Bang & OlufsenBeosound 2 (3rd Generation) Multiroom Wi-Fi Speaker, Natural Aluminum

Amazing speaker, blends art and the latest technology

No power cable

I bought two Beosound 2's to use as rear channel speakers with my Beosound Theatre. Thanks to the latest 4.1.1 update, you can use any B&O Mozart speaker (up to 4 of them) with the Theatre in any position in your room.The only down side with digital power link, is you can't use the Beosound 2 again as a stand alone speaker unless you remove it from the setup first. Since I'm using them as rears, I have no plans to use them as stand alone anyways.The bass coming out of the Beosound 2 is strong enough to vibrate the cheap tables I have them temporarily sitting on. I have some dedicated stands are on order.

This is my first real audiophile equipment, so I’ll be writing this review from that perspective. I’ve owned lots of quality consumer and pro-sumer equipment over the years, so I’ll be comparing it with quality equipment from the likes of Bose, JBL, Harmon Kardon, Polk Audio, Klipsch, etc.I’ll talk about the pros and cons from that perspective, and then get into the meat of the review, talking about the unit’s performance with music from multiple genres. At the end of this review I’ll have a list of songs that I used for testing. The ones marked with ** at the beginning were very enjoyable, it’s worth hearing those! I can’t say it enough, though, this thing sounds amazing. Whether it’s $3,000 worth of amazing? Only you can decide. I dropped it 1 star because of the technical glitches that are inexcusable at this price point. But the sound quality is astonishing.The bottom line -* It seems somewhat tilted toward Apple devices. I don’t own any Apple devices so I can’t speak to the quality of that usage scenario.* The app is pretty good, a few things are hard to remember how to get to, but overall the app works well.* The software on the device itself is a little buggy, particularly compared to bluetooth speakers from JBL, Kilipsch or HK. It is also missing convenient features and isn’t as reliable as the more tested consumer models. Chromecast still does not work for me.* Most importantly - the sound quality is AMAZING. Beyond anything I’ve ever owned.First the CONS:* As I mentioned above, the software is a little buggy. I’ve had to do a couple factory resets on the unit to get it functional, but it seems stable now. These weird artifacts are inexcusable on a device at this price point.* The bluetooth connectivity only supports the SBC codec. It does not support aptX/LDAC or even AAC on an android device. This is incomprehensible and inexcusable on a device capable of amazing sound quality at this price point. SBC does ok, but it could be better with aptX or other higher performing codec.* I’ve never managed to get Chromecast support to work. The Beosound 2 is not seen by Google home after placing it on the WiFi network. I’ve interacted with Bang & Olufsen’s tech support multiple times over the last few weeks, and they haven’t been able to get it operational either. During one of my several factory resets, I tried enabling Chromecast prior to placing it on WiFi. When doing that, google home SEES the unit but never manages to connect. This is still not operational.* It does not support Bluetooth absolute volume. This creates a few annoying situations where the volume jumps all over the place. (see the next section for an example)* When using the Beosound2 as a TV soundbar, I paired it via bluetooth. It works fine for the most part, but it reverts back to 40% volume when switching apps or pausing for a long time. You have to go into the B&O app and turn the volume back up to 60 or so, or the audio isn’t loud enough. Absolute Volume would be a big benefit here. It’s very annoying to come back from the fridge with a cold beverage and have to get out your phone so you can turn the beosound2 volume up again. I tried setting the default volume higher - it sort of worked, but isn't reliable. Sometimes it would be far too loud, other times it went back to 40 no matter the setting. I’m assuming that’s a bug.* There is no way to initiate a Bluetooth connection from the device or via the app. On other bluetooth devices (like the JBL Charge 4 or the HK Onyx) are able to initiate a connection. For example- after pairing the firestick with the JBL, simply turning on the JBL connects it with the firestick. It also does absolute volume, which makes it easy to use as a sound source. It would be nice to be able to tell the Beosound 2 to connect to the firestick from within the app.* Only a single Bluetooth device can be connected at a time. If you connect your phone, then it disconnects the firestick. Or if your wife connects her phone, it disconnects you. Modern devices allow multiple connections, and the one transmitting simply takes over. With the Beosound 2 you have to go into your phone and connect to the speaker. If you’re listening to music, you have to go into the firestick menu and connect it to the Beosound 2. It’s not convenient and detracts from the overall experience.The PROS:* Sound quality. The sound quality is amazing. The powerful Class D amps pump out rich bass, clear treble and midrange. The soundstage surpasses ANYTHING I’ve ever listened to before. This alone is the reason you pay B&O’s prices and put up with the quirks.* The app is pretty good. It takes a bit to figure out where to find things, but it’s not impenetrable, and the UI makes reasonable sense.* The app has some nifty features including the normal EQ settings (bass/treble), room compensation, cool sound modes (Optimal/party/speech/night/lounge/adjustable), and music stations. The most interesting for me is the adjustable mode. You can move the center circle around and adjust the brightness and other aspects of the sound. It’s a lot of fun to play with.* The Sound quality.* You can go directly to the IP address and view the network settings. That’s a nice (if unadvertised) touch.* It supports 5Ghz WiFi.* The email tech support is responsive (if not really helpful). They respond immediately and provide suggestions, but have not been able to get chromecast working for me yet. Sometimes it takes a few days but they don’t forget about you and do eventually respond.* The Sound Quality. Did I mention that it sounds amazing?Here’s a review of the sound quality based on several different songs. All these reviews are played using Pandora with the quality set to HIGH (192kbps) and connected over Bluetooth using the SBC codec. If you’re using an internet radio app, make sure you set your audio quality to the highest setting.The extreme audio quality of the Beosound 2 will make a few songs less enjoyable than they used to be - you’ll notice the flatness of the original recording, or background noise, etc. Things you never noticed on a lesser device. The ones marked with ** were particularly enjoyable.**Blues Deluxe - Joe Bonamass--------------------The lead guitar is extremely clearBass guitar is perfectly balancedIt feels like you’re in a club in New Orleans, LAJoe’s voice is perfectly gravellyThe crunchy guitar at ~4mins in is fantastic.O come, O come Emmanuel - The piano guys--------------------You can hear background hiss during the quiet passagesEnjoyable - but the Beosound shows the flaws in the recording, and it sounds surprisingly thin due to the quality of the recording.Bass strings are not as pronounced as I expected, but the piano and violin are very crisp.Long train running - Doobie Brothers--------------------Lead guitar is very crispBass guitar has a nice punch through - makes it more pronounced, but I like that.Voices feel slightly muted to me.Busy Child - The Crystal Method--------------------Intro bass is VERY pronouncedSynth is slightly muddyThis is one that was not as enjoyable as I expected. Shows the flaws of the recording too much.**Double Trouble (live) - Eric Clapton--------------------The crowd noise makes you feel like you are there in personLead guitar is beautifully crisp at 1:10 teh reverb sounds AMAZINGExtremely enjoyableYou can just feel the lazy basslineDrums are crisp and perfectly balanced.You can hear a little hiss in the original recording (like around 4:30) but it’s not objectionable**La Rumba D’el Jefe - Jesse Cook--------------------Flamenco style guitar is niceConga drums are nice and pronouncedSynth is interesting but feels slightly out of place on the beosoundViolin is very niceCan hear hiss in some parts of the recording.**You don’t know me - Jax Jones--------------------Whatcha gonna do? 😁😁Can hear slight reverb on female vocals - I never noticed this before on lesser speakersCymbals are nice and crispI never noticed the “gritty” sound of the autotune - I like it!Very enjoyable.**Don’t think twice, it’s all right - Bob Dylan--------------------Vocals are amazing - nice and crispGuitar is nicely mutedHarmonica comes through clear and pronouncedThis song is all about the vocals - hearing breathing I’ve never heard beforeVery Enjoyable**Level One - Boris Brejcha--------------------Intro bass is incredibly crisp and clearSynth drums have a very crisp tap, tap, tapI heard nuances I’ve never noticed before - some synth parts sound like a train in the distanceBass is thumping but not overpoweringThis is a very enjoyable 8 minutes.**Quick Musical Doodles - Two Feet--------------------Intro bass fills the roomGuitar is nice and cleanDrums are super crispBass in this song give those class-d amps a workout -Beosound2 is never muddy, even at unreasonable volumeSome Devil - Dave Matthews--------------------Feels over processedBackground hiss is slightly objectionablePerfect example of how the Beosound2 will make songs you previously enjoyed less fun - it really points out the flaws in the original source.Grave Digger - Dave Matthews--------------------Drums are super pronouncedGuitar seems lost in the mixVoice gets buriedThis is OK - but not as enjoyable as I expected or would have liked**Bajo las Estrellas - Guitarra Azul--------------------Maracas pop out very pleasantlyGuitar is super crispBass guitar is nice and not overpoweringVery enjoyable.**Yesterday - Marvin Gaye--------------------Can tell it’s an older recording - but better than many modern ones.Guitar is nicely balancedVocals are greatVery enjoyable

