Tag Archives: Bang and Olufsen

This B&O Headphone Concept Fits Only You, Literally, and It’s the Best Idea Audio Has Had in Years

Posted on by

Bang & Olufsen built its reputation on the idea that audio equipment should be worthy of the spaces it inhabits. Bas Kamp’s ONCE concept takes that idea and sharpens it into something more intimate. A headphone fitted once, precisely, to a single person. A form that carries the geometry of classic over-ear design, two cylindrical drivers, a continuous band, an honest material palette, and updates it with one quietly radical proposition: permanence.

The charging base makes the argument visible. The headphone drapes over a cylindrical puck in a clean arc, sitting on any surface like a considered object rather than a piece of gear waiting to be packed away. Kamp’s concept suggests that the best version of a B&O headphone is one that earns a permanent place in your life, and looks the part doing it.

Designer: Bas Kamp

Most headphones are engineered to fit everyone, which in practice means they fit no one particularly well. Telescoping arms, spring-loaded sliders, and adjustable pivots are all workarounds for a problem the industry has accepted as permanent. Kamp rejects the premise entirely. The wide, uninterrupted band is machined as a single continuous form, and when you first receive the headphone, you set it once using the included precision tool, tightening the iconic B&O signature dot that connects band to aluminium cylinder through a refined screw thread. From that calibration forward, the fit is yours alone.

The visual language pulls directly from B&O’s deepest design DNA. The arc, the band, the cylinder, these are the honest architectural elements that defined the great headphones of the twentieth century, and Kamp makes no attempt to disguise or reinvent them. Two cylindrical drivers sit at either end of the continuous band, their outer faces rendered in concentric circles that give the ear cups an almost mechanical, watchlike presence. Where the headphone meets skin, genuine leather handles the contact, soft and warm against the geometry of the machined aluminium. The restraint is total and deliberate.

A cylindrical puck holds the headphone in a sculptural arc that reads, from certain angles, uncannily like a hunching table lamp, the band curving down toward the base with the ear cup hanging at the end of the arc. It is an accidental elegance that makes the resting state of the object as compelling as the wearing state, which is exactly the kind of considered design thinking B&O has always demanded of the objects bearing its name.

ONCE also integrates a real-time AI translation feature, activated by a single press of the dot, delivering conversational translation directly through the drivers. For a concept built around permanence and personal calibration, it is a quietly forward-looking addition, proof that Kamp’s vision for B&O reaches comfortably into the next decade of what a headphone can do.

The post This B&O Headphone Concept Fits Only You, Literally, and It’s the Best Idea Audio Has Had in Years first appeared on Yanko Design.

Hiroshi Fujiwara reinterprets Bang & Olufsen’s iconic designs to redefine living room luxury in liquid black

Posted on by

Hiroshi Fujiwara has had his influence stamped in multifaceted spheres – Carrera Chronograph x Fragment Limited Edition and the MC20 Cielo Fuoriserie are some impressive examples we came across. The streetwear legend has now teamed up with audio pioneers Bang and Olufsen for a collection that is destined for a minimalist yet classy living room setup.

The designer has long been fascinated by B&O and has desired to collaborate with the high-end Danish audio brand someday. While Hiroshi had installed their Beocenter 2300 integrated sound system at home in 1991, it actually took 35 long years to work on a project with them. That moment is right now, as Hiroshi (under his design studio Fragment Design) has worked on four B&O masterpieces to give them the black finish only achievable by hand.

Designer: Hiroshi Fujiwara x Bang & Olufsen

The famed collection is slated for debut today, with it being shown off until next week inside the Isetan Department Store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Thereafter, it’ll be rolled out across Japan from 27 May for display, before eventually being released on 3 June globally and in stores for eager buyers.

Instead of working on a completely new model for the collaborative, the consensus was settled on reworking the Beoplay H100 headphones, Beosound A1 portable speaker, Beosound Shape speaker, and Beosystem 9000c triple pillar CD system. These signature B&O products are slapped with the designer’s signature monochrome aesthetic. Of course, B&O’s artisanal skills come into play as the team of designers lends these brand’s classics anodized, hand-polished finish for that perfect liquid-like high gloss finish.

Beoplay H100 and Beosound A1 3rd Gen Fragment Edition

It doesn’t get any darker than the Beoplay H100 Fragment Edition headphones, as they exude pure class in gloss black anodized skin. This finish is complemented by the black leather headband and cushions for all-day wear comfort. Contrasting the dark is the white Fragment Studio and B&O logos on the outside of each of the earcups. The over-the-ear headphones are priced at a steep $2,400, but that is expected when two big names collaborate.

