AURAL SCULPTURE
High-end audio engineering merges seamlessly with futuristic design in Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Edge speaker
For nearly a century, Bang & Olufsen has created highly distinctive electronics for the design-conscious consumer who appreciates luxury with flair. The new Beosound Edge speaker, created in collaboration with Londonbased designer Michael Anastassiades, once again demonstrates that when it comes to innovative new ways to present music, the Danish master of minimalism has no peers.
The upmarket audio brand’s newest wireless speaker, the monolithic Beosound Edge, looks like a circular version of the obelisk in Stanley Kubrick’s epic science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey, albeit with state-ofthe-art sound that will rekindle your love of music.
Featuring a sizeable 10-inch woofer bass driver on one side of the speaker, and two 4-inch midrange drivers and 3/4 inch tweeters firing in opposite directions on both sides, the Beosound Edge delivers a surprisingly powerful punch despite its relatively compact size (measuring just over 50cm in diameter).
The new Directional Sound Control allows the user to create two acoustic fronts through 360-degree dispersion, or it can divide a room into an active listening area and a more passive listening area. The speaker also includes standard connectivity with Airplay 2, Chromecast and Bluetooth, and can be controlled via the Bang & Olufsen app.
To augment the spectacular sonic experience, Bang & Olufsen has engineered a new acoustical technology, the Active Bass Port, which produces a more energised bass at high volumes and more accurate sound reproduction at low volumes.
Visually, the Beosound Edge is an arresting objet d’art. Anastassiades, whose work is featured in permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, has crafted a gallery-worthy disc-like sculpture, which not only provides the opportunity for sound to be emitted from both sides but allows for functions that mimic the movement of a coin.
When you approach the Beosound Edge, proximity sensors detect your presence and then illuminate the aluminium touch control panel. By tapping the panel you can play, pause and skip tracks. To increase or decrease the sound volumes, you simply roll the speaker forward or backward. A soft roll changes the volume moderately, while a stronger roll will produce a room-rocking soundscape. Let go, and it gently rolls back to its original position.
With its circular design, the Beosound Edge can be positioned in two ways, like a standing coin resting on its edge, or mounted on a wall like an over-sized clock. To contrast with the polished aluminium body, the Beosound Edge comes with two fabric covers in a matte black colour, and you will be able to swap for other fabric colours in the future.
“It looks quite surreal as an object, because of the sudden depth change,” says Anastassiades. “A gap between the two materials would have allowed a tolerance to exist. Here, there is no tolerance, and the in-between space does not exist any more, which is amazing.”