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Product Description
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Balance Speaker is a truly beautiful specimen—just begging to be put on a pedestal right in the center of your listening setup. Designed in a cylindrical pillar shape sitting on a beautifully wood-tone base, the Balance will serve as a both visual and sonic focal point in any space Read More
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Got the Prime Day deal because it seemed like really great value, and it was! The sound is very powerful and the bass is quite strong as well. The wood is pretty high quality, but do make sure to keep it in an area where it won't be exposed to high heat or humidity (I nearly ruined a cutting board this way). I had some trouble getting it connected to the app, but after a bit it seems to be doing ok. I still need to figure out how to get Google Assistant working smoothly but that's honestly not that important for me. It's powerful enough that even with my kitchen fan at full sound I can hear music very clearly. It is also great for movies, although maybe one day I will get a stereo setup going with two of these to level up the experience.
A couple of complaints:
The touch controls aren't great. Changing the volume is a bit of a pain and the manual does not really go into detail about how to set up presets.
The app is a bit annoying to have to use. I wish it wasn't a requirement.
I also wish that it had an off button. Would be nice to have rather than just needing to unplug it.
Overall score: 4.5/10 (rounded up to 5)
UPDATE: Drop customer service reached out and made me whole, paying for return shipping and offering a refund for the wrong product. Now onto the review…
You see the box come in, but WOW it’s heavy! Nearly 16 pounds of material and technology in this speaker, containing many more drivers than the similarly priced (MSRP) Beosound 2. Specs alone put the Beosound 2 to shame, although it does not hit the same mark when it comes to looks. The 2 is still an icon, where the Balance looks more nordic, maybe from an upscale IKEA…
Sound is rich, clear, and has that B&O signature yet seems restricted at times. I tried multiple times resetting the room compensation, playing with the EQ and changing audio sources, but the Balance does not sound as pure as the 2. There is no denying that overall power and volume is greater with the Balance, but clarity and personality are the 2’s strengths. The Balance keeps up but can’t quite manage to pull the win. This is more suited for House, R&B, Hip Hop, and some Classic Rock tracks that have been remastered. Jazz was not nearly as airy, while classical sounded either boomy or without a bottom end, no in between until you go half volume or higher (LOUD). The Balance can be the life of the party, while your 2 is for accurate, enjoyable, concentrated listening.
Connectivity is lightyears ahead compared to my older B&O devices (S3, H9i, A1). Connection stability is far better, with no dropouts thus far. Airplay is simple and easy to use, with Spotify and Tidal offering their own native options as well. The EQ is simple and straightforward, although I have trouble figuring out what the “Advanced” EQ features actually do. Directionality further boxes the sound in, just leave it in “whole room” for a more full sound.
In conclusion: if you want to save $600, the Balance is a sound option over the 2. However, if you have the cash and value true quality in sound and material construction over loudness, the 2 is worthy of a look. Really though, if you’re spending THIS much on a speaker, why not spring for the better option?
Original Review: I already purchased one of these (the deal is too good to pass up) so I snagged another in the recent sale. I had ordered a Black Oak version, but to my surprise a Natural Oak one arrived on my doorstep. I’m awaiting Drop’s customer service to reply on this and another ticket and will update my review once the problem is remedied.
Love the speaker and the looks.
Can be configured as direct or room speaker, depending on use case. Sound quality is quite good, as to be expected from B&O.
The app and configuration is good and easy.
HOWEVER, the app does not properly connect to Tidal. Tidal connect can only be initiated from the Tidal app, favorites cannot be saved, etc. Streams thru Tidal connect seem to be downgraded from max/mqa to high (16bit 44.1khz Flac), but this is fine. Opening Tidal connect and B&O app in parallel leads to Tidal mobile app disconnecting; while this does not end the stream, for some reason songs skip to next after 2min in. (Tidal app is still showing original song, B&O app already shows and plays the next.)
I would have expected a much better integration here, this is disappointing to me, as I exclusively stream thru Tidal.
Overall, it is a good speaker. If Tidal streaming is important to you, it comes with a few downsides.
