Exclusive Review: The Beosound Level Wireless Speaker Has All The Makings Of A Modern Design Classic

The beautiful ne Beosound Level wireless speaker is the epitome of cool Nordic design and sounds … [+] every bit as good as it looks.

B&O

The world is changing and it’s going to have to change even more as we try to grapple with the problem of sustainability. The days of importing mountains of cut-price consumer electronics from the other side of the world only to have the items end up in landfill after a few years has to stop. In the future, our tech will be more expensive, better designed and made to last much longer. Hopefully, we will own technology that can be upgraded and that can be completely recycled when it does reach the end of its useful life.

One company that’s ahead of the curve on this trend is Denmark’s Bang & Olufsen. The venerable consumer audio brand is designing and making products made from materials like aluminum, real wood and fabric. The company’s products use replaceable parts and are design classics that will be used for years to come. My brother still has a Beocenter 3000 that my father bought second-hand in 1976; it still works and looks as fresh and as modern as any piece of equipment being sold today.

The latest B&O product with this design ethos is the Beosound Level, a new and portable wireless speaker that’s been designed by Torsten Valeur from the ground up to provide a long and useful life that may even last for more than one generation. There’s a feeling of an heirloom about this device. This speaker is as much an investment in the future, but its values are firmly rooted in the past, in an age where things lasted, gave joy and looked beautiful This is a new design classic.

The base model Beosound Level is made using a beautiful aluminum casing and a fabric speaker grille. … [+] All the material are the best quality possible and this adds to the luxury feel of the speaker.

B&O

A review sample of the Beosound Level has turned up with me for a thorough evaluation and I’ll admit to being more excited about this new device than almost anything I’ve reviewed in recent years. I feel as if I’m at the birth of something that will still be talked about in 30 years and should still be working, too.

The Beosound Level is an object of beauty. The design harks back to the classic audio products that made Bang & Olufsen a byword for cool and beautiful back in the 1970s. The Danish company has been celebrating its 95th anniversary and its latest products are emblematic of a company that feels comfortable in its own skin and knows it’s cool.

I got to review the light oak version of the Beosound Level. It’s fronted by the most exquisite, slatted grille, while the speaker’s chassis is milled from the highest quality aluminum and anodized with a gold-tone finish that has the luster of a fine Champagne. the plastic used in the construction is made from a majority of post-consumer plastic to make sure the sustainability theme is followed. 

The speaker can be used in a standing position, laid down on a flat surface or mounted on a special optional wall bracket. An accelerometer in the Beosound Level can detect the position it’s being used in and will automatically adjust the tone and volume levels to suit. Laying down the speaker from its standing position results in a brief pause in the music as the Beosound Level recalibrates its output to suit. 

Unlike most wireless speakers, B&O has designed the Beosound Level to have a user-replaceable … [+] battery and an electronics module that can be completely replaced when wireless technologies evolve.

B&O

When in its standing position, the Beosound Level reveals its integrated handle that makes carrying the speaker around the home very convenient. Inlaid at the top/side of the speaker is a glossy black touch strip that’s not much wider than the width of tape used in an audio cassette. The strip has a proximity sensor that illuminates as soon as a hand approaches and the various controls light up and become visible. 

On the left of the control strip are four presets that can be programmed with favorite radio stations or playlists. The content appears to be preloaded as the switch between presets is virtually instant. The next control is a Bluetooth pairing button and then comes the usual trio of play/pause as well as previous and next tracks. 

There’s also a microphone mute button, although B&O also provides a physical switch for permanently disabling the built-in microphone for anyone who doesn’t want to use Google Assistant or who worries about privacy. The final control is a volume strip that can be used in slider mode or simply by pressing on the level the user wants to set. 

The rear of the Beosound Level has a socket for mating with the MagSafe power connector. There’s … [+] also a USB-C port for use with a conventional charging cable.

B&O

The strip also features an ambient light sensor for adjusts the illumination levels of the control buttons, depending on the amount of light in the room. The only other physical control is a proper Off switch next to the physical mic mute slider. It’s so good to see a wireless speaker with a real power switch.

The Beosound Level’s power button also has an LED that pulses red when the Beosound Level’s internal battery is being recharged. The LED switches to green when charging is complete. The battery will provide up to 16 hours of playtime at moderate volume levels, but that figure plunges to just four hours at maximum volume. Even at found hours playing loudly, the Beosound Level has enough juice for an afternoon in the garden.

The battery inside the Beosound Level is replaceable and can be swapped over by the user simply by removing the speaker grille. The grille itself is replaceable and B&O says there will be optional covers available in a range of finishes in the future. It’s good to see B&O providing a battery that can be easily replaced as no lithium-ion battery lasts forever. I don’t know of any other wireless speakers that have a user-replaceable battery.

