High-end audio purveyor Bang & Olufsen is now in the soundbar game. The company has announced the Beosound Stage, its first foray into the increasingly competitive TV audio market.
The company previously revealed the music-focused Beosound 35 more than three years ago, but this is the first true soundbar designed specifically to accentuate your movie and TV viewing experience.
The Dolby Atmos device, which is designed to sit flat against the wall, claims to negate the need for a subwoofer while providing audio that can mimic a 360-degree soundscape.
The beautifully designed furniture-inspired audio accoutrements isn’t short on connectivity tech either. It offers Chromecast and AirPlay 2 compatibility, along with the ability to form a multiroom network with other speakers. Naturally, there’s also Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on board. Perhaps pleasingly for purists, Alexa is nowhere to be found.
Speaking of that design, the company says it has been working with Danis studio NORM, with the aim of “humanising technology.” The frame runs all the way around the speaker and is available in natural aluminium, bronze tone aluminium or smoked oak.
The frame features an integrated sensor control panel which is engraved into the body, while the company also touts the mere 2mm gap between the frame and the fabric speaker cover.
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The company says this “gives the illusion that the speaker is floating within the frame and creates an exciting contrast between the rigid exterior and the soft, acoustically transparent textile.”
In terms of audio, there’s 11 speaker drivers which each have their own 50-watt amplifiers. The centre channel offers four 4.5-inch woofers while the left and right sides both offer midrange and tweeters at “a 45-degree off axis angle in a baffle design to create a 3D sound effect.”
Announced prior to the IFA tech show this coming week, the Beosound Stage will cost a whopping $1,750 (£1,250/€1,500) for the aluminium editions, while the oak version will be $2,600 (£1,900/€2,250).
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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.