Event Coverage

First impressions of the BeoSound Shape wall deco speakers

By Marcus Wong - 7 Sep 2017

First impressions of the BeoSound Shape

An art gallery isn’t exactly where you’d expect to go to audition a set of speakers, but that’s exactly where Bang & Olufsen had us for the launch of their latest BeoSound Shape speakers. A subtle way of showing off how well it fits besides works of art perhaps?

Certainly, the BeoSound Shape could be considered to be such. Unlike their previous speakers, this a modular system that is mounted on your wall. The hexagonal pieces are covered with fabric, lending new meaning to “music off the walls”.

There are four different types of “components” to the BeoSound Shape system. You obviously have speakers and amplifiers, but there’s also a BeoSound core connectivity hub that lets everything speak to each other. Apart from that, there are also regular acoustic damper components that work like regular audio foam. According to the video on the website, a minimum of six tiles applies, so you’re probably looking at a base of one amplifier, one core connectivity hub, and four speaker units for a single system.

The Connectivity Hub pulls the entire system together.

A total of 10 interchangeable fabric covers in different colors are available for selection, and you can work with the experts at Bang & Olufsen to configure your speakers virtually any way you choose. They’ll also help with installation at your home, which can be a real relief considering the system can accommodate up to 44 speakers linked together.

The BeoSound Shape has an built-in media player so it can run on a standalone basis, but it can also easily be connected to the other AV components in your home. From your television to your sound system, the BeoSound Shape can play it all. And it does multi-room playback too!

A single amplifier powers up to 4 speakers.

This was of course put on display for us, starting with a recording of Una Mattina by Jonas Kvarnstorm. The first thing that hit us, was how effortlessly the eight-speaker system was able to fill the large gallery with sound. Being an art gallery, the space wasn’t designed for good acoustics in the least, but the BeoSound Shape was still able to project the track cleanly. There was good weight on the vocals, with very distinct stereo separation. The piano track in the piece was very well rendered too, with good clarity.

Hey Laura by Gregory Porter was played next, and this jazzy track was again well handled. Porter’s deep rumbling vocals are nicely rendered, and the system makes it feel like he’s literally right there in front of you. The gentle cymbal work was also well picked out, with good separation from the piano accompaniment. Clearly this system excels in the midrange, with good dynamics too.

Whether it’s as a statement piece for the home or an audio system for the discerning audiophile, the BeoSound Shape is a quality piece that certainly seems to deliver. The flexibility of the system means you can definitely get a configuration that best suits your space, while the ability to do multi-room audio means you can have the system over more than one wall too, so the possibilities are certainly endless.

The BeoSound Shape is available now from all Bang & Olufsen stores. Prices will vary according to your configuration, but a base configuration of six tiles (four speakers, one amplifier, and one BeoSound Core) has an estimated price of 4,000 to 4,200 EUR (about ~S$6,500).

Is this your idea of music off the walls?

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.