Since they’re known for creating speakers and sound systems that induce double takes — once at their looks, then at their price — we’re used to Bang & Olufsen taking the road less traveled. In this case, the Danish audiophiles have stayed true and pure to their modus operandi with a stereo design that goes out of the box — and onto the wall.
Four years in the making, the BeoSound Shape sound system is made of wireless, hexagonal wall tiles that double as speakers, amplifiers or acoustic dampers. Fully modular, the system can be expanded to use infinite tiles in 10 different fabric colors.
“The hexagon is one of nature’s favored forms, seen in anything from snowflakes to honeycombs and makes perfect sense in repetitive and expanding structures,” says designer Øivind Alexander Slaatto. “Every outcome is unique and there’s a sense of natural beauty in the infinite variations.”
Bluetooth-friendly and capable of streaming tunes from Apple AirPlay, Spotify or whatever the kids use these days, the BeoSound Shape uses a “unique upmixing algorithm” to spread sound signals across its speakers and provide audio coverage to every listening position in a room. At the heart of the system is a BeoSound Core connectivity hub that, along with four speakers, two acoustic dampers and an amplifier, is included in the eight-piece BeoSound base package.
Priced at $4,250, the base kit is expected to hit the market in August. To get one, get on the list.
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