I bought this speaker for $1399, and for that price, I can confidently say that it's worth it. However, it usually costs around $3000, and in my opinion, there are better options for that price. I personally have never heard anything as good as this system in such a small package (the bass is unbelievable), and I would only recommend getting it if you already have a great sound system; otherwise, I highly recommend going with something else, such as a 2.1 channel system which you could get a good one for that price.
This beauty arrived. I am not the greatest fan of the B&O app, but the music is amazing.
I did not listen before the sound correction, however, I am very happy with the clarity of the vocals and instruments. The first song I listened to was Il Dolce Suono.
I followed this up with Florence and the Machine, and the Cortez the Killer, DMB with Warren Hays.
I am hopeful that there will be a second drop, so that I can pair them.
After owning this for about 6 months, I've determined that the B&O app is not great. B&O support has been quick to respond the 3 times I've needed them, but unfortunately they can't fix the problems with the app as it still has this issue. It constantly deletes saved B&O radio stations in my favorites. Would not be that big of a deal except I've spent hours researching & finding the highest bit rate stations and saved them to favorites, then only to have the app dump 90 of 100 stations. To put this in perspective, if 90% of your iPhone apps just randomly got deleted that would be a big problem. This has happened 3 times and every time I have to repeat the process of rebuilding the saved stations over again. That's just one of my problems with this app, the touch screen icons/buttons are often non- responsive. As far as the unit itself goes, it can sound incredible after tweaking and determining the best location.
Update: July 2024- B&O has done a couple of revisions to the app as it is more responsive and less finicky overall. I've never had a problem with the Balance unit, it sounds amazing for the single speaker. In fact, I recently purchased a second unit and currently running them in stereo paired. Added speaker stands filled with lead shot, proper room placement, and the payoff is this is one of the best two box systems I've owned.
SOUNDERSEDIT: If you run your finger along the top, inside, edge of the unit, you can control the sound without having to use the application.
I agree that it is frustrating have no volume control from the top of the unit.
Is this a common issue through all OS? Do you use Apple or Android?
Does it change if you use a laptop VS a mobile device?
Jeff0500Hi, Former B&O Technician here.
You can change the volume in the B&O App if you press on the Black playback part on the lower part of the application when u turn on a radio station, after that the radio station and the logo (if available) shows and also a volume adjusting bar.
For the Problem with the App that it deletes the Stations, try deleting ur account and create a new one. Sometimes they have horrible problems stored in a customers interface...
I have already reviewed this speaker on amazon, so I will just copy it over here. Also, I have since bought another one for stereo, but am still figuring out how to set them up because my room is not in the right place currently. This review is only for a single speaker, and not both.
Design- The design of this speaker is really good. The materials are gorgeous, and it all works very well. The aluminum is cold to the touch, and the wood looks great. It is really good to the eyes and hands if that makes sense.
Sound- The sound of this speaker is really good. There is a lot of customization via the app, however my preference was -3 bass on the omni setting. The bass has great depth, and punch. With their push/push technology, there really is no vibrations coming from the exterior of the speaker, which is astonishing with how much is coming out of it. The sound is a little focused on the lower mids, so it does have some warmth which is nice. The highs are quite resolving, but lack a little sparkle which I would have appreciated. But no complaints because they are very well integrated to the midrange. I would not go past 65 percent volume, I am usually around 40-55 percent in my 350-400 sq ft living room. However it does get a little hot around the aluminum base on the bottom, but B&O says its normal so I won't worry about it.
Comparisons vs Level and A5
Level- This is a great speaker for a smaller room. However it cannot compare to the Balance. It goes much lower, and has greater control and power in the sound. Also it is much more room filling. The Level is a great speaker for a smaller room, and still has a fabolus design.
A5- This one is closer to the Balance in sound. It provides a better 360 experience, as well with going nearly as low. However it lacks the depth and scale that the Balance has. If you want a cheaper Balance then the A5 is perfect.
- High quality sound (superb dynamics, spacious, powerful and clear)
- A lot of sound modes
- Lot's of configuration available
- Superb construction and materials
- Connectivity (RCA, optical, ethernet, wifi), stereo mode
Cons: