Built In Collaboration With Copenhagen-Based Gamfratesi, Bang & Olufsen’s New Beosound A5 Portable Speaker Is An Ode To Design Excellence

The new portable Beosound A5 speaker, which is a collaboration between the Danish luxury audio brand Bang & Olufsen (B&O) and Copenhagen-based studio GamFratesi, is an example of how different design cultures can be merged to create a product whose exquisite craftsmanship simply cannot be denied.

Scandinavian summers come to the mind when seeing the Beosound A5’s Nordic Weave version in light oak and a woven paper fiber front, while the focus on blank anthracite makes the Dark Oak version evocative of winter woodlands. Meanwhile, the Beosound A5’s solid oak handle allows it to be carried and placed wherever one wishes, and its IP65 water and dustproof rating also allows it to be taken outside of the home without any worries.

Both of the Beosound A5 colorways thus fit perfectly at home or outside in nature, and both come with the sound, craftsmanship, and longevity that the B&O brand is known for. Plus, with more than 12 hours of playtime and a wireless phone charger integrated into the top panel of the speaker, Beosound A5 is B&O’s most versatile speaker to date, and the perfect portable audio companion, controllable either by a sleek user-interface, or directly from the B&O app.

“Beosound A5 is our new high-end portable speaker, which combines Bang & Olufsen’s long standing approach to timeless design with our vision on sound for the future,” said Michael Henriksson, VP of Product Marketing, B&O, in a statement. “We’re excited to collaborate with GamFratesi for the first time, to create two speaker designs that are rooted in a Scandinavian aesthetic with a distinct design signature on their own.”

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GamFratesi, which was founded in 2006 by Danish architect Stine Gam and Italian architect Enrico Fratesi, said in a statement that their inspiration for the Beosound A5 came from sources as varied as B&O’s own Beolit series, as well as natural materials synonymous with the colors and textures found in Scandinavian nature. “From the traditional Panama straw hats worn on beaches, to the hand-woven leather accents of Danish chairs from the 1960s, blends of natural materials applied in experimental ways guided our design journey,” the studio noted.

Look carefully at the Besound A5, and you’ll see the references that GamFratesi is alluding to. Its soft organic curves and natural materials are a nod to the curved edges and handle of the Beolit 607, and the wooden teak finish of the Beolit 800 and Beolit 1000 have also greatly influenced GamFratesi’s design process for the Beosound A5.

Meanwhile, from a technical perspective, the Beosound A5 boasts of a four-way driver setup with four digital amplifiers that provide a combined 280 watts of power, which can fill large rooms with dynamic 360-degree sound. Armed with one 5.25″ woofer, two 2″ midrange, and one ¾ tweeter, the Beosound A5’s sound excellence is thus a fitting match for its design.

Note here that the Beosound A5 has been modularly designed- this means that besides its timeless appearance, the product’s various components can be easily serviced and repaired to extend its lifetime, instead of it having to be replaced by a new speaker. Its front covers are also easily replacable, which allows customers to make use of new materials and colorways as their own styles and identities evolve with time. Longevity never looked better.

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