Bang & Olufsen announces BeoPlay A8 AirPlay speaker dock

When Bang & Olufsen first announced their BeoSound 8 speaker dock well over a year ago, the only thing i really missed was the ability to stream music. Now it looks like the guys in Denmark has listened as they have announced their B&O BeoPlay A8; an AirPlay version of the BeoSound 8.

The new BeoPlay A8 features the same iconic design and speaker set up as the BeoSound 8, including dual 5-inch woofers and 3/4-inch tweeters, powered by Class D amplifiers (70W woofer and 35W tweeters). There is still the ability to dock your device, but this upgrade is all about the addition of AirPlay streaming, allowing you to enjoy the music from your iOS device without docking with the speakers. Based on the information on their website it also looks like the BeoPlay A8 supports bluetooth streaming, possibly through a line-in adapter.

This is the second AirPlay speaker announced from the Danish audio manufacturer, as earlier this year they announced their portable BeoLit 12 AirPlay speaker. It looks like Denmark will be the source of high-end AirPlay speakers as it is also the home of the Libratone Live and Lounge.

Release date for the BeoPlay A8 is yet to be announced, but expected retail price is likely going to be up towards the £900-1000 mark as US retail price is expected to be at $1149. I will be back with more exact details when available.

[source: BeoPlay via iPodRepublic]