Then there is the more sober Beosound A1 3rd gen portable Bluetooth speaker priced at $475. Predictably, this one too has the high-gloss finish and the brand’s double lightning logo etched under the grille. According to Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Bang & Olufsen’s Senior Director of Design, the “artisanal anodization and polishing process” has been implemented for the first time on their portable collection.

Beosound Shape and Beosystem 9000c Fragment Edition

With these two creations, you begin to fathom the gravity of this collaboration. The Beosound Shape is a wall-mounted speaker system that combines flower-shaped driving units to bring sublime sound to the living room. The modular audio system gets the monochrome fabric treatment for the six surrounding petals, and the inner gray unit completes the aesthetic look. Priced at $7,100, this beautiful audio system is one for a minimalist living room setting. Apparently, Fujiwara headed straight to his hotel room after seeing the original Shape speakers and sketched the seven-title flower configuration for his version.

The collector’s piece of the line-up is the Beosystem 9000c Fragment Edition, which defines the amount of skill and expertise put into making it. This is a made-to-order setup that costs a mind-numbing $69,650 and is Japan-exclusive only. It’s in itself a collection as it has the dedicated CD system, Beolab 28 loudspeakers, and the Beoremote One two-way remote. The six-disc 90s CD player is famed for its automatic CD swapping mechanism once the playback is finished on one disc.

The post Hiroshi Fujiwara reinterprets Bang & Olufsen’s iconic designs to redefine living room luxury in liquid black first appeared on Yanko Design.

Hiroshi Fujiwara reinterprets Bang & Olufsen’s iconic designs to redefine living room luxury in liquid black

Posted on by

Hiroshi Fujiwara has had his influence stamped in multifaceted spheres – Carrera Chronograph x Fragment Limited Edition and the MC20 Cielo Fuoriserie are some impressive examples we came across. The streetwear legend has now teamed up with audio pioneers Bang and Olufsen for a collection that is destined for a minimalist yet classy living room setup.

The designer has long been fascinated by B&O and has desired to collaborate with the high-end Danish audio brand someday. While Hiroshi had installed their Beocenter 2300 integrated sound system at home in 1991, it actually took 35 long years to work on a project with them. That moment is right now, as Hiroshi (under his design studio Fragment Design) has worked on four B&O masterpieces to give them the black finish only achievable by hand.

Designer: Hiroshi Fujiwara x Bang & Olufsen

The famed collection is slated for debut today, with it being shown off until next week inside the Isetan Department Store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Thereafter, it’ll be rolled out across Japan from 27 May for display, before eventually being released on 3 June globally and in stores for eager buyers.

Instead of working on a completely new model for the collaborative, the consensus was settled on reworking the Beoplay H100 headphones, Beosound A1 portable speaker, Beosound Shape speaker, and Beosystem 9000c triple pillar CD system. These signature B&O products are slapped with the designer’s signature monochrome aesthetic. Of course, B&O’s artisanal skills come into play as the team of designers lends these brand’s classics anodized, hand-polished finish for that perfect liquid-like high gloss finish.

Beoplay H100 and Beosound A1 3rd Gen Fragment Edition

It doesn’t get any darker than the Beoplay H100 Fragment Edition headphones, as they exude pure class in gloss black anodized skin. This finish is complemented by the black leather headband and cushions for all-day wear comfort. Contrasting the dark is the white Fragment Studio and B&O logos on the outside of each of the earcups. The over-the-ear headphones are priced at a steep $2,400, but that is expected when two big names collaborate.

Then there is the more sober Beosound A1 3rd gen portable Bluetooth speaker priced at $475. Predictably, this one too has the high-gloss finish and the brand’s double lightning logo etched under the grille. According to Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Bang & Olufsen’s Senior Director of Design, the “artisanal anodization and polishing process” has been implemented for the first time on their portable collection.

Beosound Shape and Beosystem 9000c Fragment Edition

With these two creations, you begin to fathom the gravity of this collaboration. The Beosound Shape is a wall-mounted speaker system that combines flower-shaped driving units to bring sublime sound to the living room. The modular audio system gets the monochrome fabric treatment for the six surrounding petals, and the inner gray unit completes the aesthetic look. Priced at $7,100, this beautiful audio system is one for a minimalist living room setting. Apparently, Fujiwara headed straight to his hotel room after seeing the original Shape speakers and sketched the seven-title flower configuration for his version.