The media could not be loaded. I have a fair amount of experience with many of the most well-known premium/luxury brand speakers on the market. There is no question that Bang and Olufsen is one of the most recognized luxury brands in the world for producing premium acoustics/speakers. So, I was hopeful that this Beosound 2, 3rd generation multiroom Wi-Fi speaker would live up to the standards and reputation that Bang and Olufsen has earned over the years. It absolutely did. From Torsten Valeur's design meant to evoke the spirit of a musical instrument to the high-grade, solid aluminum conical shape that enhances the acoustic quality, this speaker is exquisite. It was very easy to setup by downloading the Bang and Olufsen app from the Apple or Google app store. The app will find the speaker and update the latest version of Bang and Olufsen's proprietary Mozart software platform. The app also offers a number of other features and functions for configuring and controlling the speaker. Once found, you can connect your speaker to your home Wi-Fi, connect a wired network cable to the ethernet port, connect a wired music player via the included auxiliary cable to USB C port adapter, or connect via Bluetooth 5.2. The Beosound 2 also has Chromecast built-in, Bluetooth Audio Streaming, Apple Airplay, DLNA-dir., Spotify Connect and Play 2.0 integrated for a wide selection and support of your favorite streaming services. The acoustic quality was astonishing. This speaker offers clean and precise mids, high-frequency clarity, crisp treble, and deep and rich bass quality. Every part of the acoustic range was excellent, and with the advanced 360-degree technology built-in, the sound quality could be enjoyed from anywhere in the room. Apart from being an excellent individual speaker, the Beosound2 also can be linked with other Bang and Olufsen speakers to deliver a whole home sound experience. You can choose between the natural aluminum or gold finish to suit your decor. I highly recommend this Beosound 2 speaker to anyone considering a whole home wireless sound system that offers both exceptional acoustics and eye catching aesthetics.