With today’s release, the Beosound A1 enters its 3rd generation. Is it that much better than the last-generation model, especially when the cost of entry has gone up? Well, yes and no, because the price difference is actually greater than it first appears.
more money, more features
Right off the bat, I noticed the price hike from the 2nd-generation Beosound A1’s $300 price to the newer model’s $350. The $50 official difference in their retail prices is made worse by the fact that the 2nd-gen version is regularly on sale for $190 or so. The price difference is more severe than the retail prices suggest.
Having just launched for sale on May 6, the 3rd-gen speaker is only available on Bang & Olufsen’s official website, unlike the 2nd-gen speaker that’s available at a wider variety of retailers. I’d expect that to change, though, as the new speaker lands on the warehouse shelves of the usual retail suspects.
B&O has increased the battery life over the 2nd-gen Beosound A1 from 18 to 24 hours. That’s pretty good for such a small Bluetooth speaker, certainly better than average. Its IP67 rating provides dust and water resistance, essential for a Bluetooth speaker that’ll be dragged to the beach, campsite, backyard, and pool.
On the downside, B&O seems to have ditched the 2nd-gen model’s support for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, although there’s still a microphone packed away inside the A1’s casing. Might voice assistant support return in the future? B&O hasn’t said anything hinting at it, but with the hardware already there it’s at least a distant possibility.
Grab it in any one of three colors: Natural Aluminium, Honey Tone, and Eucalyptus Green. The latter two are sharp, but I’m surprised that B&O chose not to offer the Beosound A1 in black or gray, two more neutral options that could’ve joined the silvery-white Natural Aluminium as volume sellers. Ah, well. It is a speaker, after all. Better heard than seen.
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