Sonic articles do indeed ping at us from various angles and the sound from the Explore feels truly omnidirectional as we walk around the speaker. We kick off our listening with Les Gordon's Flirting With June and are pleasantly surprized by how expansive the soundstage is, given that this speaker is roughly the size of a tall latte. Refuses to distort, even at higher volumes.Expansive, detailed sound given its dimensions.We particularly like the radio tab, though, which offers easy access to Linn Jazz, BBC Radio 4 and more – and it's something you may not expect at the level.īeosound Explore's USB-C charging port is your only physical connection (Image credit: TechRadar) B&O Beosound Explore review: sound quality The app is a joy to use, with EQ customization and the option to corral your various streaming subscriptions into one place – although of course, you can still go into each respective app to handle your tunes. Beneath the fabric strap (it is a shame this strap is too small to slip over our wrist, as you can with the Beosound A1 2nd Gen, but that's a small issue) you'll find a USB-C port for charging, but there are no other ins or outs here.ī&O also assures users the Explore is rated IP67 for dust- and water ingress, which means it can be submerged in freshwater at up to a meter deep for 30 minutes and live to tell the tale. The base and top plate are covered in rubberized polymer that contrasts beautifully with the cool metallic casework, and the top plate features the expected buttons for power, pairing, play/pause and volume adjustments, as well as a subtle power LED light. That metal bodywork and meaty battery (which offers a class-leading 27 hours) do make a difference. At 637g with the carabiner (and if there's a carabiner going, we're always going to attach it) it's about the same weight as a basketball – reassuringly weighty rather than heavy, but the similarly-sized Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 weighs just 420g. The Beosound Explore will take up about the same space in your bag as a travel coffee mug or coke can, but it's quite a bit heavier than these items.
#BOOM SPEAKER CHARGER DRIVERS#
Under the cool casework, you're getting two 1.8-inch full range drivers powered by two 30-watt Class D amplifiers, but given the inclusion of a Bluetooth 5.2 chipset, it's a little disappointing to read that your wireless codec support is limited to plain ol' SBC, so no aptX higher-quality streaming support and no AptX Low Latency. It has none of the speakerphone/power bank features of the aforementioned JBL Charge 5, mind, and it costs a little more, so you really do have to prioritize the aesthetic – and there's nothing wrong with that. The B&O product is all brutalist angles, cool aluminium and one of the most high-end B&O-branded metal carabiners we've ever seen (and I'm an aerialist, so I know carabiners).
Look at the JBL Flip 6, then look at this beautiful creature: visually, there's no comparison. Up to 27 hours playtime – which is excellent.Compact, classy design with built-in strap and bundled carabiner.That easy to use rubberized top-plate is textured, in contrast to the cool metallic grille and bodywork (Image credit: TechRadar) B&O Beosound Explore review: design and features That said, the JBL Charge 5 is an excellent proposition that will also charge your phone as it streams music from it, and that is cheaper still, costing just $179 / £159 / AU$229. The Explore also boasts a longer battery life (27 hours versus 18 hours), Bluetooth 5.2 (rather than Bluetooth 5.1) and a super-tough build, with a scratch-resistant hard anodised shell built in solid rings around the speaker-holding interior. So, things are looking good…
#BOOM SPEAKER CHARGER PORTABLE#
The Beosound Explore was unveiled in May 2021 and, considering its support for Bluetooth 5.2, the USB-C charging port and fast pairing whatever your source device, it still stands up against the most up-to-the-minute products on the market right now.ī&O products rarely see a discount, but as mentioned earlier, the Beosound Explore is actually the cheaper of B&O's two portable speakers, namely the splendid Beosound A1 2nd Generation ($250 / £199) and the Explore under review here.Īs the newer of the two (the A1 2nd Generation launched in May 2020), the Explore has dropped Alexa support which we don't miss – this is portable territory and the support was flawed in the A1 2nd Gen.