Bang & Olufsen has released its latest luxury home entertainment product, a pair of striking wireless speakers that feature the company’s trademark Danish design and is packed with cutting-edge technology making them the most advanced connected speakers ever created by the brand. Meet the Beolab 28, a pair of tall, cylindrical speakers that have been designed to be positioned anywhere in the home. According to the company, the column design of Beolab 28 pays tribute to the Beolab Penta, Beolab 6000, and Beolab 8000. The cone-shaped base of the speaker holds the woofer and can be adjusted to sit flat on the floor or be mounted to a wall.
At the top of the speaker is a touch-sensitive user interface that lights up when anyone approaches thanks to built-in proximity sensors. In addition to the options for play/pause, skipping tracks, and adjusting the volume, the interface also features four preset buttons that offer one-touch access to Spotify playlists or simply navigate to the listener’s favorite radio stations.
Each individual speaker gets three 3-inch drivers on the inside that are stacked vertically along with a 1-inch tweeter. The subwoofer in the base is based on a custom-made 6.5″ driver and uses B&O’s Active Room Compensation to adapt the bass response to suit a room’s acoustics. The Beolab 28 also gets something called Beam Width Control which helps the pair of speakers to adapt sound for the best listening experience in any situation. It offers two different modes. In narrow mode, the system reduces how much sound bounces off walls by directing audio to the “ultimate sweet spot.” While in wide mode, the system diffuses audio in more directions and is perfect when the listener is moving about in the room.
The Beolab 28 gets mechanical curtains that open when the speaker is switched on and adjust their position when the sound beam is switched between the narrow and wide modes. Bang & Olufsen also says that the new pair of speakers are equipped with the company’s replaceable connectivity module. They have enough processing power and connectivity technology to ensure it can receive firmware updates for years to come, but the module can be easily swapped for the latest version when it becomes outdated.
The Beolab 28 is available in a choice of Natural Silver, Black Anthracite, or Bronze Tone aluminum finishes, while the company is also offering a variety of options for covers in knitted fabric (grey and grey mélange) and solid wood (light oak, oak, smoked oak, and walnut). The pair of speakers are available for $14,750 with the fabric covers, while it increases to $16,500 if they are optioned with wooden covers.
[Available at: Bang-Olufsen]
