Some people have more money then they know what to do with so are constantly on the hunt for items that they perceive to be high end even if they do the same thing as something 1/4 of the price
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Bang & Olufsen Unveils Beosound A1 3rd Gen Bluetooth Speaker
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Some people have more money then they know what to do with so are constantly on the hunt for items that they perceive to be high end even if they do the same thing as something 1/4 of the price
I have a friend like this.
Insisted on getting his wildly overpriced Yeti cooler, despite his own knowing that in testing there are options for a fraction of the price that do as good a job and last just as long.
I realized eventually that it's because he needs to be "seen with a Yeti" on boating trips.
Humans are odd beings.
Thanks for that. I’ve used a few of these brands and didn’t know they were all now owned by Samsung. They kept that quiet.
I'll stick w/my JBL Flip 4 for $59 refurbished on amazon thank you very much
They have different speakers for different target markets. These speakers are intended for outdoor use like camping, the beach, etc. I suspect they will appeal to a younger demographic.
When they have to advertise that there are holes in the grille, you know the company's dying to find something to convince you to buy.
$350 for a speaker a little larger (and similar main selling points: portability, ruggedness) than my JBL Go3 ($39) is astonishingly overpriced. I understand B&O has been super super expensive since the 80's but I guess there are people who will spend 5-10x for the brand. I have tons of name brand BT speakers (I kinda collect them via gifts, work event goodies, etc.) but the ones I have larger than the Go3 are about $100-$140. Even the Bose SoundLink Flex is $149 full price. The JBL Flip is $100 and the sound is excellent.
I can't say the Go3 sounds as good as this B&O but as for portability and simplicity, the Go3 is amazing. It's also incredibly useful for walks/jogs because the loop slides over your finger while the unit fits in your hand and then your fingers can simply press the buttons. I use it daily for my 4-mile jogs.
I love all of my yeti gear, and my B&O gear, truly a level above in quality. Some folks just don’t get it. 🤷🏼♂️
They improved the buttons on the 2nd gen? On the first, they were hard as hell to operate.
If you feel this way about a $350 speaker, then I wonder how you feel about the $549 AirPods Max? I mean, are the AirPods Max $200-$300 better than other high quality headphones from Sony or Bose?
They aren't keeping it quiet. It was just announced today.
Samsung adds Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, and Polk to its audio empire
That’s quite the audio portfolio.
www.theverge.com
As for Harman and all the other brands (JBL, AKG, Mark Levinson, etc), Samsung bought them almost a decade ago.
Samsung Buying Automobile Accessory Company Harman for $8 Billion
Samsung Electronics has announced that it will spend $8 billion to purchase Harman International Industries Inc, a company which designs and...
www.macrumors.com
If you're not into audio, then most people won't know about these things.
It's crazy regulators would allow this purchase. Harman (Samsung) is going to end up being the Luxottica of audio.
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We’re taking about a pocket sized speaker here, so it’s not entirely the same thing. (Although it’s worth noting that I own Sony’s WH-100XM4 headphones purchased on sale for $130, so to answer your question about the Airpods Max, the answer is No, they aren’t.)
Beyond that, I’d simply direct anyone to EricInBoston’s comment above - he nails my thoughts on this topic so thoroughly and perfectly that I am happy to leave it at that.
Hehe, you don't press them accidentally and I need to look at where I am pushing. Can't compare with Gen 1, if it was improved. But never felt it was a struggle
I love my second generation. I was reluctant to spend the money on it until a hotel room I was staying at had one in the rooms and I was blown away by the quality of the sound.
the quality and sound are definitely worth the $350 for me especially when it's something you'll use for 3-5 years (if not more).
one thing I wouldn't do tho, is take it to the beach - the sand gets into the holes and they're almost impossible to get out.
the quality and sound are definitely worth the $350 for me especially when it's something you'll use for 3-5 years (if not more).
one thing I wouldn't do tho, is take it to the beach - the sand gets into the holes and they're almost impossible to get out.
Luckily they have MacRumours advertising for them too
I have a JBL speaker too, lives in my shower.
Two questions how do they sound in comparruson to like a Sonos roam or E100’s which are cheaper than this? And two does it work with aux in? And does it have delay like the Sonos have which you can set but the least you can do is 75ms which can cause issues hooked to computers as speakers and with video sync…
I have the first gen of this speaker, and hands down it sounds the best of any small portable bluetooth speaker I've ever heard. It's incredible the low-end you get from it between 0-50% volume; sounds like a much larger speaker. Once you get beyond that it runs into the laws of physics and scales the low end back, but if you're listening in a small, quiet room you won't be disappointed.
I will also say though, that if your primary use-case is outdoors, I would look at a larger speaker. Any speaker this size won't be impressive in an outdoor setting; it just doesn't move enough air.
I will also say though, that if your primary use-case is outdoors, I would look at a larger speaker. Any speaker this size won't be impressive in an outdoor setting; it just doesn't move enough air.
2nd gen B&O Beosound A1 (released May 2020) vs Sonos Roam 2 (released May 2024). They score pretty evenly for sound quality
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 vs Sonos Roam 2 Side-by-Side Speaker Comparison
Compare the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 and Sonos Roam 2 speakers
www.rtings.com
I'd expect this 3rd gen version of the Beosound A1 to have improvements over the 2nd gen.
I had the first gen, can confirm that it is indeed fantastic.
I needed a speaker to attach to a desktop computer, and didn't want something ugly with cords everywhere. It's not advertised, but the speaker plays just great through the USB-C input, doesn't even need to use Bluetooth. (why can't HomePod mini do that??)
I wound up giving it away to a girlfriend, “you'll love it, it’s… like the size of a restaurant hamburger." She squealed when it arrived, now calls it “hamburger speaker” (singsong voice) uses it in the bedroom and brings it on road trips.
I had a B&O P2 a few years ago and it was incredible sounding for its size, and made beautifully. I've wanted to pick up an A1 for a little while but thought I'd wait and see if they made a Gen 3. Here it is!
Funny, I think every JBl Bluetooth speaker I’ve demo’d sounds like junk.
There’s “good enough” and then products that are better that people are willing to pay for. Sometimes the law of diminishing returns applies, but it’s up to each consumer to decide what they are willing to pay for.
Great speaker, but sometimes difficult to physically use with things I do, beach, golf, etc. Fell in the sand too much and eventually broke rolling out of a golf cart. Oops. It just doesn't "fit" anywhere other than on a patio table.
Well not that quiet, they put out a press release that was picked up by the tech and audio websites.
They aren't keeping it quiet. It was just announced today.
Samsung adds Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, and Polk to its audio empire
That’s quite the audio portfolio.www.theverge.com
As for Harman and all the other brands (JBL, AKG, Mark Levinson, etc), Samsung bought them almost a decade ago.
Samsung Buying Automobile Accessory Company Harman for $8 Billion
Samsung Electronics has announced that it will spend $8 billion to purchase Harman International Industries Inc, a company which designs and...www.macrumors.com
If you're not into audio, then most people won't know about these things.
It's crazy regulators would allow this purchase. Harman (Samsung) is going to end up being the Luxottica of audio.
I still dont understand why Masimo went into audio to begin with. Didnt Masimo pay like 1 Billion to buy these companies to just sell them for pennies in less than 5 years?
For the price of just 350 mil, Apple should have just bought them but the bad blood from the litigation probably prevented Masimo from even attempting to sell this treasure trove of audio companies to Apple.
I have a gen 1 that's seen close to a half-million air miles and still works great. Amazing sound, and rugged as heck.