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]

More details revealed in B&O Beolit 12 AirPlay speaker

Bang & Olufsen have revealed a bit more information about their upcoming AirPlay speaker, the B&O Beolit 12 compact speaker that forms part of the company's new PLAY line of products.

The design of the Beolit 12 resembles older transistor radios, it is portable thanks to a carry handle and the built in rechargeable battery, wireless streaming is done over Airplay, and the amp is a rather powerful 120W Class D amplifier, which is pretty good for what is ment to be a portable speaker. The speaker set up consist of two 2-inch tweeters and a 4-inch woofer.

Release date for the Beolit 12 is expected to be out in Europe at end of January 2012, but don't expect a product from Bang & Olufsen to come without a premium price tag, as the Beolit 12 will set you back around £699 when released. Time will tell whether or not it will be worth it.



[source: Electricpig]

Bang & Olufsen readies BeoLit 12 Airplay speaker

The hot news in the Airplay world today is that Bang & Olufsen seems ready to release their first Airplay speaker in the B&O BeoLit 12, which is just making its way through FCC approval.

Not much is known about the Bang & Olufsen BeoLit 12 yet, and it is difficult to tell much from the one image that seems to be available of the new system so far, but i can't help but get just a little bit excited about Bang & Olufsen joining the Airplay market.

What is known so far about the BeoLit 12 is that it features Airplay streaming technology, Wi-Fi + Ethernet connection, USB, and 3.5mm line-in for those without the ability to stream wirelessly. As soon as more information becomes available on the BeoLit 12 i will update you all.

[source: WG]