After almost a century since its founding, the Danish brand continues to make products known for luxury and longevity.
Luxury comes in many forms. Top of mind are designer bags and clothes, prestige cars, and bespoke vacations.
When it comes to sound, luxury and longevity have long been synonymous with one Danish label: Bang & Olufsen. And great news to the most discerning Filipino audiophiles, the high-end consumer electronics brand has relaunched its Philippine flagship store at Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong.
A peek inside their store and you’ll know you’re in for a luxurious experience. The 124-sqm space features the label’s complete brand portfolio which includes state-of-the-art home theater systems and its finest offerings, amid a sleek and modern interior that reflects Bang & Olufsen’s minimalist Scandinavian roots.
During the flagship store’s launch on Sept 24, Soren Kokholm, head of Bang & Olufsen Southeast Asia, walked media guests through the store and introduced some of the brand’s most groundbreaking products.
Luxury defined
First is the Beovision 97” Harmony OLED TV, its largest 4K OLED screen to date, which comes with an elegant front cover that makes it look like a piece of art when closed. It can be paired with the Beolab 90, one of Bang & Olufsen’s most advanced offerings, and the Beolab 50, which has a slightly lower price tag.
The product demonstration showed how the Beolab 90 brings a truly powerful sound into a home entertainment setup. With no less than 8,200 watts per speaker, 18 premium drivers, 14 channels of ICEpower, 300 watts amplifiers, and four channels of 1000-watt class D Heliox amplifiers, these speakers can satisfy even the most nit-picky audiophile.
The next product which Kokholm introduced is probably the one which impressed me the most. At first I thought it was a pretty piece of wall art, but I found out soon enough that it was a set of wall mounted speakers! The Beosound Shape speakers is a powerful audio system that doubles as a work of art. Kokholm revealed (amid a collective gasp from guests) that underneath each panel are different audio and acoustic components which you can rearrange to boost sound performance or acoustic damping properties.
Then Kokholm gave a demonstration of Beolab 8 (from P504,400/pair), which makes its debut in the Philippines. Each speaker packs in versatility and power in one stylish contraption. The sound that flowed out of the speakers was both crisp and full, making for an immersive audio setup. Kokholm explained that the Beolab 8 is tuned by Bang & Olufsen’s renowned tonmeisters, with its three-driver setup offering rich, clear, and immersive sound, no matter the environment.
The Beoshape blew me away, but it was the Beosound A5 which I loved—coveted I think is a much better word—best among the items that were previewed. The portable speaker looks unlike any other of its kind. The cover and handle are made of Scandinavian wood, but you can also choose from aluminum and called Nordic weave.
The A5 is the most powerful and the one with the highest fidelity among Bang & Olufsen’s roster of portable speakers. As they say, you won’t just hear Beosound A5 – you’ll feel it; and feel it we did during the demonstration with its full, top-tier sound. It’s also equipped with RoomSense which adapts playback based on your space, so you always get the finest fidelity.
The last item which Kokholm demonstrated was the Beoplay H100 (from P115,000.00), which looked every bit as luxurious as it’s touted to be. These advanced over-ear headphones boast immersive audio optimized for Dolby Atmos, next-level noise cancellation with its EarSense™ technology, and titanium drivers. On top of these is a sleek and timeless design that comes in three colors: Infinite Black, Hourglass Sand, and that gorgeous Sunset Apricot.
A commitment to longevity
Bang & Olufsen takes pride in its core values which are rooted in sound, design, and craftsmanship, resulting in products that deliver seamless, authentic audio experiences. But more than its strict adherence to the highest standards of sound excellence, it also embraces the principles of a circular economy.
But this is no easy task, as Kokholm admitted that no electronics company is ever completely sustainable, “unless you grow it in your garden and go and pick it up, it isn’t sustainable; there is a C02 emission (from) it.” What Bang & Olufsen commits to and focuses on is creating products that last for a “very, very long time.”
“We do it by ensuring the products that we make have a very, very long life. That is very challenging and something that moves very fast,” he said. “What we do is, we built a platform inside that can be updated not if but when it is necessary to change it (component or part),” he continued. “We can simply open it up, take out that module and put the new module and you will keep the unit.”
“So when you invest in a Bang & Olufsen product we promise you that you will have it for many, many years,” Kokholm emphasized. He shared that all their products from the past couple of years are part of a certification called ‘Cradle to Cradle.”
This means that with every Bang & Olufsen product you own, you can rest assured that its products are built to last through components that can be completely taken apart, replaced, customized, and upgraded to extend their life indefinitely.
With this, Kokholm said: “So instead of calling it sustainable, we are looking at longevity,”
Bang & Olufsen has gone a long way from its founding almost 100 years ago in 1925 as a humble radio manufacturer in Struer, Denmark. It is now known not only for audio-visual excellence but also for its timeless and stylish designs that last for a long time.
Hear, see, and feel the full range of Bang & Olufsen products in its flagship store located at the Mid-Level East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong. For more information, follow @bangolufsenphilippines on Facebook and Instagram, or visit www.bang-olufsen.com/.
