High-end Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen has announced the third generation of its Beosound A1 Bluetooth speaker. The updated A1 remains as portable as its predecessor, retaining its puck-shaped design and minimalist appearance, but there are some key upgrades under its pearl-blasted aluminum shell.
Arguably the most important of these is the larger woofer, which delivers a bass of 64dB, a 2dB improvement on the second-generation model. While that admittedly sounds modest on paper, B&O claims it’s one that makes the speaker capable of comfortably filling a room with meaty sound. If you happen to have an older A1 around, you can form a stereo pair with the latest model for even more sonic muscle.
Battery life has also been increased to 24 hours, which is a sizable six hours more than its predecessor. And while it uses the slightly older Bluetooth 5.1 standard, the new A1 supports Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair, both of which cut down on the steps required to pair devices. The previous speaker’s three-microphone setup also makes its way to the A1 3rd Gen, allowing you to take calls from the device itself.
The updated speaker has an IP67 dust and waterproof rating, and sports a modular design that allows you to replace or upgrade broken or outdated components over time. Bang & Olufsen say it’s the first speaker in the world to get a Bronze certification from Cradle to Cradle. The C2C is a globally recognized sustainability standard that assesses a product from its supply chain through to production, and coaches companies in minimizing waste. The Bronze level awarded to the Beosound A1 is the lowest on C2C’s scale, but it’s evidence that Bang & Olufsen is paying mind to sustainability.
The Bang & Olufsen A1 3rd Gen can be purchased in the same Natural Aluminium finish as its predecessor, as well as the two new “nature-inspired” colorways of Honey Tone and Eucalyptus Green. It’s available to buy today and costs $349.
