Bang & Olufsen
unveiled their new brand B&O PLAY at CES 2012 alongside the launch of its first product Beolit 12. On Thursday, at an event in San Francisco the Danish manufacturer demonstrated three new products under the B&O PLAY umbrella including the BeoPlay A3, a very innovative and high quality sound system designed for the iPad.
We all know that thinner bodies for mobile devices imply loss of audio quality and battery life. Many people now get their music from online streaming services such as Pandora, Mog, Spotify, Slacker to name a few, and the iPad has become a major media consumption device, thanks to Netflix, Hulu or Youtube. That said, if you want to keep both the mobile experience and a good sound sound quality, you need either to use headphones or a wireless speaker.
The Adaptive Stereo Orientation, one of the key features, uses BeoPlay A3’s motion sensor to adapt the audio experience according to the iPad’s orientation. The sound quality is ensured by an omnidirectional two-inch woofer that delivers solid bass down to 60 Hz and half-inch tweeters are placed in the other three corners (see in the video). I can confirm that the sound quality is great for a portable speaker, and the Adaptive Stereo Orientation works really well!
The other ultra innovative feature is the device’s particular shape featuring facetted wedge that allows users to place it on a flat surface in many different orientations for various usages: watching a video, read in portrait or landscape mode either vertically or slightly inclined (see video). You can also easily hold it on your lap while seating in a couch, since the Beoplay A3 only weight 1,5 kg (3.3 lbs).
As part of the new B&O Play brand, the device is more affordable than traditional Bang & Olufsen products; priced at $549.00 the BeoPlay will be available in black in Bang & Olufsen showrooms, select Apple stores, the BeoPlay online store and www.shopbangolufsen.com
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