Bang & Olufsen announces Beosound Emerge wireless smart speaker in the form of a book
Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has announced the Beosound Emerge smart speaker, created in collaboration with London-based design agency Layer. According to B&O, Layer founder Benjamin Hubert drew inspiration from the “compact book form factor” to create a “subtle sculptural structure.”
The idea was to make the speaker as thin as possible while still maintaining its full power. Beosound Emerge does not take up much space, making it possible to install it anywhere in the room, including a bookshelf.
There are two Beosound Emerge options available. The more expensive Gold-Tone option has an oak lid with a woven textile spine and an aluminum panel. There is also a Black Anthracite version with an aluminum grille and resin side panels.
Like the Beosound Level, the new smart speaker has a modular design that allows you to replace old modules with newer ones to use the device for many years.
The smart speaker is equipped with a 100mm subwoofer with a 60W amplifier, a 37mm midrange driver with a 30W amplifier, and a 14mm tweeter with a 30W amplifier. The declared range of reproducible frequencies is 45 – 22,000 Hz; the maximum volume is 92 dB. Bass reproduction is reportedly enhanced by the speaker’s built-in active room compensation technology, which adapts the sound to match the speaker’s position.
Beosound Emerge has touch controls with play/pause, track change, and quick access to stations and playlists. The device also supports AirPlay 2 and Chromecast for wireless connection; there are built-in microphones for voice control via Google Assistant.
The device specifications also include Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / a / n / ac (2.4 / 5 GHz) wireless adapters, 10/100 Ethernet controller, USB-C and Micro-USB ports. The speaker’s dimensions are 255 × 165 × 67 mm, the weight of the Gold Tone version is 1.3 kg, and the Black Anthracite version is 1.38 kg.
Beosound Emerge is available from April 15th in online stores and B&O retail outlets in select European countries, with a global launch scheduled for this fall. The Gold Tone version costs $ 899; the Black Anthracite model costs $ 699.
