"We are very excited about this collaboration. There was a strong sense of history in the making as we came together to create it," says Bang & Olufsen CEO Kristian Teär. "It goes all the way back to the start for B&O and Ferrari. The founders, Enzo Ferrari, Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, were visionaries, who redefined their industries by challenging the status quo. Their legacies ring down through the decades to push both brands to new heights to this day".
"The combination of best-in-class performance, graceful aesthetics and meticulous craftsmanship brought B&O and Ferrari together to create the collection. This is elevated by the unrivaled heritage of both brands, making this collaboration one to remember," Teär adds.
The collection is a departure from Bang & Olufsen's traditional approach, as Christoffer Poulsen, senior vice president of business development and strategic partnerships at Bang & Olufsen explains: "Our classic speakers are meant to naturally blend in with people's homes while also standing out for their beautiful design. This collection is different. They're statement pieces. Much like supercars, they make themselves seen and heard everywhere they go".
In The Ferrari Collection, the unique Beosound 2 advanced speaker is anodized at Bang & Olufsen's Factory 5 in Struer, reimagining the design in Ferrari signature red. The aluminum body is polished to provide a high shine, enhancing the richness of the red shade. The iconic Ferrari emblem sits below the grille, completing this edition.
The Beoplay H95, Bang & Olufsen's flagship headphones with custom titanium drivers and adaptive active noise cancellation are now finished with Ferrari's jet-black shade, with laser-etched Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari's Prancing Horse logos to match. Under the earcups, the titanium speaker grilles have been anodized in a rich red hue, specifically selected for this collaboration.
The Beosound Explore portable speaker comes with Ferrari's laser-etched Prancing Horse (Cavallino Rampante), and a striking black carabiner for any adventure. The two-layer body of the speaker is anodized in red and black, so that the grille stands out instantly against the dark interior.
And finally the Beoplay EX, Bang & Olufsen's most powerful true wireless earphones with active noise cancellation, also join the Ferrari Collection, showcasing a striking black foiled logo of the Ferrari emblem, sitting under glass poured in the iconic red, cut and polished to provide a mirror-like shine.
Bang & Olufsen has championed design with aluminum for nearly 70 years. In 1955, when the industry convention was to use heavy metals such as cadmium, chrome and nickel in audio products, engineers at Bang & Olufsen became intrigued by the possibilities of aluminum, a material that was strong, flexible, flat and resistant to corrosion. Today, the slick, mirror-like aluminum surfaces have become an integral and ubiquitous part of the Bang & Olufsen design aesthetic, most notably in the loudspeaker category.
This aluminum craftsmanship continues into The Ferrari Collection, predominantly in Beosound 2. Upon first glance, the continuous piece of aluminum that envelopes the speaker may seem like a choice based on aesthetic goals, but it is much more than that. The stiffness of the material and the seamless surface that one piece of aluminum gives Beosound 2 significantly eliminates distortion of the sound that the speaker produces. The intersection of function and beauty has been explored throughout the entire capsule collection, drawing similarities with the approach to designing a supercar.
"Drawing from Ferrari's signature red, we explored and considered a number of different hues from the painting palette available for Ferrari cars. We finally selected a modern, mature red with deep cherry undertones. Paired with a timeless black and applied to the aluminum via double anodization, the color perfectly unites our two brands in a uniquely bold expression. The roar of the red is impossible to ignore. And the depth of the black draws you in, revealing the layers of craftsmanship," adds Poulsen.
The Ferrari Collection will be available online and at selected Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari stores, and online at www.store-ferrari.com.
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