- B & O A1 3rd Gen promises lower in the same design
- Up to 24 hours of battery and pairing with other A1 models
- $ 349 / £ 299 is an increase in prices on the previous model
Bang & Olufsen has announced the beosound a1 3rd Gen, which is the new version of the Bluetooth portable medium level of B&D. The new model promises a more powerful sound, some new features and a longer battery life, and has a higher price than its predecessor, even before taking into account discounts on the previous model.
I have been a fan of the B & O A1 2nd Gen since its launch in 2020: it is the Bluetooth speaker that I use at home, and I love its elegant aluminum design, more full sound than other medium -sized bluetooth speakers and the life of the generous battery, which means that it is always ready to go even if it has forgotten for a season.
According to B & O, the A1 3rd Gen has “the largest woofer in its class”, which means more powerful and “deeper” departure (with a low -claimed low of 64DB, which is 2DB higher than the second generation). This sounds great to me, assuming that it is well balanced with the media and acute, as I mentioned earlier, the true b & or A1 2nd gene is that it handled a broader and more complete sound than the similar offers of JBL and Sonos.
The battery life has increased from 18 hours to 24 hours, which is really excellent for any of the best Bluetooth speakers, much less a smaller option, including the Flip 7 five -star JBL is limited to 16 hours to the maximum with its active battery extension function.
However, the different updates of these are more subtle. The wireless connection is Bluetooth 5.1, which seems a bit behind the times: many new Bluetooth speakers today are arriving with newer versions that include the aircraft support for audio exchange in multiple speakers.
B & or has not gone to that type of option, but it can be used in a stereo pair with another A1 3rd generation, or a 2nd generation A1 (obviously I have my eye in that characteristic …).
Alexa’s voice assistant support of the second generation seems to have been eliminated, but there is still a microphone: you can use it as a speaker. It has a Microsoft swift pair and a couple of Google Fast to easily connect to those devices.
The design seems largely without changes in the previous model, which is fine for me: I really like the ‘button’ shape and the clean metal finish. It is not as pocket as the JBL Flip 7, but anyway it is quite thin and can easily slide in a bag.
As before, it comes with an attached strap and has an IP67 classification, so it can resist a light in the water or roaming between the sand such as the best waterproof speakers.
B & O says that this is also the first Bluetooth speaker that is “certified by the cradle (bronze level)”, which means that it is done with sustainable practices in mind and has modularity in the design that makes it repairable in the future, including a battery that can be replaced in a B&D service center.
There are three colors: natural aluminum, honey tone and eucalyptus green. I do not like the last one as the beautiful B & o of the Forest B & O Finish used in the A1 2nd Gen and The B&O Explore, which is perhaps my favorite finish in any technological product, but it is still very pleasant, as well as the honey tone.
The obstacle here is really the price. At $ 349 / £ 299, it is more expensive than the official price of $ 299 / £ 259 of the A1 2nd gen, but that model also regularly falls to about £ 180 / $ 200, and is only at the cheapest price that I generally recommend that people buy it.
Double the price of JBL Flip 7, you will have to work hard to feel worth it. But well, the latest version administered it to me.