The collector’s piece of the line-up is the Beosystem 9000c Fragment Edition, which defines the amount of skill and expertise put into making it. This is a made-to-order setup that costs a mind-numbing $69,650 and is Japan-exclusive only. It’s in itself a collection as it has the dedicated CD system, Beolab 28 loudspeakers, and the Beoremote One two-way remote. The six-disc 90s CD player is famed for its automatic CD swapping mechanism once the playback is finished on one disc.

The post Hiroshi Fujiwara reinterprets Bang & Olufsen’s iconic designs to redefine living room luxury in liquid black first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bang & Olufsen Just Taught Stone to Sing at Milan 2026

Posted on by

Every year, Milan Design Week raises the question of what design is actually for. Not in the abstract, philosophical sense that gets debated in panel discussions nobody remembers, but in the most immediate, physical way: you walk into a space, and either you feel it or you don’t. The Bang & Olufsen and Antolini installation this year, From Quarry to Garden: The Shape of Beautiful Sound, is the kind of experience that makes you feel it before you can even explain why.

The collaboration between Bang & Olufsen, the Danish audio luxury brand founded in 1925, and Antolini, the Verona-based natural stone company with 70 years of history, is one of those pairings that sounds unlikely on paper but makes complete sense once you see it. Both brands are obsessed with material. Both are deeply committed to the idea that an object should not only perform but move you. Putting them in the same room, or rather the same garden, was probably inevitable.

Designers: Antolini® with Bang & Olufsen

The installation, hosted at Antolini’s MilanoDuomo Stoneroom, centers on the preview of Beosound Haven, Bang & Olufsen’s forthcoming landscape speaker. It’s a sphere of precision-engineered aluminium that sits on a stone plinth, surrounded by living greenery, water lilies floating on a reflective table, and the kind of deliberate quiet that makes you lean in. Droplets fall onto the water surface and send out ripples, which is either a very beautiful metaphor for sound or just a very beautiful moment. I’m not sure it matters which.

The primary stone throughout the space is Antolini’s Taj Mahal quartzite in a matt finish, chosen for its soft, almost luminous tonality. It reads as both ancient and contemporary at once, exactly the kind of visual tension that great design installations live on. The stone doesn’t compete with the speaker; it contextualizes it. Beosound Haven looks like it belongs there, among the moss and the hydrangeas, in a way that speakers almost never manage to look like they belong anywhere outdoors.

That, to me, is the most interesting design question this collaboration raises: can sound be architectural? Not metaphorically, but literally, the way a wall or a window or a threshold is architectural? Bang & Olufsen’s Senior Director of Design, Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, speaks about sound as “an architectural language,” one that interacts with materials and forms atmosphere. It’s the kind of language that’s usually associated with interiors, with rooms and ceilings and acoustic panels. Translating it outdoors, into the open air, into a garden or a terrace, is a genuinely new proposition. And one worth taking seriously.

The collaboration also extends to a limited series of Beolab 18 speakers reinterpreted in Antolini stones: Amazonite, Retro Black Petrified Wood, Patagonia Original, Dalmata, Cipollino GreyWave, and Taj Mahal, each piece defined by the specific character of its material. No two are identical, which is exactly how it should be when you’re working with stone. Stone isn’t uniform and it was never meant to be. That unpredictability is part of the point.

This is the second chapter of the Bang & Olufsen and Antolini partnership, building on work introduced in 2025. It feels more confident this time around, more willing to make a statement. Carlo Alberto Antolini describes the result as “a dialogue between the elements,” and that framing feels right. It’s not a speaker placed in a garden. It’s a conversation between nature and craft, between sound and surface, between something ancient and something very, very deliberate.

Milan Design Week produces a lot of installations that photograph well and feel thin in person. This one seems to work differently, designed to be experienced with the body, not just processed with the eyes. The sound moves through the space. The stone holds light. The water catches everything. Whether you’re drawn in by the audio, the aesthetics, or simply the spectacle of a garden growing inside a Milan stoneroom, you’re likely to leave thinking about what it means to really listen to a space rather than just look at it.

The post Bang & Olufsen Just Taught Stone to Sing at Milan 2026 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bang & Olufsen Clads Its Flagship Speaker in 1,800 Aluminum Pearls and Rosewood Slats For 100th Anniversary

Posted on by

The Beolab 90 has spent the better part of a decade as Bang & Olufsen’s technological flagship, a speaker so absurdly capable that it can beam-form sound to different parts of a room simultaneously. For the company’s centenary, the design team decided the speaker’s technical mastery deserved equally ambitious surface treatments.

