B&O Play A1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Product Description

With a1 portable Bluetooth speaker, music lovers can now hold decades of bang & olufsen sound technology and experience in the palm of their hand. This ultra-portable wireless speaker delivers crisp ambient sound in a compact 1.3 lb Package. Grab it and go wherever life takes you; it charges in approximately 2.5 hours and provides up to 24 hours of battery life per charge. Created by award-winning designer cecilie man, this Mini audio powerhouse looks as good as it sounds: a smooth dust- and splash-resistant aluminum dome, double-molded polymer base and rugged leather strap balance cool sophistication with warm accents for a unique tactile experience. The convenient connect button allows you to pick up where you left off, activating your last played music at launch. Users can also take advantage of intuitive tone touch technology via the b&o play app to personalize their listening experience, set up wireless stereo pairing and update products with the latest software. Not just a music speaker, the a1 also lets you make calls on the go with a multi-directional microphone that increases voice recognition for everyone on the call. Lightweight but powerful. When the battery level is below 15%, the battery indicator turns solid red. When the battery level is below 10%, the battery indicator starts flashing red

Features

• Truly portable Bluetooth speaker for music and calls
• More sound. More bass. Peak power of 2X140 W
• Connect two BeoplayA1s for a wireless stereo experience
• Keeps on playing. Up to 24 hours at normal volume levels. Power consumption:Standby: 0.5 W
• All aluminum dome. Dust and splash resistant

Top Reviews

Two are definitely better than one!
by Tech Gospel (5 out of 5 stars)
May 6, 2017

I've had an old Bose SoundDock Portable for about 10 years now and I've been looking to upgrade it to something smaller but sounded better but was just as loud. That narrowed my list down to the Beoplay A1, JBL Charge 3, and the new Bose Revolve. The JBL was the cheapest on the list and is arguably louder than the A1 and Revolve, but the A1 just sounded so much clearer and the bass, although sounded slightly lower, was more accurate than the Charge 3. The new Bose Revolve just didn't match either in sound quality, but it did have better 360 dispersion outdoors and hung. I eliminated the Bose on also having the weakest volume among the 3. So it was between the Charge 3 or the A1. Ultimately, the audio clarity and design won out and I decided on the A1. The Charge 3 isn't that far behind and doubles as a portable phone charger as well but I wasn't too fond of the design and the quality of the bass was less than that of the A1 (boomier but not as tight)

I bought one A1 and I liked it so much I decided to get another one. Took a while to figure out the pairing mode and found that pairing without the app is much simpler and more reliable. For those having stereo pairing issues do it without the app:
1) Turn on first A1 then press & hold Bluetooth button for 5 sec until light flashes white.(This is now the master speaker and the LEFT channel)
2) Wait 20 sec until you hear a beep
3) Turn on second A1 then press & hold Bluetooth button for 5 sec until light flashes white.(This will pair as the slave speaker and the RIGHT channel)
4) Wait until both speakers beep and the lights sync up and remain steady white.
5) Pair your phone with the FIRST A1 (The master speaker) then play your audio.
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I Like it, but still doesn't beat Bose or Beoplay A2
by Real Raleigh Reviewer (4 out of 5 stars)
January 30, 2018

I've tested a great many bluetooth speakers (non-portable, portable and ultra-portable) and headphones over the years. Although I'm clearly not an audiophile, I do enjoy the best sound - in the car, at home, in the office - and I have a lot of side-by-side listening to provide solid A/B feedback. I tend to test them out, return the ones that aren't good, keep those that are. And so I have.

In the bigger bluetooth speaker area I like the Polk Woodbourne and Aiwa Exos-9 best. In the portable area I like the B&O Beolit 15 and absolutely LOVE the Klipsch KMC-3. Unfortunately, all of those except the Aiwa are discontinued. The ultra-portable category has been dominated in sound quality by the Bose Soundlink Mini / Mini II for more than 4 years - and that's for having tried a number of high-end competitors, including the Bowers & Wilkins T7 and KEF Gravity One, both of which were, frankly, abysmal in comparison to the Bose.

