Bang & Olufsen A1 Review

I traded my Libratone Zipp for a new Bang and Olufsen A1 speaker yesterday. As I review the A1 here, I have tried to provide more of a comparative analysis with competing products so if you are already using one of these, it provides what the A1 adds to or lacks and hopefully helps you decide if you want to purchase it. I have stayed away from too detailed reviews on sound quality as there are numerous blogs that already do it in good detail.

Why did I trade in the Zipp ?

The Zipp (2015 model) is an excellent speaker that supports AirPlay and Bluetooth. The thing produces an insanely loud volume and the sound quality is pretty good. But it was too big a device for me and over time I preferred the sound quality and smaller footprint of the Bose SoundLink over the Zipp and the Zipp mostly remained unused in my drawer.

Initial thoughts on the A1

I have had my eye on the A1 since its launch due to its unique form factor and minimalistic design. USB C !!! Yes, this speaker uses USB C for charging. This works very well for me as I use the 2016 Macbook charger to charge the A1. It helps clear up the clutter on my desk with using an additional charger/dock, which is what I was using with my Bose SoundLink.

I picked the Moss green color over the silver color and it definitely looks nicer in my setup. The silver option tends to pick up dirt more easily compared to this color and the demo silver unit at the B&O Store had a dark circle around its white base.

Connectivity

I’ve been streaming music from my 9.7" iPad Pro to the A1 for the last 9 hours and so far I haven’t had any drops or issues with streaming music either. So far so good.

Living On

I’ve been using it all day today and in terms of sound quality it’s very comparable to the Bose and I am definitly liking it. In the past B&O products I’ve owned ( H6,H8,) have always been a little low on bass and as much as some folks like that, I do enjoy a little of bass to make music sound more fun. Bose defintiely overdoes the bass and this A1 is a pleasant surprise in that area. It has the right bass to make music sound great and achieves a good balance.

The controls on the A1 are extremely minimalistic and there’s a slight give when you push the volume buttons that provide feedback. The iPad displays the Volume indicator when you press the volume buttons on the A1. Personally I like how the controls are designed and feel.

B&O says it gets you a full 24 hours of playback on one charge but I haven’t validated that claim yet. The device also has a mic and taking calls on the device with an iPhone 6s Plus sounds really good.

The Bose has been my goto speaker for most of the year and I have tried several other brands in this time- Jambox, JBL Pulse, Libratone and I kept going back to the Bose everytime. The A1 is the first speaker in more than a year that looks like it could be a real contender to replace the Bose for me. So far I am extremely happy with this purchase.

I’ve attached a few pictures below of how the A1 looks and compares in size when compared to the Bose SoundLink.

Current Audio Setup:

Bluetooth Speaker on my Desk: Bang & Olufsen A1

Whole House Audio: Sonos Play1, Play3 and Play 5

Headphones: Bose QC35 Wireless Headphones

Workout Headphones: BlueAnt Pump HD Wireless ( I’m looking for some new headphones to workout)