speakers definitely a student level of pricing unless you have uber rich parents. Hey, that is precisely why there’s Sony X-Series range of party speakers.
All told the Beolab 28 is a compact pair that has a modest 25 cm footprint. The build is typical of Bang & Olufsen: classy as always, featuring anodized aluminum, handcraft wood and premium fabrics.
All images courtesy of Bang & Olufsen.
