Beosound A1 2nd gen BT speaker - worth the B&O premium?

In this video I'm reviewing the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 2nd gen Bluetooth speaker.

I'VE ADDED AN AFFILIATED LINK FOR PEOPLE IN THE USA WHERE THIS IS CHEAPER...

00:00 Unbox & set-up
07:05 Review
19:11 Patreon credits

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Regularly asked question
Q) Why are there comments from days ago when this video has just gone live today?

[StodaraHodan]

i've had the first gen A1 for many years now and i still like it a lot, i think it was my first usb-c device and because of this its still very easy to live with today. sound quality is top notch, on one level with my beloved bose soundlink mini and denon envaya. one of the top features is the build in EQ in the App and the fact that it really sounds good when played at low volumes, this makes this my prefered speaker for music to go to sleep with. i also wanted to mention that you can replace the battery on these, even if they don't look like you can (at least on the Gen1)

[fractalengineering]

I've had the first gen A1 for many many years since launch; it's been absolutely solid, I've traveled with it to a dozen countries and it's performed brilliantly in every scenario I've put it through; from home ambiance to beach gathering passing by blasting music on motorbike rides or simply sitting on the lap while watching movies.
Of course it's gotten quite a few scratches and bumbs throughout all that but still works just as day one.

100% agree on the missing button bumps; I still find myself searching for the power button in the dark haha. I fixed it by dropping a dab of glue a while ago

Batteries don't seem to have lost any noticeable life, but they seem indeed replaceable fairly easily; the unit opens by twisting the aluminum cover

The rubber has gone sticky after long times sitting in hot humid conditions, but it seems to get better after drying up in use

Pro tip: place it against a room corner for best presence

[ed.puckett]

Your record-pause-record test was great! Amazing.

[briangraham]

I’ve had a B&O stereo since 1995 and it still works as well as the day I purchased it. I also have a gen 1 speaker, 5 years old and still going strong.

[NoshAbroad]

The only thing more boring THAN THAT is someone writing a comment on the internet in response to a YouTube video about a BT speaker that's been on the market for two years that costs $200.. but in all seriousness. I enjoyed the review.

[industrialvectors]

The rant about people who'd comment it's too expensive and would not buy it, with your perfect argument that you are not going to buy a helicopter this week, no need to talk about it, is just so on point. That was the highlight of the video for me.
This products sounds like a nice treat to yourself.

[ws]

B&O has pretty much always voiced their speakers well.
I remember their classic 1970s-80s equipment.
All their vintage speakers sounded excellent, including the powered Penta columns.
Also, their phono cartridges were some of the best sounding.
Moving somewhat closer to the modern era, a few years ago I picked up a pair of Beoplay S3 Bluetooth or wired powered speakers. They have quite amazing sound as well as playing pretty loud. They can be configured to be used as an individual speaker or in stereo pairs vis wired line level connections on 3 conductor mini plugs or via Bluetooth. Of course it’s not current Bluetooth, but still works fine.
Still impressed.

[llaeeZ]

IMO the biggest reason why modern BT speakers have such good bass is due to amplifaction tech getting better. Class D amplification has really made a big impact.
Those huge boomboxes of old had like 1-3 watts but a new BT speaker may easily have 10 or 15 watts.

If you are familiar with "Hoffmans Iron Law" you know it takes a lot of power to get good bass out of a small speaker. And that is now possible.

[dant]

Without a doubt my favourite thing about Bluetooth speakers is that they allow people who usually listen to music in the street on their phone's tinny speaker to share with a much wider audience 🙃

[Edit] I want expecting that many likes on a comment (indicating shared annoyance at this behaviour?), it seems I'm fortunate enough to have not been stuck on a bus or train with this and to have only had people doing this walking past the house on occasion.

Not a comment on Mat, unless he takes this speaker out to listen to Cuba Baion ;)

[krisd]

I have the 1. Gen, and even though it not yet for a fully 10 years, it nearly is. I use it at least an hour every day, and it shows no signs of wear really. Not even the battery, which really is not that hard to change. Also, the strap is great for hanging it in e.g. the bathroom, or when your camping with your friends, and you don't have a table between you, but a campfire 😋👍

[Johnathan_Waters]

I'm a HUGE B&O fan, and I have all kinds of their (vintage) equipment. I would LOVE to see you make more reviews of B&O products! They made a huge amount of products throughout their history, so lots and lots of material!!!

[scottlp]

I had quite an addiction to buying Bluetooth speakers. It's settled down now as 20+ is probably too many. :) For filling a large space with quality sounds I have the DeWalt TSTAK. It's the same size and shape as their cases, runs on their batteries and can charge them too. It's pretty much bombproof (it survived my niece's 18th birthday party and ran all night at silly volumes using the 4.0 Ah battery). :) For carrying around the house while doing DIY I have settled on the Minirig 3. I had the smaller Minirig Mini in the back of my lorry when making long deliveries and it was superb. Nobody believed the sound was coming from something the same size as half a tin of beans. :) The Minirig 3 is a bit bigger but a lot more powerful and can run for 40 hours. They can run as a stereo pair too and with a bespoke subwoofer to create a very big sound from a very small package. A big bonus is that they are designed and built in Bristol. :)

[alanroy]

"hurry they're almost gone" the urban outfitters ecommerce team are in for a big shock

[Dippedinsilver]

I know nothing about electronics nor do I have an interest in collecting electronic devices, but I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos. There's just something soothing and relaxing about you. I appreciate all your hard work and your content. Thank you!

[AlienSoundworks]

This is so funny we came to the point where we are all watching a video of Techmoan covering a product he really don't care about. Especially when you realize that you don't really care about the product either... but just wanna watch a new Techmoan video. Thank you as always Matt.

[Brettington]

I own a JBL Charge and I’ve found it has the best dynamic range of any Bluetooth speaker I’ve heard. Fills a room and can be used as a power bank to recharge your phone as well. Should be less expensive than the B&O as well.

[AbellTo]

This is right on time. I was researching BT speakers this morning. My Bose wave radio is crackling and popping terribly in all 3 modes.
I’d settled on another Bose speaker but this is a great option.
I’ve always valued your experience and knowledge

[spidermonkeynr]

The bose soundlink mini when it came out . I was blown away with the sounds and the bass the little thing had. Every bluetooth speaker ive heard i think the soundlink mini is my fav sounding one

[jjdinanno]

This review wasn't boring at all. Please review more B&O gear, especially the vintage stuff.

[MrAbacuc]

As always “bravo” Matthew! You’re a good man! Send you greetings from Italy