Stuff - UK (2020-04)

3

TESTED B&O BEOSOUND STAGE

1

2

GOOD

MEH

EVIL

Typically

elegant

design

Chromecast

and AirPlay

2 on board

Just the

one HDMI

input

Choose

‘pricey’ or

‘very pricey’

Supports

Dolby Atmos

and Vision

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B&O finally wades into the soundbar scrap with

the Beosound Stage – predictably expensive and

predictably stylish, which is just how we like it

You can’t rush the Danes – they

do things in their own time. This,

the Beosound Stage, is Bang &

Olufsen’s attempt to bring some

of its Scandinavian stylishness

to the soundbar... but, like Axl

Rose performing live, it’s arrived

hideously late.

So does the Stage represent

Axl solo (rubbish), or Axl with

Guns N’ Roses (epic, but possibly

not worth the money)? B&O

reckons this is a complete audio

system, not just a speaker for

your TV, and it will be just as

happy streaming music as it is

putting a rocket up your favourite

Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

In terms of specs, there’s just

one model... but it’s available in

four finishes, from this £1250

aluminium/black sample to

the £1900 oak/grey version.

Function dictates form with

soundbars, though, so there’s

not much scope for B&O’s design

magic here. This one is going to

have to justify its price almost

entirely on how it performs.

from £1250 / stuff.tv/BeosoundStage

Hold my Beo...

Beo taps

The frame is formed of a single

piece of very lightly brushed

aluminium, and at its top left

there are touch-sensitive

controls (2) for volume, source

selection, power on/off and

Bluetooth pairing. And, unlike

a lot of touch controls, they

actually are sensitive.

Beo goggles

Physical connections include only

one HDMI input, plus a 3.5mm

analogue input and an Ethernet

socket. The app is predictably

good-looking, making setup and

multiroom integration easy. It

also has listening modes, internet

radio access, DLNA support and

direct Deezer access.

Beo belly

At 110cm wide and 17cm tall (1),

the Stage is a pretty imposing

speaker – it’s going to look too

big sitting under a TV of less than

55in or so. And though there are

cutaways to aid wall-mounting at

either end of the back of the unit,

it weighs 8kg – so make sure your

plastering is up to it.

Bluetooth

4.2 is hardly

cutting-edge