The result is a five-edition Atelier series where each version explores a different corner of B&O’s manufacturing expertise. The Monarch and Zenith Editions, revealed today as the series finale, take wood and metal to places you wouldn’t normally associate with speaker cabinets. Angled rosewood lamellas flow across the Monarch’s aluminum body in a continuous sculptural gesture, while the Zenith Edition gets covered in nearly 1,800 individual aluminum spheres hand-assembled across six curved panels. Ten pairs of each, certificates of authenticity, miniature sculptures in matching finishes. The works.

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

The Monarch Edition reads like someone at B&O looked at classic Danish furniture, specifically the kind with slatted wood panels that wrap around curved frames, and decided a 150-pound loudspeaker needed the same treatment. Angled rosewood lamellas follow the contours of the aluminum cabinet in a 360-degree rhythm that echoes fabric speaker covers while introducing actual tactile depth. Six wooden knots connect the lamellas at strategic points, with the front knot featuring a light-through-wood stripe that breaks up what could have been a monotonous pattern. A solid rosewood top ring frames the speaker head while lower base panels continue the lamella motif, creating visual continuity from top to bottom. The ochre-colored aluminum crowns contrast with the warm rosewood in a way that feels deliberate rather than accidental, and semi-transparent fabric sections offer glimpses of the acoustic drivers hiding behind the wood. We covered the Titan Edition back in November, the one where B&O stripped the housing entirely and sandblasted the exposed aluminum with crushed volcanic rock. The Monarch takes the opposite approach, adding layers instead of removing them.

The Zenith Edition abandons wood entirely and commits to a single absurd idea: what if we covered this thing in pearls? Not actual pearls, obviously, but 1,734 anodized aluminum spheres arranged across six panels in seven bespoke pearl-inspired colors. Each panel holds 289 spheres, and the whole assembly is curved to follow the cabinet’s architectural form. The machined aluminum facemask gets pearl-blasted and anodized in dark grey to resemble an oyster shell, because apparently we’re taking the pearl metaphor all the way. A circular mother-of-pearl inlay sits on top, matching the diameter of the aluminum spheres and serving as a luminous focal point that ties the composition together. The effect is weirdly organic for something made entirely from metal, with the layered surfaces and interplay of polished and matte finishes catching light differently throughout the day. I keep thinking about the Mirage Edition we covered in December, the one with hand-applied gradient anodization that shifted from blue to magenta depending on viewing angle. The Zenith pulls a similar trick but through physical texture rather than color gradients.

Both editions preserve the Beolab 90’s core acoustic performance, which remains borderline ridiculous even by 2026 standards. Eighteen bespoke drivers, advanced beam-forming technology that can steer sound to specific parts of a room, enough digital signal processing to make most studio monitors jealous. The original Beolab 90 launched at $185,000 for a pair, and these limited editions will almost certainly exceed that figure, though B&O hasn’t published pricing yet. When you order a set, you get a miniature aluminum Beolab 90 sculpture in the corresponding edition finish, presented in a custom aluminum delivery box, which feels like the kind of detail that matters when you’re spending what a luxury sedan costs on speakers.

The five-edition Atelier series, Shadow and Mirage and Titan and now Monarch and Zenith, reads as Bang & Olufsen methodically working through its material catalog. Each variant explores a different manufacturing technique pushed to its technical limit, whether that’s volcanic sandblasting or gradient anodization or curved wood lamination or hand-assembled metal spheres. The speakers debut at B&O’s San Francisco Culture Store, the brand’s largest showroom globally, before touring to other locations. Limited to ten pairs per edition means most people will never see these in person, let alone own them, but that seems to be the point. A century of operation earns you the right to build things simply because you can.

The post Bang & Olufsen Clads Its Flagship Speaker in 1,800 Aluminum Pearls and Rosewood Slats For 100th Anniversary first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Air Purifier Concept Looks Like Scandinavian Audio Gear

Posted on by

Air purifiers tend to look like medical equipment and come with apps you didn’t ask for. They arrive with dashboards, push notifications, and Wi-Fi setup rituals that turn “cleaner air” into another thing to manage on a phone. Most of them sit in corners behind plants because they look clinical, and no one wants to acknowledge the white plastic box while having guests over for dinner.