Now, to the point: The B&O Beoplay A1. The biggest engineering challenge in a speaker this size, in my evaluation, is the ability to articulate bass. Many reviewers gravitate towards "it gets very loud" or "it doesn't get loud enough". I notice that - but frankly, don't care. I'm not buying a tiny speaker like the Bose or B&O to fill a gym or crank it out for a block party. It's a personal speaker - I use it on my desk, put it on the dresser in a hotel room while on business travel. Listen to music or movies at moderate volume. What I care about is, almost to the exclusion of everything else, the quality of sound, especially bass reproduction. Secondary considerations are construction quality and aesthetics, battery life, volume

B&O did a Good to Very Good job with this. It's small, it's pretty. You probably want to keep it in a pouch before you throw it in your backpack or suitcase, but it's definitely in the same volume/mass category as the Bose. See in the attached pics, different form factors but similar total size and weight. Both are naturally very well designed and executed, with attractive metal bodies / grille. Sound quality?

Bose has the edge. Although their ostensible low-end frequency response is comparable, the Bose delivers much flatter, articulate bass right down to about 60Hz. You can easily defeat it - you'll hear sub-bass tones drop off, and at higher volumes the little bitty woofer and passive radiator just can't keep up with the mids and treble. I don't notice the bass fade at higher volumes on the B&O A1. But, at moderate listening levels, the Bose simply creates a more compelling delivery, surprising "oomph", warmth, "voice" at low tones. Additionally, perhaps due to the metal grille and somewhat unusual hockey-puck form factor, the B&O also does not reach the crisp highs as does the Bose - sparkling, precise treble well into the 15+KHz range. The B&O comes off a bit muffled, rounded off, maybe above the 8-10KHz range. I have docked the Bose half a notch for a very narrow sound stage, and to a degree, room placement; to get the most absolutely brilliant listening experience from the tiny thing, it is best situated 6 to 12 inches from a vertical corner, and you have to be almost directly in front of the unit. The treble is a bit "laser-like" in that respect - GOOD anywhere you stand, but mind-blowing when you're situated right within the soundstage. The B&O has a bit of oddness around treble as well. It's intended to be "360 degree" sound, and it is, but there are angles around the hockey puck that have a bit clearer treble than others.

While the B&O clearly delivers good sound, and easily earns a long-in-coming, and hard-earned #3 slot in my ultra-portable stable, and is clearly the better of offerings from other esteemed names in the business (Bowers & Wilkins and KEF units named above), side by side, the Bose wins on sheer sound quality, and the A2 gives more kick, but at a larger size. I still would recommend buying this speaker if you want top-tier sound, in an extremely cool, swanky Scandinavian package. You would be doing very well in this category (littered with crummy product failures to deliver decent sound from a tiny package) with the Bose Soundlink Mini II, Soundlink Revolve+, B&O Beoplay A1 or B&O Beoplay A2. These are the only Very-good-to-great-sounding speakers I've tried to date. Among those, the Soundlink Mini still leads, but by a much narrower margin than before!
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Bought 2 B&O Play A1 Speakers - Likes and Dislikes
by andallthatjazz (4 out of 5 stars)
June 7, 2016

I love speakers and have been missing a decent quality higher end portable ever since I gave my Bose Soundlink to my daughter a few years back. I bought the first B&O PLay A1 and immediately loved how well it imaged the sound and provided a level of detail that was surprising. Listening to Deana Bogart [...] singing was a pleasure. You could easily hear the "bite" of the saxophones accompanying her on selected pieces. Bluetooth syncing was quick and efficient, and it automatically reconnected to my iPhone. Feeling a little giddy, I placed an order for a second speaker, imagining how much better it would be to have true L+R sound separation.

That's when the troubles began, but eventually resolved. B&O comes with their own downloadable App for the iPhone that can act as an equalizer, but more importantly, will link together two speakers in stereo fashion. At least in theory. I renamed the speakers with an "L" and an "R" at the end so I could tell which was which as they synced. But, the sound kept cutting in and out with the second synced speaker, almost like how it sounds if a microwave oven interferes with sound transmission. Then I came upon the following procedure that has completely resolved the problem, although I think B&O need to consider resolving this.
1. Sync your first speaker using your phone's bluetooth set up.
2. Repeat the process with the second speaker.
3. Go to the B&O app and select "stereo link." (Not exactly intuitive compared to how the Logitech UE system "double up" work).
4. Go back to your bluetooth control settings and you will see a total of 4 B&O devices connected rather than two. Wait a few seconds.
5. The B&O devices that were connected via the app will disappear and you'll be left with the pair you originally synced, but in stereo.
6. Enjoy the wonderful soundstage it produces!

