If you’re looking for a nicely-designed yet technically powerful speaker that you can bring around and you have the budget for it, Bang & Olufsen is probably one of the first brands that come to mind. They have recently announced the newest member of their B&O Play line of portable speakers, the Beoplay 6 and it brings 360-degree dispersion as well as its signature Scandinavian design from popular Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz. It costs $399 but given its pedigree, you can be assured it’s worth that amount.
Design-wise, the Beoplay 6 is not only pretty, but the details are actually practical. The shape stabilizes it so you can put it practically anywhere while the smooth aluminum surface means you can steadily grip it from any angle. To be able to give it the 360-degree sound dispersion, you get an anodized and pearl blasted aluminum shell with hole pattern. The double layered premium leather strap meanwhile gives the design a warm contrast. And more importantly, it is water and dust resistant so you can use it in any room around your house, even the backyard or the kitchen.
The speaker has three amplifier channels, with 1 x 36W Class D for woofer, 2 x 30W Class D for full tones so you get 215W peak power. It also has an advanced Digital Signal Processing setup for efficient power management. It gives you a playtime of up to 16 hours supposedly and even though it is small, you get full bandwidth, high-quality sound. It has a OneTouch button which should let you access the smart features, like enabling Google Assistant on your phone, accepting calls, or switching ToneTouch presets through the Beoplay app.
The Beoplay 6 will soon be available in Bang & Olufsen stores and their online store as well as third-party retailers starting April 23 for $399. You can choose between the Black and Natural colors.
