Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 2nd Generation Wireless Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker With Microphone, Green

I purchased the B&O Beosound A1 2nd Gen to improve my MacBook Pro - based, 2 cable (1 monitor power cord, 1 USBC to drive the external monitor + power my MacBook Pro) work from home setup. My work area is limited and in the middle of my kitchen / living / dining area — so aesthetics are also a factor.I specifically wanted: (1) reliable, high quality audio for conferencing and music, (2) small footprint, (3) cable-free / wireless operation, and (4) long battery life.On paper, the B&O Beosound A1 seemed ideal; however after extensive research I felt like I would be paying a premium for the small form factor while compromising on sound quality (ref Alan Ross YouTube videos) and perhaps battery life. I decided to take the plunge as I could return the unit if it disappointed.The unit was delivered on time and I was very impressed with the packaging, instruction booklet, physical quality, and straightforward button layout. Setup and software update using the B&O iOS app was intuitive and almost effortless. Pairing the unit with my MacBook Pro and selecting the microphone and speaker in MacOS preferences was routine. The unit charged from 80% to 100% using my MacBook Pro USBC power adapter in about 2 hours. I immediately tested music playback and found it acceptable and inline with Alan Ross’s review (good highs and mids, less than robust bass, and sound quality highly sensitive to speaker placement / tweeter orientation). I also observed that the unit would power off after a period of inactivity and was concerned that I might have to reset the speaker and microphone connections after turning the unit back on. All in all these were potential complications I could live with.The unit passed its inaugural 1 hour Microsoft Teams meeting / video conference with flying colors the following day: powering it up reestablished wireless Bluetooth pairing, plus microphone and speaker assignments; and audio quality was reliable and exceptional throughout the meeting. This is the primary reason I purchased the unit, so I was ready to claim mission accomplished. However, a surprise was in store.After my conference call I decided to check battery level using the B&O app — the unit was at 95% after a few hours of experimenting with music playback, letting the unit sit overnight and a 1 hour conference call in the morning. That was reassuring, but while in the app my attention was drawn to the app’s Equalizer feature which I had glossed over during setup and did not examine during my prior musical exploration -- so I decided decompress to random selections from my Apple Music library while also testing the equalizer settings.Wow, I was blown away by the difference in sound quality using the equalizer — particularly the Ambient setting. I listened to selections from John Williams, Florence + the Machine, Acadia, Los Lonely Boys, Makaveli, Chick Corea, James Blake, Lydia Low, Ani DiFranco, Prince, Coldplay, Matisyahu, Public Enemy, Anthony and The Johnsons, Yael Naim and others. The range featured classical, R&B, rock, reggae, metal, alternative, singer songwriter, vocal, instrumental, a cappella — an excellent sample of what I listen to — and nothing disappointed: Sound clarity is excellent, highs are bright, mids are uniform and punchy, lows are deep and moving for a 5" speaker, and volume is excellent for my use case (personal audio — not throwing a party).Net-net: It turns out that the Beosound A1 2nd Gen was a no compromises purchase for my requirements. The form factor perfectly matches my minimal Mac setup, the conferencing functionality is great and the sound quality is exceptional for my musical tastes. This product is of the best purchases I’ve made.

Needed another small, portable Bluetooth speaker to take along while traveling. Having used Bose Sound Link and similar speakers over the years, I noticed this B&O A1 2nd generation on sale and decided to purchase it based on my previous experiences with B&O. For roughly $200 US dollars on sale, I decided to purchase this speaker because of it’s relatively small footprint, having Amazon Alexa built in, and the sound quality (60 watts total power) of B&O. The design and build quality are what you’d expect from B&O. Beautiful brushed aluminum and a nifty little hand loop for carrying, the large donut-shaped speaker lies flat, while dispersing 360 degree stereo sound.After charging the battery to full, I quickly added the speaker via my iPhone’s Bluetooth settings and then upgraded the speaker software via the B&O app. You can easily change the sound output of the speaker through the customizable EQ settings via the app. Amazon Alexa is easily setup (via the Alexa app) and works like it’s supposed to. There are 3 microphones on the speaker and they function well. Sound is clear and bright. Soundstage is fairly wide for this little speaker and the volume gets plenty loud for my needs.Overall, I would recommend this product as an amazing value to anyone who wants a little BT speaker from B&O. It is water and dust proof (IP67 rated) and easily fits into a backpack or travel bag. In terms of durability, time will tell, but this thing is built like a tank, and weighs just one pound. I have not had any Bluetooth connectivity issues and the battery is rated to last 18 hours after a full charge (3 hours charging time via included USB-C cable). Any changes to the aforementioned specs and I’ll update this review. All in all, I’m happy with this purchase. If you like B&O, you can’t go wrong with a portable speaker at this price point.

I’m an audiophile and fancy myself to be pretty discerning when it comes to such things. While the A1 doesn’t (in my opinion) exactly produce audiophile quality sound , it nevertheless sounds darn good, I mean really good, for its size.My wife had given me one for Christmas and when I saw they had gone on sale at Amazon I purchased another so I could use them in stereo mode. This is an instance in which one plus one definitely equals more than two.The bass is quite impressive (again considering the size of the speaker). In fact one needs to be careful - this thing will vibrate itself right off a hard flat surface and onto the floor (I’ve had this happen a couple of times - dented it but it took the blows without affecting function or sound quality). On a related note - it can produce some unwanted secondary vibrations depending on what the A1 is sitting (or hanging) on. I used some spare lumber to make two stands for my A1’s to hang on and lined them with acoustic damping material where the backed of the A1’s contact the wood. Now I get all the bass response without the secondary vibrations. With the stands my two A1’s linked in stereo produce the best portable sound I’ve ever had. If you want something that ‘s a cut above the average Bluetooth speaker this one is IMHO worth the extra money.