I will just come out and say this: The Beoplay E8 is better than the Airpods. It is my opinion (and therefore subjective) that the E8 looks and sounds better, plus it doesn’t have that extra appendage that makes the Airpods look like they’re small lollipops.
Beoplay is from the luxury Danish lifestyle brand Bang & Olufsen, which recently showcased its newly redesigned boutique in Shangri-La Plaza. The 140-square-meter boutique is one of the first stores in Asia to carry the new look, which reflects the elements associated with the brand.
“B&O is known for combining sound, design and craft. These three pillars define the brand,” said Ferdie Ong, general manager of Living Innovations, official distributor of Bang & Olufsen in the Philippines.
Ong showed us around the store, which has a product range that includes flat-screen TVs, portable and floor speakers, headsets and earphones.
BeoSound Edge is a circular shaped speaker that can be placed on the floor or mounted on the wall. The Edge delivers a powerful listening experience. Using B&O’s latest patent for the world’s Active Bass Port, the speaker provides perfect potent bass at high volumes and maintains accurate bass at low volumes. The speaker was created in collaboration with globally acclaimed designer Michael Anastassiades.
BeoSound Edge doesn’t look like any speaker I have seen. It has drivers delivering sound out of either side of the speaker and an aluminium ring wrapped around the outer edge. It supports Airplay 2, GoogleCast, DLNA and Bluetooth.
“Bronze is a big thing in metals right now,” said Ong, referring to B&O’s Bronze Collection.
The limited-edition collection includes the iconic Beoplay A9 floor speaker, Beoplay M5, BeoSound 1 and BeoSound 2 with 360-degree sound, and the all-new BeoSound Edge speaker. All the speakers in the collection are wireless, so you can connect them to a home sound system.
Bang & Olufsen also introduces BeoSound 1 GVA and BeoSound 2 GVA, new smart speakers that combine Google’s Voice Assistant expertise with the brand’s focus on sound excellence and quality.
BeoSound 1 GVA is portable and comes with a rechargeable battery, while BeoSound 2 GVA requires a permanent power connection.
The top of the speakers serve as a control panel that you simply turn to adjust the volume. The speakers have built-in sensors that allow you to swipe left or right to play the next or previous track. Another feature worth noting is that it allows you to read out the weather report, tell the time, remind you what’s in your calendar, and do a search via Google Assistant.
The prices are not cheap. A whole speaker system for the home can reach up to hundreds of thousands, but you are paying for quality and form and the three-year warranty that comes with each product.
Bang & Olufsen is at Level 2, East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City.
For more information, call 654-2240 or e-mail info@livinginnovations.ph.