Danish hi-fi brand Bang & Olufsen has announced the release of the Beosound Premiere – a “bold and sculptural” soundbar taking on the top-end of the premium market.
The 7.1.4 soundbar offers Dolby Atmos support as well as the brand’s own Wide Stage Technology which, B&O says, uses signal processing custom-designed to create the illusion of having added external speakers.
In usual Bang & Olufsen fashion, the soundbar is designed to look like a piece of art as well as acting as a piece of home cinema kit. It is made from pure aluminium, and the chassis is pearl blasted to create a matte satin finish.
The brand has taken a different approach to many other soundbars by leaving the ten speaker drivers exposed rather than hidden under a grille. Inside the soundbar are 90 responsive LEDs that “illuminate [the product] with an ethereal glow” which changes with the user’s preferences.
There are even 1925 tiny perforations machined into the up-firing driver to mark the year the company was founded.
You can also add additional Bang & Olufsen speakers through the Beolink Surround feature.
Launching at £3900 / $5800 (around AU$7835) for the Natural Aluminium finish, the Beosound Premiere certainly comes with an eye-watering price tag. Other finishes, Gold Tone or Black Anthracite, will come out early next year.
The best premium Dolby Atmos soundbar we have reviewed this year is the KEF XIO, which comes in at the considerably cheaper price tag of £1999 / $2500 / AU$3600.
We rated it extremely highly when we had it in our test room, praising its exciting sound and agile bass performance which resulted in a five star review, and a What Hi-Fi? Best Buy Award.
The Beosound Premiere is going to have to be an exceptionally strong performer to compete with the XIO's more affordable price and excellent sonic abilities, although its stacked speaker offerings do sound promising.
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Here's our review of the KEF XIO
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