It can take several seconds before all of the synching is completed. I don't pretend to understand how all those "0's and "1's" are duking it out, but eventually they make peace and leave you with a portable concert hall.

Even after you've done this first time, it's still a royal pain to get both up and running. This is what you have to do every time you want to use two rather than one speaker.
1. Turn on each speaker, carefully searching for the "on" button (see below)
2. One of the two speakers will immediately start up. The second will stare at you silently.
3. Look at your bluetooth device list, both will be connected.
4. Visit the B&O app. Try to remember where the stereo link menu is hidden.
5. Activate the second device.
6. Return to the bluetooth menu. See 4 rather than two devices.
7. Wait, 10 seconds on my device, while it resolves two duplicate connections disappear.
8. Wait a little a little longer for the system to finish synching.
9. Enjoy!

I'll eagerly be awaiting a new app that pays more attention to functionality and simplifies the process by about, let's say, nine steps. Once I've set up stereo, I want it to remember this until I decide otherwise.

I purchased the moss green and love the color. I appreciate that B&O playfully suggests that a ding, here and there, even a dent or two will add character. Thanks but no thanks. For $250, I'll take a nice protective bag to slip it into.

Also, while I like the look of the overall design, the controls are a bit "too minimalist" for my tastes. I shouldn't have to hunt around for the power button every time I want to turn it on or off. I feel a bit like Indiana Jones on a search each time. Also, the physical act of turning the unit on and off could use a rework. It shouldn't be possible to do it "wrong," yet that's what happens. You have to press this near invisible icon for a few seconds, then it gives you a cutesy, for me unwanted, sound to let you know you've completed your task.

In their eventual redesign, I predict B&O will either create a slight bulge or indent where the power button to make it less of a hunting expedition. I haven't tried the phone conference feature yet and will report back with an update.

True Rating:

Overall Sound - 5 stars

Bluetooth Synching - 2 stars

Bluetooth Connection - 4 stars

Loudness - 5 stars

Physical Looks - 4 stars

Functional Design - 3 stars

I've had them less than a week, so am I keeping both, or even one. Tough call. I really love the sound, but there are functionality features that seem unnecessarily arduous.
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Great speaker; very poor product - just useless!
by Stephan Schneider (2 out of 5 stars)
September 15, 2018

Oh man! I really really wanted to love this speaker. I've always been a fan of B&O products and own two of their headphones. When my JBL Flip 3 broke, I decided to go with this speaker; I wanted the best sound possible and was willing to pay for it.

Let me be clear, this is the best sound quality for a speaker of this class. I was blown away by the soundstage, the low bass, and the vibrant highs. It's also wonderful how you can customize the sound via their app. Furthermore, it gets super loud for a speaker of this size. Simply put, it was an amazing speaker!!!!

Here's the thing though, this product was not ready to go to market.

Considering it is a Bluetooth speaker, let's start with Bluetooth connectivity. It sucks! Just walking to the next room caused it to lose connection.

Then there is the buttons. Yeah, the speaker has a really nice asthetic but it comes at a cost. In order to bring out the pebble style design, they decided to make the buttons flush into the side. Even though there are markings for the buttons, they are not very visible and this all results in your having to know exactly where to push in order to press the button. If you don't hit it spot on, it doesn't click.

All of that is bearable but the worst part was the battery life. B&O's advertised battery life of a full 24 hours was an enticing prospect. Alas, it is a painful lie, or at least a misdirection it's possible that it could perhaps reach that level at a level 1-3 volume but I got nowhere close to that.
4 hours! That's all I got!!! I mean, just wow. And this was just playing at 50% volume. The point of a modern portable speaker is to allow you to play your music at a location where you do not have access to an outlet. A mordern portable speaker of this size should be able to go to the pool, the beach, or the park and not let you down. Let me be clear and concise, this speaker will leave you empty handed on your excursion. Yeah, you could just bring a power brick but I didn't pay $240 to resort to this crude and inconvenient method.

I ultimately decided to return this speaker after spending a weekend with it. After the first full day with the speaker, where I first noticed the battery problem, I decided to buy a Bose Revolver at Best Buy so that I could compare the two. Even though I enjoyed the sound from the A1 more (albeit the hose has a punchier bass), the Bose was simply a far more refined product. In addition to good sound, iit had superior battery life, solid Bluetooth connection, and great features including the ability to remember 10 devices and be simultaneously connected to 2 devices. This has been most useful in using it among my different devices.

