Bang & Olufsen aren't known for affordable price tags on their super-stylish products, nor are they known for mega-deals on their speakers. But you're in luck today, as the brilliant little B&O Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) Bluetooth speaker is on a rare and superb Prime Day deal with 29% off right now.
I've long had my eye on this gorgeous speaker. Despite it being around for a few years now and various other Bluetooth speakers (from the likes of JBL, Sony, Ultimate Ears are more) flooding the market, this Beosound A1's small yet sophisticated portable design has always piqued my interest.
One problem? The £239 RRP price tag. It's pretty steep for a portable Bluetooth speaker, and while I've previously seen this price come down to £179 during the Black Friday sales last year, it's now gone even further down to £169 at Amazon UK. That's a whopping great £70 off and, for my money, is a far better deal than before, and one that's worth serious consideration now.
The Beosound A1 earned full five stars when we reviewed it a few years back, with praise heaped on it for its classy design, refined sound and built-in Alexa voice controls. If you want to invest in high-quality B&O sound on a budget, you may not want to miss out on this great Prime Day deal.
Available in a number of stylish colourways with a pearlescent finish and leather wrist strap, the polished aesthetic of the B&O Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) may appear to be style over substance at first glance, but this model actually has a robust IP67 rating – just like many of JBL's top rugged portable speakers – making it waterproof to a depth of up to one metre. Perfect for a British summer picnic, then.
On top of that, you're getting an 18-hour battery life at normal listening volumes, or up to 48 hours at a more conservative level. That's more than enough for listening at home or on the beach, or for taking it with you on your travels. Then there's the three-mic array for Alexa operation, and set-up is straightforward using both the Amazon Alexa and Bang & Olufsen apps, too.
Finally, and most importantly, the Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) sounds fantastic for this level. Bluetooth speakers of this diminutive size can often sound unbalanced and tinny, but not this one. The A1 renders voices cleanly and with plenty of expression; timing is snappy and dynamics are engaging and deliver the ebb and flow of songs convincingly. The smooth balance is pleasing, but it mixes in enough refinement and authority over all genres of music that elevates the performance and keeps us wanting to listen more.
Rival such as the JBL speaker are that bit more punchy and subtle with the rhythm (no wonder that Charge 5 is the Award-winner at this affordable price), but Bang & Olufsen has succeeded in maintaining its trademark sound profile in this tiny but stylish – and affordable – A1 speaker. And with this nifty 29% saving at Amazon it's definitely worth considering before the sale ends tomorrow.
MORE:
Read our Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) review
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