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I've tested many a Bluetooth speaker, but never had the chance to experience one from Bang & Olufsen. I've heard other B&O products, but never a portable speaker, such as the Beosound A1 Gen 3 Bluetooth speaker.
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I had a good idea what to expect from this ~5" round device, and when I pulled it from its box, I wasn't quite sure what to think. It's small, but has some heft, so I wasn't exactly sure if this little speaker could live up to the Bang & Olufsen reputation.
Boy, was I wrong.
My experience
As soon as I had the speaker out of the box, I paired it with my Pixel 9 Pro and decided to play Purity Ring's new album "Purity Ring" (don't you love a good self-titled album?).
I did nothing to the speaker, save for connecting it to my phone. I decided not to even check if there was an app for customizing the sound because I wanted to hear the speaker as the B&O engineers intended it, and I'm glad I did.
Within the first few bars of the first song, I knew this little speaker was special. I was immediately awash in the breathy, angelic sound of Megan James' voice (I could listen to her sing the phone book and my heart would still swell).
Me and Purity Ring were ready to party with the A1 Gen 3. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
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