B&O Beosound A1, 2nd generation

The second generation of the Bang & Olufsen BEOSOUND A1 is a mobile Bluetooth speaker in an elegant design that has been equipped with modern features such as voice control, a hands-free system and 360° sound characteristics. It can be ordered directly from the B&O online shop for 299 EUR...

We find it somewhat unusual that the manufacturer does without a WLAN module. Therefore, Alexa can only be used via Bluetooth on the smartphone. However, this has a disadvantage: the mobile everyday companion must always be in the immediate vicinity of the Bang & Olufsen speaker so that Alexa can be used.

The Beosound A1 2nd Gen is a near-perfect portable Bluetooth speaker with a luxurious design and quality finish. It's also very robust with an IP67 rating for full protection against dust and immersion in water. The buttons are better than the original, but still more cumbersome than many competitors...

In May 2021, we have included ?15 new Bluetooth speakers in the big speaker comparison of Stiftung Warentest. Among them are lightweights like the tiny ?JBL Clip 4, middleweights like the ?Marshall Emberton and heavyweights like the ?Dockin D Fine+2. Especially in the middleweight class, the price range is enormous: it ranges from far below 100 euros for the ?Anker Soundcore 3 to well over 200 euros...