Available in both black or in white, the BeoSound 8 iPod/iPad player was introduced in November 2010. It was delivered with its own round remote control unit (see image below) and came complete with table and wall stands. Unlike most Bang & Olufsen products which are manufactured either in Denmark or the Czech Republic, the BeoSound 8 was produced in China. BeoSound 8 was replaced with the AirPlay-enabled BeoPlay A8 model in summer 2012.
Room Adaptation switch
BeoSound 8 comes complete with a table-top stand as well as a wall stand. The unit’s conical speakers allow BeoSound 8 to blend into a corner in order to save space.
However, as a loudspeaker’s performance is strongly influenced by its physical position in a room - with corner placements especially difficult with walls interfering with the reproduced sound, making bass frequencies sound ‘fuzzy’ - BeoSound 8 can be adjusted to its situation by means of a manual position switch. The switch adjusts the speakers’ performance according to whether the system is placed in a corner, against a wall or standing freely. The three positions change the equalisation of (mainly) the bass channel according to a room response target based on a large number of measurements taken in different positions in different rooms.
This feature ensures faithful sound reproduction at all times with individual freedom of placement.
Adaptive Bass Linearisation (ABL)
ABL is a Bang & Olufsen-patented solution to increase bass frequencies in small rooms. The process utilises surplus capacity in the built-in amplifiers and driver units at normal listening levels, for better bass reproduction. However, ABL entails a risk that the driver unit might not be able to handle the extra boosts at higher volume levels. To solve this, bang & Olufsen has introduced an electric circuit to monitor the sound level, so when the music peaks in the lower frequency areas and maybe come close to distorting the sound quality or damaging the driver unit, the bass signal is reduced accordingly.
Although Bang & Olufsen developed Adaptive Bass Linearisation for high-end speakers like BeoLab 9, the process can also be used on small speakers - such as those in the BeoSound 8 - to enhance their sound in small spaces.
Power Consumption: Typical: 10W, Standby: 0.4W
Loudspeaker Cabinet Principle: Sealed box
Effective Frequency Range (measured at -10 dB re. Ref level (200-2000 Hz): 38.3 - 24,000 Hz
Connections: iPod/iPhone/iPad connector, USB Line-in via Phono
Accessories: BeoSound 8 remote control (inc), Table stand/feets (inc), Wall bracket (inc)
Fabric colours: Purple, black, green, blue, yellow, black & white (original colours); red, orange, yellow, silver (from 22.09.2011)
BeoSound 8 range
Dimensions (W x H x D / Weight): 66.1 x 23.9 x 16.4 cm / 4.25 kg
Material(s): Painted plastic, aluminium and fabric
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