The Beolab Air 1 is a concept air purifier designed to sit in a room without announcing itself. It was developed as a student project and draws inspiration from the calm, material-driven design language of Bang & Olufsen’s Beolab line, though it’s not affiliated with the company in any way. The goal was to see what happens when you apply that kind of sculptural thinking to clean air, instead of just adding another screen to the wellness toolkit.

Designers: Ahaan Varma, Malhar Gadnis, Michelle Sequeira, Sharanya Karkera

The most refreshing part of the concept is the interaction model. A single button press is all it takes to start, with no app pairing, no IoT setup, and no onboarding routine. The project frames this as “digital detox,” which is a reasonable description when most purifiers try to sell you sensor graphs and weekly air quality reports. You turn it on the way you’d turn on a lamp or a speaker, then leave it to work.

The materials do a lot of the talking. Angled teak wooden ridges wrap the body and function as vents for filtered air, so the aesthetic choice also serves a purpose. Textured aluminum handles the rest of the exterior. The project’s own critique of the category is blunt: plastic yellows and looks cheap over time, while wood and metal age better. A purifier built to look like a piece of considered furniture has a better chance of earning a spot on a sideboard than one that resembles a hospital accessory.

Under the surface, there’s a plausible engineering stack. A high-efficiency BLDC fan delivers strong airflow while staying quiet, a HEPA filter handles particulate capture, and an MQ135 gas sensor pairs with PM2.5 sensing to monitor air quality without forcing anyone into an app. The concept keeps the monitoring internal and the feedback subtle, a soft ambient light band that changes gently rather than a display demanding attention.

Of course, that ambient feedback is the whole point. Clean air is invisible and usually silent, and a purifier that communicates the same way feels more appropriate than one with a scrolling PM2.5 count on a bright panel. You can check in when you feel like it, and the rest of the time it just works.

The concept calls out a genuine gap in the category: people want wellness that integrates quietly into a room, not hospital aesthetics, and yet another app. Whether or not Beolab Air 1 ever gets built, asking what a purifier looks like when treated with the same care as a premium speaker is a question the category probably needed someone to ask.

The post This Air Purifier Concept Looks Like Scandinavian Audio Gear first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bang & Olufsen’s $150K Speakers Shift Color As You Walk By

Posted on by

There’s something almost surreal about watching Bang & Olufsen celebrate its 100th birthday. While most brands would throw a retrospective exhibition or release a commemorative coffee table book, the Danish audio company has decided to do something far more ambitious. They’re taking their most advanced loudspeaker and reimagining it as high art.

Enter the Beolab 90 Phantom and Mirage Editions, two wildly different expressions of the same technological marvel. These aren’t just new color options thrown onto an existing product. They’re part of a five-edition Atelier series, each limited to just ten pairs worldwide, where Bang & Olufsen’s designers and craftspeople have pushed materials and finishes to places they’ve never been before.

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

Let’s start with the Phantom Edition, which feels like something out of a science fiction film. The classic fabric covers that typically wrap the Beolab 90 have been stripped away and replaced with custom-designed black metal mesh. It’s a bold move. The coated stainless steel creates this hologram-like effect, letting you peek through at the powerful drivers underneath. There’s something mesmerizing about seeing the technology usually hidden behind elegant fabric, now revealed like the inner workings of a watch through a sapphire caseback.

The aluminum skeleton features pearl-blasted surfaces and unified structural beams, with precision-machined trim details that speak to the hundreds of hours invested in each pair. It’s technical, it’s architectural, and honestly, it looks like it could double as a prop in a high-budget space station scene. But that’s precisely the point. The Phantom Edition isn’t trying to blend into your living room. It’s demanding attention.

Then there’s the Mirage Edition, which takes an entirely different approach. Imagine a speaker that appears to shift and transform as you move around it. The surface flows from vivid blue to rich magenta through a bespoke gradient anodization applied entirely by hand at Bang & Olufsen’s Factory 5. It’s the kind of finish that makes you want to circle the speaker just to watch the colors dance and morph.

This isn’t airbrushing or a printed vinyl wrap. The gradient effect is achieved through meticulous anodization of the aluminum components, a process that requires incredible precision and skill. The result positions the Mirage Edition as what Bang & Olufsen calls “a visualisation of sound itself”. It’s poetic, sure, but also surprisingly accurate. Sound is movement, frequency, vibration. Why shouldn’t a speaker designed to reproduce it perfectly also capture that sense of constant transformation?