Anyway, I wanted the reliability of a finished product and I simply did not want to take a risk with the A1. In addition to the problems listed above I also noticed that it got really warm on the bottom during use at higher volumes. Living in south Florida, I was quite concerned with what could happen were I to take it for a day at the beach. Forget the fact that it would only last 4 hours; I was concerned that the already hot product when mixed with a scorching hot Florida sun in 100 degree F heat could actually damage the speaker, maybe even burn me, and worst case, even explode or something. I'm not an engineer so I can't speak as to the probability of any of those happening but I refused to take that chance.

This speaker was such a shame for me. It could have been the best. Simply put, it is indeed the best sounding portable speaker at that size. The thing is... in today's world it's not enough to be the best sounding speaker. I was so impressed with the sound quality that I thought I could keep it and use it in collaboration with my Echo Dot. Even then though, it has an auto off feature (where it turns off after a small period of inactivity) that you can't change. Thus, even then it was useless.

Useless- that's probably the best way to describe this product. It is extremely limited in its application for the reasons explained above. When you csn find a comfortable way to use the product, it is truly quite something. Ultimately though, the speaker should work for you, not the other way around. I want a speaker that I can pick up and rely upon for the day. This is not that speaker.

I was happy to free myself from the constraining shackles of this product. I hope that B&O figures out how to refine their product. I hope they recognize that it's not just enough to get the best possible sound. You also need a reliable and wholesome product. For now though... look elsewhere.
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Great sound, awful connectivity
by RWS Apogee (3 out of 5 stars)
April 22, 2017

First the good. The sound from the B&O A1 is excellent for the size of this unit. Decent bass, clear highs and mid-range. I replaced a Bose SoundLink Mini II with this speaker because I found the Bose bass to be over-emphasized and muddy. The exterior design and aesthetics are top notch. So why, you might ask, am I returning the unit today? Because the connectivity is awful. I have owned multiple Bluetooth speakers and have never had such a frustrating experience as with the A1. It would rarely play for more than 10 minutes without randomly reducing volume and, eventually, cutting out completely. It is supposed to reduce volume when the battery level falls below a certain level, but it would do this even when connected to AC. The sound was so good, I tried all the troubleshooting measures I could withstand -- updated software, unpaired and re-paired the Bluetooth connection multiple times, but it just got to be too much of a hassle. Maybe I got a bad unit.... I hope your experience will be better if you choose to try the A1 out.
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Must read if want to power on the speaker(s) remotely plus other tips
by King (5 out of 5 stars)
January 18, 2019

First, about the speakers. I ordered two and was able to connect them together in stereo mode. The connection was never steady, the sound on the slave speaker goes on and off often. I am returning one of them. It sounds good even in mono mode, at least better than one speaker won't connect consistently.

Lots of people are returning the speakers for two reasons, one they can't power on the speaker remotely after it went to sleep (the speaker does go to sleep even when the power is plugged in, a very annoying deign). The other reason was the control was hard to find, true again. My solutions for these issues are below.

There is a way to wake up the speaker(s) remotely. The design of the speaker is that everytime you plug the charging cable into the usb port, the speaker will turn on. To wake up the speaker remotely all you have to do is permanently plug the charging cable into the speaker, on the other end plug into an usb charger then a smart plug before plug in to a power outlet. When the speaker went to sleep all you need to do is use a smart home app on your phone/tablet (by voice with Alexa, or Google, or Siri) to turn the switch off then on. When the speaker sense there's power, it will turn itself on. It really works, I used a TP Link smart plug and Kasa app. I also use Alexa. To fix the hard to find buttons, you can stick a small rubber foot on the button, I used one on the power and Bluetooth, the two buttons I used the most. These tips will help lots of you out there keeping your speakers.

I will post some pictures when I get a chance. I wss going to give it 4 stars because ofnthe stereo connection issue, but a lot of people only read one or five star reviews. I gave it an undeserving 5 stars.
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Battery and Connectivity ~ over promise and under deliver
by LB (1 out of 5 stars)
June 25, 2017

I'm a Bang and Olufsen Fanboy...I own their flagship speaker, the Beolab 5. I also am the proud owner of the beolab 10, 8000, 4000, and 6000.

If the beoplay line was my first Experience with B&O I wouldn't even waste my with this brand.

This review is for the A1, but the issues transfer to all products in the beoplay line. (Currently own he Beloit 12, 17, And A2. Connectivity sucks...consistent pairing between two A1s is a nightmare.

