Established in 1925, Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has been a bulwark of Danish Design – especially in the audio-tech sector – for a century now, processing the key tenets of quality production and sober aesthetics. That isn’t to say that it hasn’t periodically pushed the envelope of formal configuration and innovation in that time.
Take the Beosound A9 freestanding speaker. First released in 2012, the sculpture-disk-form device was a game changer, demonstrating the full potential of rapidly advancing technologies. While Beoplay H100 represented a significant improvement in headphone performance upon its release, the Beosound A5 Century Weave set forward the revolution in portable speaker modality.
A just released limited edition capsule collection, named The Centennial Collection, comprises all three key products in a special reskinning – marking the brand’s century of excellence. “Since our founding, timeless design has been at the heart of everything we craft,” says Kristian Teär, B&O CEO. “The Centennial Collection honors our past, celebrates our present, and looks to the future. It is a tribute to the icons that have shaped the brand and to the enduring values that define our legacy.”
The three distinctive devices have been reimagined with a coherence of design features from various defining eras: the checkered grill patterns of early radios, the vibrant yet tempered hues of the 1970s, and the brushed aluminum of the 1980s; a period cropping back up the trend cycle and becoming popular again. A ‘century’ red and ‘blue’ – as well as a chestnut brown – perfectly tie everything together. There’s something comfortable, transcendent even, in the deft melding of these subtle yet decipherably historic details.
The limited edition Beosound A5 Century Weave portable speaker is clad in a beige and chestnut brown raffia weave; evoking the boldly geometric radio grills of the 1950s. Carefully introduced metal framing and meticulously treated leather straps represent a superior focus on craftsmanship, an approach B&O has fostered since day one.
Wrapped in fellow Danish design brand Kvadrat’s Centennial Cadence fabric, the Beosound A9 Century Blue speaker is a color-block statement piece if there ever was one. Its slim and sleek brushed aluminum frame keeps the form perfectly together.
Developed for Dolby Atmos, the Beoplay H100 Century Brown headphones feature titanium drivers and advanced noise cancellation for an elevated listening experience. Finished in brown leather ear cushions, its glass disc is rendered in natural silver tone.
Each product is furnished with an “B&O Est. 1925 Anniversary” and “A never failing will to create only the best” moniker, recalling founders Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen’s original mission.
For more information on Bang & Olufsen’s The Centennial Collection, please visit bang-olufsen.com.
Photography courtesy of Bang & Olufsen.