OPINION : This workweek I had the joy of seeing Bang and Olufsen ’s unexampled soundbar , the Beosound Theatre , at its launch event at the IFA business deal show in Berlin .
And to be exculpated , as you ’ll find if you read my earlyBang and Olufsen Beosound Theatre reassessment , it is quite an interesting savage for a diverseness of rationality .
The Beosound Theatre is a new premium soundbar being commercialise at the audiophile market that features a 16 speaker frame-up Bang and Olufsen claims will let it serve as a fully work standalone speaker or the meat of a multiroom frame-up . It also has a modular design that lets it seamlessly link up to a Brobdingnagian majority of tv set .
Having seen the outfit I have to admit it look tremendous and sounded instantly amazing during a shortsighted demo school term . But throughout the experience , I kept follow back to one fundamental issue – the Theatre will retail for £ 5590 / $ 6890 / € 6490 when it launches .
That earn the Theatre about three clock time more expensive than many of its closest rivals – the £ 2199Sennheiser AmbeoSoundbar and the £ 1990Devialet Dione . Jump over to ourbest TVguide and you ’ll notice you could clean up not one , but threePanasonic TX-55LZ2000TVs for that amount of money .
Cliff notes : it ’s expensive . Veryexpensive .
This inevitably will pass many , like me , to ask ; do you really necessitate to pass over 5 K on a soundbar ?
apparently , Bang and Olufsen thinks so , and audio and cinephiles will always turn over paying more if it means good profound lineament .
swear me , if you ’re a casual flick looker or just want something to give your gambling audio recording a small spare desirability you do n’t need to spend thousands .
However , Bang and Olufsen did make one compelling argument for yield more that did ring dead on target during my time with the Theatre : Sustainability .
Bang and Olufsen is one of many companies pushing sustainability as a brand name , but in my thinker , it ’s always been a bit more “ on it ” than its competitors . This is because of its overt focus on “ circular design ” . This is a conception that ascertain companies create products that are designed to last much longer than they currently do , reducing waste and their impact on the environment as a result .
This is done by sharing , take , recycle , rectify , freshen up and recycling existing materials and products as long as potential to sustain and upgrade them .
The reason this is important for the Theatre and other premium gadget is that under this ism , while you give more upfront , the twist will then last much longer . In this pillow slip according to Bang and Olufsen , at least 10 years , thanks to software update and possible hardware upgrades that can be easily tally “ using normal tools ” thanks to the soundbar ’s modular design .
While I ’m not convince this will specifically make the Theatregoodvalue for money ( we want to get it in our labs and pass more time testing it to make a judgement on that ) I do agree with the argument , especially as Bang and Olufsen let ’s third party orginisations check that it ’s actually doing what it says it is when it number to sustainability .
In this example , the firm has confirmed theTheatre is presently being vetted for bronze Cradle - to - provenance design certification .
This is a key certification that factors in everything from whether the mathematical product uses recycled parts , to the environmental impact of its supply chain , that ’s take to the woods by the Cradle - to - Cradle Products Innovation Institute . It ’s one of the most stringent standards presently course , which is why it ’s impressive that Bang and Olufsen is sure-footed enough to try and make it the baseline standard in its sustainability efforts .
It ’s also the only real rationality I can see any but the most hardcore of attender or pic devotee have a reason to reckon spending more than a couple of grand on a soundbar .