Both editions maintain the same acoustic platform as the original Beolab 90, which launched back in 2015 and remains the brand’s most advanced loudspeaker. We’re talking about 18 drivers and beam-forming technology that can literally shape sound to suit your room’s acoustics. These Anniversary Editions keep all of that sonic prowess intact. The innovation here is purely about design and craft refinement.

That’s what makes these releases so fascinating. Bang & Olufsen isn’t trying to improve the performance or add new features. They’re exploring what happens when you treat a speaker as a canvas for material experimentation and artistic expression. It’s a luxury approach, certainly, but it also raises interesting questions about how we value design objects in our homes.

These speakers join the previously released Titan Edition, another ultra-limited variant featuring raw cast aluminum. Together, they represent a century of design philosophy distilled into physical form. Whether you lean toward the architectural drama of the Phantom, the fluid artistry of the Mirage, or the industrial purity of the Titan probably says something about your design sensibilities.

At a time when so much consumer tech prioritizes invisibility (think hidden speakers, frameless TVs, voice assistants tucked into fabric cylinders), Bang & Olufsen is moving in the opposite direction. These Atelier Editions celebrate presence, craftsmanship, and the idea that exceptional objects deserve to be seen, not just heard.

The post Bang & Olufsen’s $150K Speakers Shift Color As You Walk By first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bang & Olufsen celebrates 100 years with the Beolab 90 Titan Edition floorstanding speakers

Posted on by

I haven’t seen a speaker with an awkward shape like this. But then, I haven’t seen a lot of things, and that especially includes what’s under the hood of Beolab 90 floorstanding speakers from Bang & Olufsen. For its 100th anniversary, the Danish giant has taken its flagship speaker, stripped it down to its skeleton, and made it to look as striking as it could be with volcanic rocks and aluminum construction. And now I know what with the looks!

Centenary celebrations bring out the best in the iconic brands that have stood the test of time and the change in generations. Arguably, watchmakers are the best at revisiting their iconic timepieces and launching them with charisma and finesse to celebrate their 100th year; furniture makers follow closely. Now, Bang & Olufsen is treading the route with this stunning speaker – if you like what you see i.e., by reimaging its star from a decade ago.

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

The revisited stunner is called the Beolab 90 Titan Edition, and it highlights a raw, textured finish achieved with 65kg aluminum sandblasted using particles from crushed volcanic rock. It is decorated with commemorative laser-engraved details on each speaker fastener and drivers, and forms part of a series of interesting products the brand has designed to commemorate its 100th anniversary.

Bang & Olufsen, earlier this year, launched another sensation: Atelier Limited Edition Art Deco collection comprising Beolab 28 speakers and the Beovision Theatre soundbar. And recently, we were privy to the three special edition pieces. These, if you are unaware, were the gorgeous pair of Beoplay H100 headphones, Beosound A5 portable wireless speaker that charmed with its vintage radio vibes, and the showstopper, the Beosound A9, which flaunted Kvadrat’s Centennial Cadence fabric alongside a natural aluminum ring and brushed legs.

The new Titan Edition floorstanding speakers are fundamentally the most interesting entrant in the brand’s Centennial Collection. By the sight of it, the speakers are a replica of the original Beolab 90. It looks stunning, but really, it’s almost the same speaker with the outer housings removed to showcase the impressive array of drive units, which were earlier in the hiding beneath it.

The angular design and solid aluminum construction make the speakers seem unearthly, but a calm, closer look reveals the magnanimity of their 360-degree design, where no less than 18 premium drivers are firing in different directions to create the most thrilling surround sound in the room. The speakers also feature seven 30mm tweeters, as many 8.6cm midrange drivers, a trio of 21cm side and rear woofers, and the solitary 26cm front woofer.

The Beolab 90 Titan Edition floorstanding speakers are available, but we are short on the pricing information. The Titan Edition will be built to order, so its anyone’s guess that it will be way more expensive than the OG Beolab 90, that’s $185,000 for a set. B&O says four more editions of the Beolab 90 will be released in the coming months, also as part of the centenary celebrations.

 

The post Bang & Olufsen celebrates 100 years with the Beolab 90 Titan Edition floorstanding speakers first appeared on Yanko Design.

B&O Just Launched a $5,000+ Soundbar That Costs More Than Your First Car

Posted on by

Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Premiere lands like a spaceship in a room full of toasters. That’s not an exaggeration; it’s just what happens when a company known for treating speakers like sculpture decides to rethink the soundbar. This thing doesn’t just sit under your TV. It commands the room, a slab of pearl-blasted aluminum that looks like it was milled from a single ingot of the future. And yes, it costs £3,900, which is about as much as most people pay for rent, but let’s be real, if you’re the kind of person who buys a soundbar as a statement, you’re not exactly shopping for Black Friday deals.

