Bang & Olufsen dealers and installers have a new concept to offer fans of the brand with the launch of the company’s BeoSound Shape, a new wireless speaker system designed to offer quality sound with a unique, customisable design.
The BeoSound Shape speakers offer a wall-mounted modular approach based on hexagonal tiles that can scale to many different sizes and configurations, acoustically and visually, says the maker.
Each BeoSound Shape tile consists of a combination of speakers, amplifiers and acoustic damper tiles that scale the sound performance and visual design of the system and can be carefully managed to match the space.
Customers can also choose from an array of colours and textiles to suit their interior including Parisian Night Blue, Purple Heart, Infantry Green, Brazilian Clay, Wild Dove Grey and classic Black.
For the customer who want to go a little further, the maker has worked with a Danish textile specialist called Kvadrat to also provide options in wool fabrics and colours in Brown, Moss Green, Pink and Dark Blue. All of the colours and be mixed and matched.
The minimum recommended units per system is six, but the manufacturer says the system can scale up to be suitable for large multi-use spaces in homes and commercial settings such as hotels or showrooms.
Bang & Olufsen says that it has created its own ‘up-mixing algorithm’ which is designed to create a crisp and precise soundscape with the vocal performer in the centre and the instruments to the sides. The company calls this approach ‘Band on the wall’, the idea being that the performer is in the room with the listener.
An online design tool from Bang & Olufsen will be made available to both visually mix and match tiles and provide acoustic recommendations for optimal placement of the speaker tiles.
To get the content to the speaker array, a BeoSound Core connectivity hub is hidden behind a hexagonal tile, enabling wireless streaming via AirPlay, Chromecast built-in or Bluetooth. BeoSound Core also includes multiroom functionality making it part of the family of Bang & Olufsen and B&O PLAY products that can play different music in different rooms or have the whole system play the same content.
Marie Kristine Schmidt, vice president brand, design & marketing, Band & Olufsen, says: “Audiotory indoor climate is essential for our physical and mental well-being, just like natural lighting, fresh air and ergonomics. BeoSound Shape forms an excellent answer to the challenges of interior acoustics through its intelligent sound distribution and resonance absorbing effects.”
Bang & Olufsen has been doing lots to try and attract more installer of late, a big presence at ISE, collaborations with other brands such as Origin Acoustics and relaxing its supply rules so installers can stock the brand without needing to be a retailer as well. This new concept is part of that effort to widen its appeal, might well be worth checking out.
BeoSound Shape will be available from August 2017, end-user pricing is expected to be around £3,400 for a standard setup.