"With Beosound Theatre we unleash the full potential of the high-quality streaming services now available to customers and bring the magic of the cinematic experience into the home. At the same time, it is built to last for decades due to its modular design, which allows you to update, rather than replace, this beautiful soundbar," he adds.
To create a powerful and immersive cinematic experience, Beosound Theatre comes with 12 speaker drivers, including two custom-made long stroke 6.5" woofers and 800 watts of amplification power, providing up to 112dB sound pressure level. Speech clarity is managed by the custom-made centre channel, where the tweeter is mounted directly in front of the midrange. The alignment of these drivers ensures a better sound distribution elevating the quality audio experience for everyone in the room, while directivity has been designed to optimize speech quality.
Building on the Beam Width and Beam Direction Control developed for Bang & Olufsen’s flagship Beolab 90 speakers, Beosound Theatre introduces a new three-dimensional sound directivity due to the patent-pending combination of the direct, side- and up-firing speakers. This means that all loudspeaker drivers are working together not only to produce sound, but to control its beam width and direction.
Following on Bang & Olufsen's unique approach to modular design, users can easily transform this soundbar into a complete wall-mounted or floor standing Bang & Olufsen TV experience, so it blends in perfectly and doesn’t take up more space than their existing TV. The modular design thinking also applies to the TV screens and the cover of the soundbar, which are both replaceable. The aluminum “wings” are also extendable to fit larger TV screens as users upgrade.
"We know that our customers want to invest in products that last, which is why Beosound Theatre has been modularly designed to outlast many TVs in its lifetime. We have made a solution that enables you to update your product rather than replace it, and a product that can evolve with you over time,” explains Head of Product Circularity. The interface bracket is motorized and forms a seamless connection between the stand and the TV screen, cleverly hiding any clutter to present the TV as one integrated design, including one compartment to hide STBs. "The Beosound Theatre interface bracket provides the possibility to dock almost any screen to the soundbar. This means that people don’t have to invest in a new TV or can simply choose what they believe is the best TV solution," adds Mads Kogsgaard Hansen.
And although this soundbar was designed as a one-product solution, it can evolve to be used as a dedicated sound centre, providing new opportunities for home cinemas. Starting with seven built-in outputs and supporting up to 16 external loudspeakers it can be the heart of a full-blown Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 surround configuration. In this setup, the Beosound Theatre soundbar functions as a centre speaker that merges the Dolby Atmos decoding and custom-tuned post-processing with Bang & Olufsen’s proprietary True Image algorithm to maximize the capabilities of all Bang & Olufsen loudspeakers.
In terms of connectivity, Band & Olufsen offers all possibilities, as usual. There are three HDMI inputs with CEC and one HDMI eARC with 4K or 8K passthrough, and an analog audio input via USB-C (there's an adaptor for a standard mini-jack). There's a built-in Ethernet switch with 4x Gigabit ports to connect with even the most sophisticated system, one port being assigned for a LG OLED TV connection for integrated control.
In terms of wireless the options are even more, with dual band (2.4/5GHz) Wi-Fi 6 and standard built-in, WiSA compliant support, allowing connecting up to eight Beolab loudspeakers wirelessly in addition to the wired loudspeakers. Obviously, among other standard B&O options, there's Bluetooth 5.1 with AAC, support for external voice assistants, Apple AirPlay 2, DLNA, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Deezer, QPlay and multiroom support via most of these direct streaming options.
In addition, Beosound Theatre comes with a new bass management system that uses all Bang & Olufsen loudspeakers in the system to work together as a single unit. This not only gives the maximum potential of the entire system, but also helps to control the resonance in the listening room, making sure that the various loudspeakers work with and not against each other.
"You can buy Beosound Theatre as a soundbar and later add a pair of rear loudspeakers such as Beolab 28 in a triangular setup that delivers an incredible spatial sound performance, while continuing the overarching aim of minimal products, mess, and compromise in your space," says Senior Technology Specialist Jakob Dyreby.
This new product also continues the design philosophy of Bang & Olufsen’s Beolab 8000, Beolab 18 and Beolab 28, which focused on making a heavy volume appear to balance on a pinpoint. Designed to reflect the effortless grace of sailboats, Beosound Theatre’s keel-like design makes it appear as if it is resting on an aluminum blade, floating in the air as one fluid form. The solid oak lamella cover is made by a family-run factory in Denmark and perfectly matches Bang & Olufsen’s family of Beolab speakers.
Bang & Olufsen also announced a new setup technology called Roomsense. By placing the external microphone at the listening position, Beosound Theatre will work with the Bang & Olufsen App to measure the distance from the listener to the soundbar. But more than this, it will also assign a role for each speaker based on the different placements, carry out sound compensation for each speaker if it placed free standing, up against a wall or in a corner, as well as overall room compensation to avoid unwanted resonance.
"With Roomsense, everyone can make the perfect setup in a matter of seconds. But just as important, it allows for all kinds of placements of the speakers, so people can decorate their homes as they want – not based on the standard speaker placement," adds Jakob Dyreby.
The soundbar also comes with Bang & Olufsen’s own proprietary software platform called “Mozart,” which continues the heritage of ensuring that the soundbar can connect seamlessly with products as far back as 1986, creating a cross-generational home audio setup. "Products such as the Beolab 6000 and Beolab 8000 column speakers are loved by people who appreciate design worldwide and we have made sure that they can use them with Beosound Theatre right out of the box. All you need to do is connect them," explains Chief Design Officer Miklu Silvanto.
As well as respecting the past, the Mozart platform also anticipates the future. Because the platform is packed with processing power and memory, Bang & Olufsen can introduce new features, capabilities, and connectivity over time to ensure an equally seamless experience with home audio settings of the present day and those in the years to come.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Theatre is available in a premium wood or fabric finish. Retail prices start from 6490 Euros.
www.bang-olufsen.dk | www.bang-olufsen.com