The Premiere’s design is what happens when industrial designers are given free rein and a budget that doesn’t flinch. The up-firing tweeter sits center stage like a jewel, surrounded by 1,925 precision-machined perforations, a nod to Bang & Olufsen’s 1925 founding year, because of course it is. The aluminum chassis isn’t just for show; it houses ten custom drivers, including four racetrack woofers and a tweeter that looks like it belongs in a museum. The side-firing and up-firing drivers are part of the visual language, a reminder that this isn’t a black plastic slab pretending to be invisible. Then there’s the lighting: 90 LEDs that pulse and shift with your adjustments, because why should your soundbar be any less extra than the rest of your smart home?

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

You’d think all this design flair would come at the cost of actual performance, but the specs tell a different story. Ten amplifiers push 70 watts to the woofers and 50 watts to the rest, delivering a frequency range of 32 Hz to 23 kHz. The Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 decoding is paired with Bang & Olufsen’s proprietary True Image algorithm, which supposedly creates a soundstage wider than the unit itself. The company calls it Wide Stage Technology, and while I haven’t heard it yet, the idea of a soundbar that can convincingly fake a surround setup without extra speakers is intriguing. The max output of 102 dB at 1 meter means this thing can get loud, but the real test will be how it handles the subtleties: dialogue clarity, spatial separation, that kind of thing.

The connectivity suite is what you’d expect from a flagship product in 2025, but with a few Bang & Olufsen twists. HDMI eARC with 8K passthrough is table stakes at this point, but the inclusion of an Ethernet switch with three 1Gbit ports is a nice touch for anyone tired of juggling network cables. Bluetooth 5.4 and AirPlay 2 are here, obviously, but the real party trick is Beolink Surround, which lets you wire up additional B&O speakers for a true multi-channel setup. The fact that you can still use analog audio via USB-C (with an adapter) feels like a nod to the audiophiles who refuse to let go of their turntables. And yes, there’s a voice assistant option, but it requires an external Google device, because Bang & Olufsen would rather you use their app than bark commands at a microphone.

Now, the elephant in the room. £3,900 is a lot for a soundbar, but let’s put it in context. The Premiere isn’t competing with Sony or Sonos; it’s competing with high-end AV receivers and speaker setups that cost twice as much. The Haute Edition, limited to 25 pieces and priced at £11,000, is another story entirely. That’s not a soundbar; that’s a flex. Each one is hand-milled with a pattern that takes 17 hours to carve, because why not? It comes with a numbered certificate and a wooden box for the remote, because at that price, you’re not just buying audio equipment; you’re buying a piece of design history. Or at least, that’s the pitch.

The real question is whether the Premiere can justify its existence beyond being a conversation piece. Bang & Olufsen has a reputation for building products that sound as good as they look, but the soundbar market is crowded with solid performers at a fraction of the cost. The Premiere’s trick will be convincing people that its spatial audio and design justify the premium. For now, it’s hard to deny that this is one of the most interesting pieces of audio gear to come out in years. Whether it’s worth the price of a used car is another matter entirely. But if you’re the kind of person who sees a soundbar as an extension of your aesthetic, the Premiere might just be the centerpiece you’ve been waiting for.

The post B&O Just Launched a $5,000+ Soundbar That Costs More Than Your First Car first appeared on Yanko Design.

I Sat In The $6000 Robotic Massage Chair at IFA 2024: A Luxurious Hands-On with the Bodyfriend Quantum

Posted on by

The beauty of my job lies in not just discovering the new and innovative, it’s also in discovering the bizarrely futuristic… and the Bodyfriend Quantum robotic massage chair firmly fits the latter. Spotted at IFA 2024, the chair feels less like your average massage lounger and more like a Gundam suit with a touch of luxury. Nestled in its sleek, premium leather, with built-in Bang & Olufsen speakers, the Quantum manages to blur the line between high-tech gadgetry and a luxury spa. I didn’t think a chair could make me feel this pampered, but after spending some time in it, I’m convinced—this isn’t just a massage chair; it’s a full-fledged bodygasm.

Sinking into the Quantum was like stepping into a different world, where every detail is designed to make you feel like royalty. But what really sets it apart isn’t just the leather or the fancy tech specs—it’s the attention to detail in how it delivers its massages, all while serenading you with crystal-clear audio from none other than Bang & Olufsen. Let’s just say, it’s not your average chair.

