Although it was a fascinating feature that surprised and impressed the user, the glass doors also served another purpose - namely to protect the mechanical parts from dust and dirt and reduce noise from the CD and tape mechanisms. BeoSound 4 represents a new way of living with recorded digital audio entertainment, and yet the simplicity of the system and ease of use will have that reassuring feel of familiarity for the user,” says Michael Jensen, Product Manager, Bang & Olufsen. “BeoSound 4 has that touch of magic that shows its pedigree, and at the same time offers the integration with digital music formats that is increasingly important for how we listen to music.” They both provide an impressive and omnidirectional sound performance using the Acoustic Lens Technology, invented and seen for the first time in Beolab 5. They were both remarkable performers compared to their size due to their active speaker designs and many other Bang & Olufsen proprietary technologies, such as Adaptive Bass Linearisation and thermal protection. As with other connected B&O products, the audio profile also can be tweaked via the app, if you must. A graphical pie is divided into Bright, Relaxed, Energetic and Warm and you can create your own EQ with ease, or you can trust the judgement of Bang & Olufsen’s audio engineers and do nothing. There are also some pre-sets worth avoiding, especially the Night mode that strips out the bass for the sake of the neighbours. Nice concept, horrible result. The Emerge features a three-strong complement of speaker drivers, arranged to deliver the widest possible spread of sound. A 101mm bass driver is powered by 60 watts of amplification, while the 37mm midrange driver and 15mm tweeter get 30 watts each. The Beosound has active room compensation and adaptive bass linearisation available in the Bang & Olufsen control app (free for iOS and Android) to help adapt its output relative to its position.

The cool metallic bodywork is actually scratch-resistant (Image credit: TechRadar) B&O Beosound Explore review: value The whole point of a beautifully designed high-end wireless speaker such as the BeoSound 1 should be to stand out – visually and musically. if no CD is loaded when you press CD, the CD compartment raises automatically, ready to be loaded with your favourite CDTwo elegant glass doors automatically slide aside when a hand approaches the product. It is a construction based on an infrared reflection principle. Transmitters were sending the IR beam to the receivers through the reflection of the user's skin. Whether we listened to the discography of Saint Motel, or Watsky, or even Bob Dylan, the speaker could bring out elements of a song that could easily be buried. In fact, when listening to podcasts the tone of a speaker’s voice was more palpable than it otherwise would be. It’s a similarly predictable story where build quality and finish is concerned. The Emerge is constructed with obvious attention to detail and no little professional pride. Features

B&O’s new 5th generation model retains the classic look of the speaker, but adds in the company’s latest Mozart software to make it future-proof. The speaker now come with a replaceable module, which is “frontloaded with enough processing power to receive software updates and features for many years to come”. Update September 28th, 2023 : We've just today noticed a price increase for the Beosound A5 in all territories. In Australia, both colour options have received a price increase, and in the UK/US, just the Dark Oak model has seen its price increase. With BeoSound 4, we have succeeded in building an audio system that lives up to the very high standards expected from Bang & Olufsen, from the idea behind the concept and design to the choice of materials and craftsmanship – and not least the ease of use and performance,” concludes Michael Jensen, Product Manager, Bang & Olufsen.

That easy to use rubberized top-plate is textured, in contrast to the cool metallic grille and bodywork (Image credit: TechRadar) B&O Beosound Explore review: design and features I’d say the closest competition to the Beosound A5 would be the likes of the Sonos Era 300 or Apple HomePod 2 from a lifestyle speaker perspective, or the Devialet Mania from a cost perspective. The former two require mains power at all times, while the Devialet offers much in the same way when it comes to sound. It too is able to create a big, wide soundfield – perhaps more impressively since it’s a smaller speaker – and has a similar feature set. Press "Load" and watch the CD holder flip up to accept your disc. Or switch over to Radio and listen to one of the 60 stations that can be stored in the programme memory. And if you ever need better reception, the aerial will rise at the touch of a button. Mastering magic is very much part of the Beosound product revolution. Mastering technology alone was no longer enough. Technology must be designed to both respect and challenge the human senses. The emotional appeal should be considered just as important as any technical specifications. By appealing to the basic human needs for pleasure, confirmation and surprise, Bang & Olufsen intended to involve the user in a dialogue.

However, as the CD format has sadly lost it's appeal, the value of these units has declined to the point of them only being worth what someone is prepared to pay - which isn't much! The Beosound Explore was unveiled in May 2021 and, considering its support for Bluetooth 5.2, the USB-C charging port and fast pairing whatever your source device, it still stands up against the most up-to-the-minute products on the market right now. Whether the B&O Beosound Explore represents great value to you ultimately depends on your priorities. I’ve had the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 for a couple of weeks, and since it arrived having already been loaned out to other parties, I didn’t feel the need to run it in too much. I did let it play a few songs on a low volume, just to get warmed up.

Certificate and individual numbering

The device itself became 'irrelevant' and was seen as an access point only, so the design was discrete and directed at becoming invisible. Beosound Moment was a digital audio master with a hub and separate touch interface you could bring along. But the new Beosound Moment introduced a touch-on-wood operation and the MoodWheel. The MoodWheel was a way to access a mood rather than a specific piece of music. Studies have shown that not many people are active listeners most of the time. Music was mainly used to create an atmosphere. Moment – being in the moment – was conceptualised from that learning. What is perhaps more interesting and impressive, is that B&O has designed the Beosound A5 so that it can be easily repaired – should it ever become necessary – and upgraded. This is thanks to what it calls the Mozart platform. This refers to both the modular and long-lasting design of the Beosound A5, and software updates that allow it to be future-proof. Mozart also, says B&O, helps to reduce the company's environmental impact. B&O says many of the elements of the A5 are replaceable by the user, such as the covers. For more intricate repairs or replacements, Bang & Olufsen is on hand to provide its services. Do you want the best looking thing for this money? You've found it –the Explore seriously expensive. The A1 2nd Generation is sort of cutesy, like a piece of viennoiserie, whereas this looks like a serious piece of audiophile-grade gear.