The new Beolit 20 from the Danish Bang & Olufsen is a portable bluetooth speaker with a wink to an illustrious past of portables.
The Bang & Olufsen Beolit is a Bluetooth speaker pur sang. But then with the stylish and well known Danish design. The leather strap is a wink to earlier Beolit’s from history. Back then – think of decades ago – they were still portable radios. After all, things like smartphones and the like did not yet exist in those days. Soon, however, the carrier band appeared, and it has remained.
And to be honest, the entire design of the new Beolit 20 also exudes a rustic past. But under the hood, you’ll find brand new technology. Like a 2 x 35 Watt Class D amplifier that drives the various drivers for example. And a battery that, when fully charged, is good for 8 hours of playing time. The sound is radiated 360 degrees all around. And if that is not enough, then pairing with another Beolit 20 to a stereo pair is possible.
AAC
In terms of Bluetooth codecs, AAC (and of course the standard SBC) is supported, which is good news for Apple device owners. It means that in that case, no re-compression is necessary, which will definitely improve the sound quality. Unfortunately, AptX is missing again. Bang & Olufsen has also thought of a very nice extra: you can charge your smartphone wirelessly with the Beolit 20. The stylish speaker costs €500, but this will bring a piece of history and design into your home.