Bang & Olufsen have launched a new modular speaker system for your home that disguises the speakers as a wall feature.
The BeoSound Shape wireless speaker system is made up of wall-mounted hexagonal panels, which can be fit together to form a system that includes up to 44 individual speakers.
The best part is, no matter what shape you make using the various panels, the sound will always be centred based on where you’re standing in the room, thanks to B&O’s clever “upmixing algorithm”.
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B&O describes BeoSound Shape as “a uniquely flexible speaker system that can grow and evolve with the changing ways you live.
“Rearrange the tiles to form a new pattern, change the colours when you redecorate or add more tiles to boost sound performance or acoustic damping properties.”
Each of the panels houses either a speaker, amplifier, acoustic damper, or B&O’s BeoSound Core – a hub that allows for AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity.
You’ll also be able to use the company’s BeoLink system, of course, and there’s a few ports for Ethernet or line-in functionality if you really want to mess the whole thing up with wires.
The range of tiles available means the system is adaptable to work best in whichever room you want to hang the speakers.
As B&O explains: “Say you need to improve the acoustic properties of a large room with lots of hard surfaces. In this case, you would incorporate sufficient acoustic damper tiles in your design to prevent sounds from ricocheting off the walls.”
We’re still confirming UK pricing, but the base kit will cost €4000 (around £3420/$4266), and provides you with eight tiles made up of four speakers, two acoustic dampeners, one amplifier, and one housing for the Core.
You’ll also be able to add a further 11 amplifier units, each of which can support four speaker tiles, if you want to expand the system.
BeoSound Shape is set to go on sale in August and you can sign up on the the company’s website to be notified when preorders go live and the “online configuration tool” becomes available.
Let us know what you think of the new system in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
