Stuff - UK (2020-05)

TESTED B&O BEOSOUND BALANCE

50

Is it a lamp? Is it a food mixer?

No, it’s a wireless speaker that

bounces sound off your house...

QThe hi-res-capable Balance

is designed to work close to a

wall. Most speakers dislike being

positioned this way – they like a bit

of breathing space – but B&O has

positioned two drivers to fire from

the back to bounce sound off hard

surfaces, delivering a bigger, bolder

sound than the unit’s size suggests.

QPredictably, it’s built of opulent

materials – oak, aluminium, Kvadrat

fabric – and finished impeccably.

There’s something just slightly

off about the way it looks, as if

one product has crash-landed

onto another... but then, B&O does

have a habit of creating design

icons that don’t look like design

icons until years later.

QThe proximity-sensing controls

on top include a volume control

activated by sweeping a finger

around the edge. Ramping up Cliff

Richard has never been quite so

satisfying. Otherwise the updated

B&O app will see you right.

QAny streaming service other than

Deezer will have to be accessed via

Chromecast, Bluetooth or AirPlay 2,

and Spotify Connect isn’t due until

summer. If the Balance is not your

first bit of B&O equipment, there’s

BeoLink Multiroom on board.

QPlace the Balance next to a wall if

you want it to sound its best. Open

the taps on those rear-firing drivers

and the speaker sounds broad

and burly, with more than enough

punch to get a party started. Move

it away from that wall, though, and

it sounds hazy and lightweight.

The Beosound Balance is a strange one. It’s a weirdly incoherent looker by B&O’s

high standards, with more of an ‘eh?’ than a ‘wow!’ factor – and if you put it anywhere

other than with its back against the wall, it can sound like you’re getting less than

your money’s worth. However, once you place it properly, it soon becomes obvious

where the thinking behind the Balance was focused, and where your cash has gone.

Wall together

now... because

it’s wasted

anywhere else

Simon Lucas

Wall you need is love

STUFF SAYS Great sound if you place it optimally, regardless of the odd looks ++++,

Power 880W Drivers 2 woofers,

4 full-range, 1 tweeter Connectivity

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, AirPlay 2,

Chromecast Dimensions 380x

200x200mmm, 7.2kg

Q Strum together

The two low-frequency drivers

work in opposition – one fires up

from the base, the other down

from that joiny bit. The bigger

full-range drivers fire backwards,

the tweeter and smaller full-range

drivers straight out into the room.

Q Drive my Kva(drat)

Feast on two 133mm woofers,

two 76mm and two 51mm

full-range drivers, and a 19mm

tweeter. There are seven power

amps in there, but despite those

specs it just doesn’t sound all

that powerful.

£1750 / stuff.tv/BOBalance

Tech specs

You’ve got to

hide your plug away

Ports can be found in a

recess at the base of the

Balance, which is where

the woven-fabric

mains lead

plugs in.