Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A1

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A1 is a portable Bluetooth speaker shaped like a flat disc about the size of a small plate. Aluminum grill on the front has a pattern of precisely drilled holes that makes it look like a piece of Scandinavian kitchenware rather than consumer electronics. Sound is broader than you expect from the size because B&O designed the driver to fire in a 360-degree pattern. Set it on a table and the audio fills the room more evenly than speakers that point in 1 direction. A leather strap is an odd detail that works because it turns the speaker into something you carry like an accessory rather than packing in a bag. At $250 it competes with the JBL Charge line, which is louder and more rugged but looks like a piece of gym equipment. The A1 is for people who care about how their speaker looks on a coffee table. That's a valid design priority even if audio purists would spend the same money on something with a bigger driver.