The battery is a joke. 2 hours is what you can expect, MAX.

I spend more time charging and cursing at beoplay products than actually enjoying them.

Sound quality is excellent and to the B&O standard. That's the only bright spot with the A1 and other Beoplay products.
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A No-Brainer for a 5 Star Review
by Drischord (5 out of 5 stars)
July 8, 2017

This is one of the easiest 5 star reviews I've ever given. This speaker is fantastic. I would describe myself as "audiophile adjacent." I am a musician whose ears have developed quite a bit over time, but I'm not someone who can bring himself to spend thousands of dollars on audio. (At least not at this point.)

Prior to purchasing the Beoplay A1, my best audio product was definitely my HiFiMan 400S headphones. Love those and they are a fantastic listening experience... but meanwhile I had no loudspeaker options that even approached their quality. I have a mid-level Pioneer stereo, some Samson monitors for my computer, and a couple cheap bluetooth speakers. None of them special.

The Beoplay A1, on the other hand, really is special. Its sound is incredibly clear, strong, and -- most importantly -- balanced. It's no secret that the trend in today's bluetooth speakers is over-emphasizing bass frequencies. And more often than not, that means changing the character of the music from the way it was mixed and mastered. That isn't the case with the A1. Its frequency response is remarkably balanced across the spectrum and no component -- not bass, mids, or treble -- sounds unnaturally emphasized. The sound is simply fantastic and comparable to a headphones experience.

On top of that, the speaker is beautiful. I got mine in moss green, and it looks elegant and intriguing from all angles. It looks great sitting on a table or hanging from a hook.

While I won't call the Beoplay A1 "cheap," it's an excellent value when you consider how much high-quality speakers cost. You could spend a lot more money for a lot worse quality. Instead, I suggest buying one of these. Like me, I think you'll quickly find it was money well spent.
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Sound great, but lacking in core functionality
by Da Vid (3 out of 5 stars)
March 6, 2017

The sound is great. Slightly bass-heavy, emphasizing the lowest frequencies it can achieve. Most portable speakers do this, but this sounds way better than most. This is only vaguely addressed in the app with a matrix tone control of 4 axes: Warm, Excited, Bright, and Relaxed. You can move the white circle around to achieve approximations of what you're after, but it's no graphic EQ. It also doesn't work in stereo pairing mode.

My biggest complaint with this frustrating but great sounding speaker is with the app and its claim of stereo pairing. I have been looking for portable speakers that can do this and which sound decent for a long time now; I'm a fan of stereo, which seems not to be an important priority with today's audio manufacturers. I read the reviews and was willing to deal with the slightly fussy interface- having to turn it on in the app each time- but alas, it just doesn't work very well, especially on Android. The instructions are minimal and require a lot of trial and error in lieu of detailed explanation. I updated the firmware, but I'm still not clear on how to get it to work properly. It's hit and miss. The app just sucks. It sometimes won't load (Android version). Sometimes it stops receiving the signal when paired with a second speaker. The iOS version is a little more solid with a slightly more helpful interface but it still sometimes looses sync. The instructions say 3 meters maximum distance between the speakers, but that's generous. It works most effectively when they're right next to each other, but even at less than 1 meter apart, I've had signal and sync loss. Line of sight seems important. VERY disappointing. So much for effective stereo separation; 2 of these are NOT a $500 value.

I love the sound and the look of the speakers, but the interface, Bang and Olufsen's horribly frustrating support materials, and the usefulness of the stereo pairing feature all suck. As with the S3 speaker, the decision to put this device on the market without ironing out all the kinks heavily damages the image of what was once one of great design AND implementation. At least the S3 is now heavily discounted as a result of being almost completely useless functionally. People won't care too much these days that the A1 only works reliably in mono. Sad.
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Bass distortion right out of the box.
by Patrick G (1 out of 5 stars)
June 8, 2019

I did a lot of research looking for a high quality Bluetooth speaker to take on vacation with me. The B and O A1 was what I settled on with great excitement. Out of the box, I loved the design. Was able to set it up pretty easily. But then I went to play music... Immediately I noticed a lot of bass distortion. Something is definitely 'broken'. I then searched online and found several others who had similar issues. The sound quality is otherwise great as I try to listen past the bass. But the speaker in unusable and I leave tomorrow for vacation so I guess I am not taking anything with me. Very disappointing. I really like all the other aspects of this speaker and wished it worked.

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