Bang & Olufsen Teases New Beosound A5 Portable Speaker That's Heavy on Luxury

It’s modular, gorgeous, and starts at $1,100

By
Lawrence Bonk
Lawrence Bonk
Lawrence Bonk
News Reporter
  • Florida State University
Lawrence Bonk is a tech news reporter for Lifewire, specializing in gaming, AI, VR, and consumer tech, including iOS, macOS, wearables, and more.
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Published on April 27, 2023 01:47PM EDT
Fact checked by
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Fact checked by Jerri Ledford
  • Western Kentucky University
  • Gulf Coast Community College
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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Bang & Olufsen is known for offering luxury-minded takes on popular gadgets, and it just launched a gorgeous and highly functional portable speaker. 

The Beosound A5 was built in collaboration with esteemed furniture designers GamFratesi, so this thing is absolutely luxe. The design features aluminum, wood, and paper fiber that combine to create a truly stunning work of art that should elevate any living space. The downside? It will cost you at least $1,100 to bring one of these little stunners home. Nobody ever said art was cheap. 

Bang & Olfusen Beosound A5

Bang & Olfusen

This speaker is available in multiple colors and designs, all incorporating the materials in different ways. For instance, the Nordic Weave (light brown) option features an aluminum top and bottom and a light oak handle. The Black Anthracite (black) option brings a dark oak handle into the mix, with a matching speaker cover.

Despite the high-end materials, Bang & Olufsen says the speakers are dust-proof and waterproof, but we’d recommend caution when taking this thing outside because of, you know, the price. 

This is not just a piece of art. It’s also a speaker, so let’s talk specs. The company says this is its most powerful portable speaker, with a four-driver arrangement that cranks out 280 watts of pure audio goodness. That is enough wattage to provide 360-degree sound to even larger living spaces. The A5 also houses a 5.25-inch woofer, a pair of 2-inch mid-range drivers, a ¾-inch tweeter, and beamforming audio tech to increase immersion. This is obviously a wireless speaker with Bluetooth connection options for AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Spotify Connect, among others. 

There are some nifty high-tech features here too. The top panel doubles as a wireless phone charger, and the entire design is modular, making it easy for regular consumers to conduct repairs if the need arises. B&O also promises 12 hours of use per charge. 

The Beosound A5 is available right now, starting at $1,100 for the Nordic Weave color option and ballooning to $1,200 for other designs. 

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