Acoustic Brawn
B&O Play’s wireless A1 speaker melds sky-high fidelity with a build that’s robust enough to survive even the loudest of summers
True audiophiles know there’s nothing worse than having your beats debased by substandard equipment. You might have your dream sound system at home, but that makes it even more painful when you go on tour and are forced to swap your subwoofers for tinny travel speakers that lack the oomph you’re used to.
Gratifyingly, the audio wizards at Danish brand B&O Play by Bang & Olufsen have a solution in the form of the latest iteration of its neat and powerful Beoplay A1. “The level of pitch and timbre it provides for its size is brilliant, as you would expect from B&O,” says Gary Clark, home and technology buying manager at Selfridges. “But what sets this speaker apart is the tough, circular aluminium grill and double-moulded polymer base, which can endure more than a few knocks.” Plus, as it’s dust- and splash-proof, you won’t need to be too precious should things get raucous around the pool.
Despite its sturdiness, the A1’s palm-sized dimensions and 600g weight make it highly portable. And, thanks to its True360 technology, it packs a punch: “The domed casing disperses music in all directions, so everyone receives the same level of rich sound, wherever they’re standing,” says Roshni Chauhan, audio buyer at John Lewis.
Perhaps most crucially for resilient ravers, the A1’s lithium-ion battery boasts 24 hours of juice, so you can keep pumping out the tunes until the early hours. That’s sound stamina.
THE SONIC ALL- ROUNDER THE A1 ALSO BOASTS A BUILT-IN MIC, DESIGNED TO PICK UP YOUR VOICE FROM ALL ANGLES