Bang & Olufsen Bows Bluetooth Speaker, as Premium Wireless Speaker Market Heats Up

The market for premium Bluetooth speakers is starting to heat up as the holiday season approaches. In the same week that Bowers & Wilkins launched its first Bluetooth speaker (see 1410210039), Bang & Olufsen announced it was entering the arena with a 2.5-pound speaker that’s the size of a hardcover book (1.7 x 5.6 x 10.1 inches). The BeoPlay A2 ($399) is a flat two-channel speaker said to provide “omnidirectional” sound through Bang & Olufsen’s Power Response Enhancement technology that uses an extra tweeter on the main driver's rear side to send sound in all directions. Battery life is one of the differentiating features companies are using to sell their wireless speakers. B&O said Thursday that the A2 can run for up to 24 hours on a charge, and “none of the other speakers of this size and category come even close to matching that amount of playing time.” Also on Thursday, Bowers & Wilkins issued a correction to its Tuesday news release, saying battery life of its T7 Bluetooth speaker ($349) is 18 hours versus 10 hours, which the company said was a typo in the original release. The B&O A2 is available in green, gray and black and comes with a carrying strap, the company said.