I love Bang & Olufsen. It is a brand I aspire to have in my house. The Danish brand has found a way to merge elegant minimalist style with high quality sound. For me they’re leaders in the home entertainment and sound space. Remember when I shared those R1.3 million speakers with you? While not many of us can put a pair of million rand speakers in our house, we can purchase a bluetooth speaker that promises the design aesthetic and quality of Bang & Olufsen that we’ve come to expect.
Which is where the Beoplay P2 comes in
Bang & Olufsen are touting this as their bluetooth speaker for the every person but if I’m honest, it is far more than that. The P2 straight out of the box is tiny. It is smaller than some of the bigger smartphones on the market, even if somewhat thicker. It has a gorgeous round finish and follows the same sleek design of most of Bang & Olufsen’s designer hardware. It is far less imposing than the Beoplay A1 which I much preferred.
Out the box you get the pretty speaker which has a rope attachment and a USB charging cable. That is it. I like the simplicity of it, one cable and no fuss.
But where are the buttons?
My favourite part of the speaker are the lack of buttons. The on/off button are hidden by the logo and other than that… there are no visible protrusions. There is an app you can download to control the speaker or alternatively just use your smartphone. The bluetooth speaker also works off voice and gesture control but I didn’t use these features. Controlling the speaker from my phone or simply double tapping the speaker grill to pause and play songs worked just fine for me. Set up was extremely quick and simple – once paired to my phone the P2 did its job.
How does it sound?
The thing about Bluetooth speakers is that I really don’t like them. I hate that they always stop working and run out of battery when I want tunes. I hate the tin like sound quality they offer up. For the most part they disappoint me and I think this has a lot to do with the fact that they’re cheap Chinese tech that are smashed out at low cost with very little thought about quality. This is not the case with the Beoplay P2. Bang & Olufsen is renowned for their sound quality. Its why you’ll find them in Audi and why there is a bigger price tag. They’ve taken that quality and compacted it into the P2 ensuring you get the full Bang & Olufsen experience for the R3000 P2 price tag. They don’t skimp on quality at all.
The Beoplay P2’s sound quality is incredible. I turned it up loud and it filled my house without distortion or any tin. It is a bass heavy speaker but I dig that. It packs a strong punch with incredible sound quality. I was blown away by how good it was despite the tiny size. It is super easy to use and easily mobile if need be. I was extremely impressed by this baby.
Final Thoughts
Yes it costs a little over R3000 and it is a bluetooth speaker. but it lasts a good full day on charge and the sound is out of the world. This baby is worth the spend because you won’t need to fork out on fancy sound at all. The Danish design is classy and will fit in to your home or office (or both, because you can slip it into your handbag and take it anywhere). It is a little gem in a mound of bluetooth speaker rubbish. Save for it, buy it and you’ll love it.
Disclosure: I was sent a Beoplay P2 to review, it has left me now and gone on to another lucky media person. I’m sad.