Revolutionary Design Meets Functional Innovation

At the core of the Bodyfriend Quantum is its Robo Walking Technology—a first in the industry—that gives each leg its own independent movement. And trust me, it’s not a gimmick. Sitting in the chair, you immediately notice how much more natural and personalized the massage feels, especially around the lower body. My desk-hunched spine and worn-out calves felt like they were getting precisely the kind of treatment they needed. It’s as if the chair knew what my body was asking for before I did.

This independent leg movement is more than just for show—it makes a real difference in how effectively the chair targets specific muscles. Whether you’re using it for muscle recovery or just as a fancy way to unwind after a long day, the Quantum feels like it’s been engineered with a deeper understanding of how to work the human body. After just a few minutes in it, my lower back and legs were thanking me.

Immersive Sound Through Bang & Olufsen Partnership

The partnership with Bang & Olufsen might raise a few eyebrows. Do you really need top-tier audio in a massage chair? After my experience, the answer is a pretty confident yes. The moment I leaned back and let the chair do its thing, the speakers came to life, filling the space around me with rich, immersive sound. Whether you’re into lo-fi beats, classical symphonies, or nature sounds, the high-quality audio adds a layer of relaxation that most massage chairs simply don’t offer.

It doesn’t feel like a bolted-on extra. The audio blends seamlessly with the massage itself, so whether you’re zoning out to music or catching up on your favorite podcast, the chair’s sonic experience pulls you deeper into that calm state. Benny Kang of Bodyfriend mentioned that the speakers can be used to play binaural beats too, stimulating the mind along with your body.

Precision Massage and Intuitive Control

Bodyfriend has packed a lot of tech into this chair, but it’s the execution that stands out. The XD-PRO thermal module and Finger Moving Massage Module work together to give an eerily human-like touch. It doesn’t just knead your muscles in broad strokes; instead, the chair moves in subtle, calculated increments—80 movements in 1.25mm steps to be exact. For someone who carries a lot of tension in their shoulders and lower back, it’s like having a physical therapist who knows exactly where to focus.

Then there are the finer touches—literally. With 81 air pockets wrapping your body and heat therapy zones that bring the warmth up to a balmy 50°C, the Quantum creates an environment that’s both soothing and deeply therapeutic. The heat applied to the back, calves, and soles not only relaxes muscles but also feels fantastic on sore feet, thanks to its three-step foot roller system. It’s an experience that goes beyond simple pampering.

A Touch of Luxury (and Functionality)

The 10-inch Full HD tablet mounted on the chair is intuitive and easy to navigate. There’s no fumbling with a million buttons—you can switch modes, adjust settings, or dive into the chair’s “High-End Healthcare Massage Mode” with just a tap. If you’re someone who likes control over your relaxation routine, this tablet makes it easy to fine-tune everything from intensity to heat levels without pulling you out of the experience.

It’s also worth noting that the Quantum is clearly built for longevity. The leather is buttery-soft yet durable, and the entire build feels solid and well-constructed—something you’d expect for the price tag this chair is likely to carry. But for anyone serious about integrating relaxation or recovery into their daily routine, it’s hard to imagine anything better.

A Luxurious Experience for the Wellness-Focused

The Bodyfriend Quantum is positioned for those who are serious about wellness and ready to invest in high-end healthcare technology. Its meticulous design, advanced massage features, and thoughtful additions like Bang & Olufsen speakers make it a standout product in the luxury massage chair market. While it caters to those with specific muscle stimulation needs—such as the elderly or individuals recovering from injury—it also serves as an indulgent piece of tech for anyone looking to upgrade their relaxation routine.

After my session with the Quantum, I can safely say it delivers on its promise of providing a unique massage experience. I hate to be the cliche, but I’m the millennial with lower back pain (I lugged a laptop bag around through IFA 2024), so even a 5-minute cycle with the Quantum felt like absolute bliss. Sure, it may come with a premium price, but for those looking to pamper themselves or take better care of their health, the Bodyfriend Quantum is like Chandler and Joey’s Barca-lounger on absolute steroids. You’ll probably spend hours in the chair without realizing it.

Now, if only it came with a built-in coffee machine.

The post I Sat In The $6000 Robotic Massage Chair at IFA 2024: A Luxurious Hands-On with the Bodyfriend Quantum first appeared on Yanko Design.