Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28 Wireless Speaker is Most Advanced Yet

Bang & Olufsen's Beolab 28 is pitched as the company's “most advanced connected speaker yet.” That is no easy boast when you consider the other products from this innovative Danish brand.
The Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28 wireless speaker has been designed for easy placement within your home thanks to its slim shape and small footprint, and some clever audio processing skills. Thanks to a suite of streaming options, the speakers work as a fully wireless music system.
The Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28 can be wall-mounted as well as being employed as a floorstanding speakers. We're told that its column form was inspired by the iconic shape of the manufacturer's Beolab Penta, Beolab 6000 and Beolab 8000 as a nod to the brand's commitment to timeless design.
Within that curvaceous design sits five Class D amplifiers powering a 6.5-inch woofer, a 1-inch tweeter and five specially developed 3-inch full-range drivers - one either side and three at the front - resulting in a claimed 27 -23000Hz frequency response.
The woofer's bass response is matched to the room via B&O's latest-gen Active Room Compensation. At the same time, Beam Width Control tailors the sound from the rest of the drivers according to the speaker's placement. The latter can be set to either Narrow Mode or wide mode. As you would expect, Narrow Mode promises to offer a more focused and direct soundstage while minimising interference from sidewall reflections. Whereas Wide Mode diffuses more sound all around the speaker while, we're told, maintaining a natural tonal balance whether you're sat in the sweet spot or walking away from the speakers.
The speakers communicate over a 24-bit/48kHz wireless connection, and they can be paired with a Bang & Olufsen TV using Powerlink or Wireless Powerlink. Also, there's an update coming in Autumn, so you can hook them up to Beolink Multiroom. As well as Bluetooth, the Beolab 28 sports the expected streaming smarts, including AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast.
All of that tech sits in a replaceable connectivity module. We are assured that this has been front-loaded with enough processing power to accept firmware updates for some time to come. However, should streaming technologies push past these capabilities, the module can be swapped out when the time comes giving some degree of futureproofing.
Finally, there are those all-important touches that we've come to expect from high-end B&O offerings. Firstly, proximity sensors let the touch interface know when to light up when you walk towards the speakers. However, it's the 'curtains' that open when the speaker is switched on and move when you're adjusting the sound beam that screams Bang & Olufsen to us - those who gave us the butterfly-winged TV, for instance.
The towers are available in Natural Silver, Black Anthracite or Bronze Tone aluminium, with speaker covers in knitted fabric (grey or grey mélange), priced at £9,750 per pair. Or opt for one of the solid wood finishes (light oak, oak, smoked oak or walnut) for £10,750 per pair.
Visit Bang & Olufsen for more information

Jay Garrett
StereoNET UK’s Editor, bass player, and resident rock star! Jay’s passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in:Hi-Fi
Tags: bang & olufsen bang olufsen
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