Bang & Olufsen’s Beolab 28 is a pair of connected speakers for $ 14,750

Bang & Olufsen is known for its high-end speakers with its brand Danish design. Even if it is the most expensive centerpieces order exorbitant prices, they usually offer a full suite of features for listening to anywhere in the house. The company’s latest luxury home entertainment device is the Beolab 28: a pair of wireless speakers offering multiple connectivity options, room calibration, multiroom audio and more. And as you can imagine, they are very expensive.

Beolab 28 speakers are large cylinders with cone-shaped bases. The company claims that this column design pays homage to the Beolab Penta, Beolab 6000 and Beolab 8000. The speaker base, which contains the woofer, can be adjusted to sit flat on the floor or be mounted on the wall. At the top, the touch controls light up when someone approaches the devices when a proximity sensor detects movement. On this panel, play / pause, skip tracks, and volume control options are found alongside four preset buttons that provide instant access to Spotify playlists, streaming radio stations and more. The Beolab 28 is available in a variety of finishes – natural silver aluminum, anthracite black or bronze – and it comes with multiple options for covers in knitted fabric (gray and heather gray) and solid wood (light oak, oak, smoked oak and walnut).

Inside, three 3-inch speakers are stacked vertically with a 1-inch tweeter. In the cone-shaped base, a 6.5-inch woofer handles the low-end sound. Like other B&O loudspeakers, the Beolab 28 is equipped with active room compensation which calibrates the loudspeakers according to the environment in which they are placed. These also have a beamwidth control that allows you to switch between two modes that change the way the sound is projected from the units. A narrow mode reduces the amount of sound bouncing off walls by directing audio to what B&O calls the “ultimate sweet spot”. Wide mode sends audio in more directions, which the company says gives you the ability to physically move around while you listen. Mechanical curtains on the speakers allow these modes, and they also move when the speaker is powered on for the first time.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the Beolab 28 supports AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, WiFi and Bluetooth. Physical connections include Ethernet, Powerlink, and line / optical in, and the speakers come with a remote or you can use the company app to control them. This fall, B&O plans to add multiroom connectivity with its Beolink technology, but they can now be used as part of a multiroom setup via AirPlay 2 or Chromecast.

Like other recent speakers from Bang & Olufsen, the Beolab 28 is equipped with the company’s replaceable connectivity module. B&O says this component is essentially future-proof for units, as this component has “enough processing power and connectivity technology to receive further performance and feature updates for years to come.” If it becomes obsolete, it can be easily replaced by another version.

The Beolab 28 with fabric covers costs $ 14,750 (€ 10,750 / £ 9,750) while the wooden cover option is $ 16,500 (€ 12,000 / £ 10,750) – for a pair. The company plans to sell them individually as well, but the ad did not include the price of the single speakers. Bang & Olufsen’s audio equipment is still a big investment, but these prices are at the high end of the company’s current speaker offerings. And if you think it’s expensive, don’t forget that B&O makes the Beolab 50 which starts at $ 40,000.

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