Bang & Olufsen has introduced its smallest Beolab speaker which can be used stand-alone, as a stereo pair, or part of a home theater speaker system. The new Beolab 8 arrives at $2,749 each and can be used wired or wirelessly.
Standing just under a foot tall (29 cm), the Beolab 8 is unlikely to dominate any listening space and is best suited for bookshelves, desktops, credenzas, and even night tables.
Craftsmanship
Beolab 8 is designed to look beautiful from every angle, no matter where and how the speaker is placed. The one-piece aluminium body is a fusion of a sphere and cylinder merged into a solid shape, showcasing excellence in craftsmanship from Bang & Olufsen’s renowned Factory 5.
Designed with either Danish manufactured wooden lamellas or a fabric front, Beolab 8 follows the same characteristic design of Bang & Olufsen’s Beolab and Beosound products including Beosound Theatre, Beolab 28 and Beolab 50.
Sound
The Beolab 8 implements a three-driver setup consisting of a 16mm tweeter, 3″ midrange and a 5.25″ woofer. Building on the heritage of the iconic Beolab 17 speaker, Beolab 8 delivers improved beam width control, room compensation, adaptive tuning as well as adding ultra-wideband technology.
Features
- Beam width control allows users to seamlessly switch between two listening experiences. Beolab 8 offers the ability to narrow down with precision audio to optimize the sweet spot for the listener. Alternatively, users can choose to go wide and diffuse sound throughout the room whilst the front LED’s on the speaker display which sound mode status the speaker is in.
- Room Compensation provides an optimized soundscape based on a room’s unique acoustics. The speaker carefully maps its environment to deliver crystal clear quality no matter the size or space of the room. A neodymium motor allows listeners to enjoy a soundscape adapted to their surroundings for full music immersion.
- Adaptive sound tuning lets Beolab 8 adapt its configuration using sensors to detect the front cover and fine-tune the sound for optimal performance. This is made possible through small sensors in the speaker and magnets within the cover which allows Beolab 8 to detect the type of cover and automatically apply the appropriate tuning.
- Ultra-wide band technology does more than just adapt to the room it is placed in. It can also direct the acoustic sweet spot based on a user’s phone location via the Bang & Olufsen app, ensuring immersive sound for a dynamic sweet spot experience.
With Bang & Olufsen’s Mozart platform at the heart of the product, Beolab 8 as a stand-alone product can connect easily through WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. And with Powerlink, both wireless and wired built into the speaker, Beolab 8 is a true system speaker, providing a connection to Bang & Olufsen TVs and sound systems dating back more than 30 years.
Quality
Beolab 8 is designed to stand the test of time: using quality materials that age gracefully, continuous customisation options and easy upgradability over time, long term serviceability as well as the replaceable streaming module to ensure that Beolab 8 can adapt to the latest technology standards. The speaker is designed using Cradle-to-Cradle principles – a design philosophy which allows products to be proactively designed for a circular future. Beolab 8 is pending to complete Cradle-to-Cradle Certified.
Price & Availability
Bang & Olufsen Beolab 8 will be available in four finishes beginning October 30, 2023 and priced from $2,749 each at bang-olufsen.com.
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