Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Explore is their most affordable portable Bluetooth speaker yet
Image Credit: Bang & Olufsen
Beosound Explore is a cylindrical, durable, waterproof, outdoor, wireless speaker with up to 27 hours of playtime, for $199.
Danish high end audio manufacturer Bang & Olufsen have had a busy couple of month, announcing and launching speakers and headphones such as Beosound Emerge, Beoplay Portal and Beolab 28. Announced today, Beosound Explore is a tough speaker, designed for adventure, joining B&O’s other portable speakers such as Beosound A1 and Beolit 20. The new Beosound Explore is B&O’s most affordable portable speaker yet and in fact their cheapest audio product altogether.
Bang & Olufsen have gone all out on the construction of their new compact Bluetooth speaker. Covered in a hardened, scratch-resistant shell, Beosound Explore is ultra-durable, with a tough rubberised base and hard annodised aluminium body. The speaker is suitable for all-weather and all-terrains, from muddy campsites to sandy beaches, without fear of damaging the outer shell. The rugged design protects the internals from drops and falls. IP67 dust and water resistance allows the speaker to withstand submersion in a metre of water for up to 30 minutes. With a waterproof strap and carabiner, as well as a tactile design that fits in the palm of your hand, you can clip Beosound Explore to a belt, strap it to a backpack or simply grab it and go.
B&O’s full efforts haven’t just gone to the exterior design. Beosound Explore hopes to provide powerful sound whether its placed in the middle of a campsite, hung from a tent or perched on a rock halfway up a mountain. Dual 1.8-inch full range drivers pack a punch, with the low-end rated at 59dB SPL, producing “surprisingly heavy bass for a speaker of its size”. The speaker tech and precision cut grill output True360 sound. A 2400 mAh battery keeps the Beosound Explore playing music for up to 27 hours at typical listening volumes, which Bang & Olufsen say is about 70dB. A full charge takes around 2 hours via USB-C.
Thanks to easy-to-use push bottons, the water-resistant control panel can still be used when covered in water, sand or grease, even with gloves on. The buttons control power, Bluetooth, play/pause and volume. With Bluetooth 5.2, Beosound Explore can play music from any streaming source on your connected device. Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair ensure quick connection to Android phones and Windows PCs, plus multipoint allows two devices to be connected simultaneously. Wireless stereo pairing lets you combine two speakers to one source. The Bang & Olufsen app lets you select from EQ presets or fully customize the sound to your preference. Unfortunately you won’t find any microphones on the speaker, meaning no speaker phone or voice assistant functions.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore is available to order today for $199 in Black Anthracite or Green, with Grey Mist coming later this summer.
