B&O BeoLab 50 Speaker Shows The Danes Can't Resist Luxe

Bang & Olufsen may have flirted with more affordable speakers in its B&O Play range, but it couldn't resist the lure of its old ways: incredibly expensive, practically sculptural home audio kit. Welcome, then, the BeoLab 50, its latest loudspeaker for those who demand an aesthetic with their audio. Part 50s Danish lodge, part pipe organ loft, it actually packs a surprising amount of technology.

Certainly, for many the design will be enough to sway them one way or the other. Standing more than 42 inches tall, the aluminum, fabric, and oak speakers are the handiwork of designer Noto GmbH, and each weigh a hefty 134 pounds. As you might expect from B&O, there's plenty of attention made to the production process too, down to a 24hr acclimatization period before the BeoLab 50 is compared to the reference speaker.

Inside, there are three 4-inch midrange speakers and three 10-inch woofers, along with seven 300 watt custom ICEpower amplifiers. A seventh driver, a 3/4-inch tweeter, rises from the top of the BeoLab 50: B&O calls it Acoustic Lens Technology, and it means the adjustable frame can help angle the width of the sound from that speaker.

If you're listening on your own, for instance, you can switch to a narrow beam, with a roughly 45-degree spread. That gives a "sweet spot" right in the center of the two loudspeakers. In wide mode, meanwhile, a 90-degree spread does a better job of filling the room, more suitable for parties or group listening.

To make sure that's all working, the BeoLab 50 auto-calibrates using its own microphone and an external microphone. That way, it can automatically adjust the bass and midrange levels to suit the space it's placed in. New is multichannel processing, which allows the speaker to compensate for not only its own acoustic artifacts but those of its stereo sibling.

Everything is set up using the Bang & Olufsen companion app. The speakers have Analog Power Link and Digital Power Link connections, RCA, S/PDIF, optical digital, and USB audio connections. There's also WiSA-based wireless for multichannel streaming.

Unsurprisingly, none of this comes cheap. Bang & Olufsen says that the BeoLab 50 will go on sale this month worldwide, priced at 13,295 EUR ($15,470) for a single speaker.