Beosound A1 3rd Gen

My two Beosound A1 2nd gen were $130.96 & $145 used in 2022. $295.28 for two (including tax & shipping, on Amazon) - Strangely now $234 used on Amazon. If it drops to $131-145 again, great clean sound (not for bass-lovers). 3rd gen has better bass, but $399 list price.

Best sound quality I’ve heard is the Bang & Olufsen A1 (3rd Gen). Pricey, but great little speaker when you use their app to adjust your preferred sound/EQ.

Since you say price is not important... I have two B&O A1 Gen 2. They are very nice. Amazing sound, considering the size, as long as you are good with moderate volumes and fiddle a little with the EQ. Even better if you can stand it up against a wall or in a corner. Great battery life and small. Waterproof. Buttons for volume/next/back/pause, but not big and easy to use. Amazing for phone calls. I especially like my A1 for audiobooks, since they have nice EQ that can be used to enhance voice reproduction. I use my B&O A5 for loud portable music. And my AudioPro/WiiM multiroom setup for stationary music. Two are fun for stereo. I mostly use one as a bedside speaker and the other as a portable speaker. B&O A1 Gen 3 is out. A1 Gen 3 is said to be even better than A1 Gen 2. More bass. Longer battery life. If I didn't have my Gen 2 I would get one. At least one. [https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/int/speakers/beosound-a1](https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/int/speakers/beosound-a1)

BT speakers I can recommend personally: B&O A1 g2 or g3. Small. A pair for stereo. Nice for ambience. B&O A5. Expensive. Great sound and pretty. Hyperboom. A pair for off-grid partying.

What I use... For audiobooks I have found my B&O A1 unbeatable. Portable and great sound for speech. Also great as a phone speaker. I have one next to my bed. Not very loud, but great full sound otherwise, without annoying booming that can make voice reproduction tiresome. For loud stationary multiroom music I use my combo AudioPro/WiiM setup. AudioPro C20mk2 & C5mk2 and two UE Hyperboom with WiiM Mini optical hookup. The Hyperboom are great for outdoor garden party use. For portable music I like my B&O A1, especially fun in stereo, but they are not very loud outdoors. Then my B&O A5 is better.

I have two old UE Hyperboom. Amazing for larger social gatherings. Loud, if needed. But some effort to setup. I have a B&O A5. Great for the balcony or the patio. Easy to carry around and setup. Or I use a B&O A1 for some low volume ambience or to play an audiobook. I don't have a pool. But I don't think I would hear much swimming? When I do work in the garden I typically use active hearing protection, a 3M Peltor headset or use in-ear noise canceling headphones.

I think most BT speakers work like that when connected to power. If not connected to power I think most (=all) turn off automatically after a few minutes. My AudioPro C5, C20 works like this. Also my B&O A5 and A1. As do my UE Hyperbooms.

If it is for actual stationary use the AudioPro C20 is very powerful and great can also be used in a wifi multiroom setup. The C5 is nice and like the C20 have a sub out for extra oomph. The B&O A5 is amazing and somewhat portable, but very expensive. The A1 is great for a small room or having nearby. I have one next to my bed for sleeping-pill audio books. The UE Hyperbooms are also somewhat portable and also rugged as party-speakers indoors and outdoors, but a bit old and large now. If lucky you may find some second hand. I have upgraded mine with WiiM Minis. So they work in a multiroom setup with my AudioPro speakers. Also the AudioPro speakers I have are a bit old, new "W" versions were recently released, so you may find some second hand as well. The old version I have works with WiiM multiroom system. The new versions don't... I can recommend them all. I don't keep BT speakers I don't like... My favorite for large room use is the B&O A5. For audiobooks in a small room or nearby, the A1. The C20 is great for a big room, as are the Hyperbooms. I have the C5 in my kitchen. For better stereo-image, two or more speakers are great. I think many other speakers would work well also.

The A5 is a great choice, but a little expensive. Especially if you go for two in stereo. The A1 is nice for low volume sound nearby, but not for partying in a larger venue.

Use mains powered speakers. Or keep them connected to the charger. I have a B&O A1 next to my bed. It is always on and always connected to the charger. Just works. Amazing for audiobooks.

I use a B&O A1 on my bedside table. As long as it is plugged in to the charger, it stays on. Great to help me fall asleep. I use the audiobook player software in my phone to stop playback after 15 minutes, unless I move/shake the phone. If it isn't plugged in it will turn off with a beep after some minutes of stopped playback. I think almost all BT speakers work like this. Keep it connected to the charger and it won't turn off and beep. I have a dual output charger, so I can charge my phone as well.

Get a second hand beosound A1 gen 2 or 3 from bang and olufsen. You can get it around that price and it’s both gorgeous and a nice speaker, water resistant as well.

100% agree with you,but they are so popular because they are very portable and people don't need to mess around with more units,and for music listening at a social event, or at the beach or bbq or camping,a good powerful speaker with good battery life gets the job done, something like the Sony ult5,bose sl max or bigger speakers for party type events like the hk go play 3 or jbl encore 2,pb120 320 etc,the rgb lights are an awesome feature for this type of events. If you want maximum portability or just small footprint for indoor listening but still want stereo setup, there are so many options, like x2 motion 300 soundcore( very cheap on deals) x2 tribit stormbox micro 2 ( also very cheap on deals or second hand, some units were 20-25€ on the sh market and looked like new) x2 sony ult 1 especially right now when you can find one for 50€ or even less x2 flex 2 if you like that processed, wide and powerful bose sound x2 b&o a1 2nd or 3rd gen, for something more refined x2 xiaomi sound pocket (literally saw a brand new pair for 20€ total)

Check my post here about the b&o A1 line ,if you want something small but powerful. If this is not enough,the charge 5 is very cheap,ult field 5 is 120€ for a refurb in my country, marshal middleton 2 is also quite good,but around 170-200€ you can check my review about it.