THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BANG & OLUFSEN DECIDES TO MAKE A PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER

Bang and Olufsen’s products rarely go unnoticed. The brand’s iconic designs have been featured in all kinds of movies and television shows because they are incredibly distinct and memorable. You might think, then, that something as commonplace as a Bluetooth speaker should come out looking pretty wild when taken on by the Danish audio and video specialist, but the recently introduced BeoPlay A2 isn’t as outlandish as we’d hoped … it’s actually pretty refined.

Don’t let the A2’s simple shape fool you, though. There’s plenty that’s remarkable about this $400 speaker (aside from the price), starting with a class-leading 24-hour battery life, which makes playing music for long periods while charging a device a much more realistic proposition. B&O also outfitted the A2 with active drivers and passive radiators on both sides of the book-ish looking speaker, so that you hear sound clearly no matter which direction it is facing. We’re also big fans of the leather strap, which makes toting the speaker around as easy as it should be (but often isn’t, with other Bluetooth speakers).
Take a look at the speaker up close in our video. It’s sleek, simple, but effective. And it sounds impressive as well. It’s a little on the bright side for our tastes, but its overall sound signature is the sort that will catch a lot of ears — and eyes — at social occasions.