The electronics module inside the Beosound Level is also designed to be upgradeable sometime in the distant future. While WiFi and Bluetooth are currently modern protocols for wireless music transmission, there will come a time when new technology replaces it. The designers of this speaker have made sure there is room inside the Beosound Level to expand and cope with completely new technology in the years to come. It’s that kind of forethought that marks out B&O from other brands.

Behind the smart speaker grilled are two large woofers, a couple of tweeters and a full-range driver to add ballast to the whole sound. B&O Has always sourced good quality speaker drivers and Denmark has something of a reputation for making some of the best. The Beovox speakers from 1976 that are still used with my brother’s own Beocenter 3000, are still in great condition and don’t even need the rubber surround replacing. That’s what I call longevity.

The Beosound Level can be played horizontally or in an upright position. Its built-in lithium-ion … [+] battery provides up to 16 hours of playtime.

B&O

Setting up the Beosound Level is so straightforward. I initially set it up as an Apple AirPlay 2 speaker but the B&O app that I was using prompted me to open Google Home and add the speaker to a room there. As soon as I did, the Beosound Level was able to respond to my voice commands and I could ask it anything or get it to play music just by talking to it. I think voice assistants are useful and my elderly mother has a small Amazon Alexa Home speaker and she’s delighted how easy it is to use when recalling her favorite music and she often whiles away her days in lockdown listening to nostalgic music from many years ago.

The sound produced by this classy wireless speaker is truly sublime. There’s a clarity in the midrange and a projection that makes it sound expensive. The precision of the speaker drivers coupled with the solidity and weight of the aluminum chassis provide a solid performance that’s both light and substantial at the same time There’s a richness that permeates from behind the speaker grille and fills the room with music that’s omnidirectional and fulsome without ever distorting.

The volume will go to quite loud levels but around halfway is comfortable listening for most people. Adjusting the volume by running a finger over the control strip just feels so right and adds to the pleasure of using this beautiful object. The Beosound Level is a classic example of getting what you pay for. In an age of throwaway plastic and cheap materials, the Besound Level stands out like a Fabergé egg with its quality and craftsmanship. Buying one of these speakers is an investment in an object that should last for many years to come.

Power can be provided by the internal battery or by attaching a round and magnetic plug that clamps onto the rear of the Beosound Level like a limpet mine. I do have one small criticism here and that is when listening to the speaker when it’s laid on its back. With the charging plug connected, the speaker can’t be used horizontally. It’s hard to see where else the plug could have gone but the secondary USB-C port for charging could have been located on the side of the unit to get around this issue. It’s not a major problem but it does jar with me a little as this speaker looks so good laying there in its back like a Beocord cassette deck from the 1970s.

The design of the Beosound Level has all the makings of a modern classic. Just as well, with its … [+] sustainable design, this is one speaker that should last for many years.

B&O

When it comes to streaming audio, there’s a choice of Google Chromecast Built-In and Apple AirPlay 2. Both these wireless protocols mean that the Beosound Level can work nicely in a multi-room audio system so that speakers all around the home can be playing the same music or else playing different music independently from each other. I love the idea of having music playing in the kitchen and the dining room and being able to move around with the same music playing in each room on different devices in perfect sync.

As well as Google Chromecast and Apple Airplay, the Beosound Level has a Bluetooth receiver built-in for streaming audio without the need to log onto the wireless network. I did try using the Bluetooth connection as a speakerphone, but it wasn’t playing ball. I think the Beosound Level would look rather nice as a speakerphone on a desk as well as being used to play music. Maybe that’s a feature that could work with a future firmware update as a microphone is already there waiting to be used.

Verdict: Bang & Olufsen has cemented its reputation as one of the finest design and engineering companies in the audio world. The Beosound Level is an object of beauty and cool design, but it’s not just a pretty face. With its Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast Built-In capabilities, it’s got everything it needs to slot into a modern home audio landscape. The gorgeous appearance makes the Beosound Level able to slot into almost any décor and it’s portable enough to be taken anywhere in the home or outside in the garden. The sound quality is sublime and beautifully tuned for almost any genre of music. Yes, I know it’s a lot of money for a wireless speaker, but the Beosound Level is more than that. Without wishing to sound like the B&O fanboy that I am, this is a piece of art. This is a design icon that will grace any home and is designed for many years of use and pleasure. For me, the Beosound Level marks B&O’s return to the design and engineering pinnacle it dominated back in the 1970s. This is classic Danish design and craftsmanship that will give as much pleasure like a piece of Georg Jensen silverware. Highly recommended.

Pricing and availability: The Beosound Level costs €1,249 / £1,099 / $1,499. The optional Beosound Level wall bracket will be available in April priced at €99 / £89 / $119.

More info: www.bang-olufsen.com

Tech Specs:

With its integral handle, the Beosound Level can be carried anywhere around the home or even into … [+] the garden. Even when out of Wi-Fi range, it can still work thanks to a Bluetooth function.

B&O