High-end audio house Bang & Olufsen has unveiled what's described as a compact wireless speaker. But with a 50.2 cm (19.7 in) diameter and chunky 13 cm (5.1 in) thickness, you'd need a very big living room to consider the monolithic Beosound Edge as anything but huge.
The mighty Beosound Edge has been designed in collaboration with Michael Anastassiades, and is sure to become the centerpiece of any living room, either standing on the floor or jutting out from the wall like a huge railway station announcer.
To adjust the volume when on the floor, a user can roll the speaker backward or forward – gently for subtle changes and with more force for dramatic up or down. When the desired volume is reached and the Edge is released, it returns to its original position while the adjustments remain in place.
Proximity sensors detect a user approaching, with the system responding by illuminating the touch interface built into the aluminum frame. This has been achieved by using a laser to cut microscopic holes into the frame, too small for the naked eye to see but big enough for light to shine through.
Naturally, the Edge continues B&O's solid reputation for top sound. There are four 100 W amplifiers driving two 4-inch midrange drivers and two 0.75-inch tweeters, and two 200 W amps powering the 10-inch dual coil woofer. Sound is thrown out of both flat sides of the unit for 360 degree audio immersion, with users able to define the direction of sound themselves via a companion app running Directional Sound Control.
The Edge premieres an active bass port setup too, which brings together closed box and ported designs into one unit. The system starts in a closed position for lower volume playback, but as the volume increases the port opens up for more energetic bass.
The Edge is a wireless speaker system, and can be connected over Bluetooth 4.2 or 802.11ac for AirPlay 2 and Chromecast. For cabled internet connectivity there's an Ethernet port, and the system has an analog/digital combo line input for feeding in tunes from non-wireless devices. It also supports voice interaction when paired with a speaker running Google Assistant, or an Amazon Echo.
As you might expect, the Beosound Edge doesn't come cheap. It will be available from November for €3,250 (about US$3,800). You can get a taste for what the Edge has to offer in the video below.
Source: Bang & Olufsen
