Beosound Emerge
An exceedingly bookish speaker
That’s a nice-looking… book?
Nearly. B&O’S Beosound Emerge speaker has been designed to resemble a hardback: side panels wrap around it like a book cover, while the front wears its maker’s logo like a name on the spine.
So is it like one of those novelty birthday cards where you open it and it starts playing Dua Lipa?
Er, no. There are touch-sensitive buttons on the top, and you can
choose between oak and black finishes. The general idea is that the speaker can sit on a bookshelf to blend in.
I’m guessing it goes louder than a copy of
Beyond its camouflaging skills, the Emerge promises sonic muscle that belies its slenderness The front-firing 37mm midrange driver is mounted at an angle, along with a 15mm soft-dome tweeter.
Room for a little bit of bass?
Oh yes, those drivers are teamed with a 100mm side-firing woofer that’s guided towards the back of the speaker – with the result, B&O assures us, being a truly room-filling racket. The Emerge can be added to an existing multiroom setup that includes any Bang & Olufsen connected speakers, while there’s support for Apple Airplay 2 and Google Chromecast, plus Google Assistant for hands-free control.
Anything else I should know?
Well, books don’t ever become outdated, and neither does the Emerge. Like the Beosound Level before it, it’s modular, and comes with a connectivity hub that will receive performance updates for years to come but is also replaceable should new tech render it obsolete. We look forward to the Emerge causing a stir at your local public library soon – just don’t accidentally return yours.