In search of audio opulence with a touch of automotive excellence? Danish audio company Bang & Olufsen’s latest collaboration with Ferrari for its Beolab 50 speakers and Beosound Theatre soundbar is probably right up your alley.
This isn’t the first time B&O and Ferrari have launched co-branded products. The pair’s previous collaborations include the Beosound 2 wireless speaker, Beosound Explore portable speaker, Beoplay H95 headphones, and Beoplay EX wireless earphones.
With the Beolab 50 and Beosound Theatre, B&O and Ferrari have turned their attention to the TV room. Here’s what close to R4 million buys you.
How much is too much for speakers?
Firstly, both the Beolab 50 and Beosound Theatre Ferrari Editions are crafted from the kind of quality materials you’d expect, with special attention given to the aluminium used. Bang & Olufsen CEO Kristian Teär said in a press statement that the pair wanted to “pay tribute” to aluminium, calling it a “hallmark material” of both brands.
However, beneath the Grigio Corsa aluminium lamellas and etched prancing horse logo, the Beolab 50 and Beosound Theatre remain largely unchanged.
Each Beolab 50 speaker boasts a digital-to-analogue converter, an analogue-to-digital converter, a preamp, and seven drivers – three 10in bass drivers, three 4in midrange units, and a three-quarter-inch tweeter that emerges from the top of the speaker in its own motorised pod. Each of those seven drivers is powered by a dedicated 300W Class D amp for a total of 2100W of power per channel. The R2,454,000 price tag is starting to make a little more sense.
Similarly, each of the Beosound Theatre’s twelve drivers also has its own power amp. The two 6.5in bass drivers receive 100W of power each while the rest – one 5.25in mid-range driver, two more 3in mid-range drivers, four 2.5in full-range drivers, and three 1in tweeters – each get 60W.
The Beosound Theatre isn’t like other soundbars, and we’re not just talking about the per-driver amplification. This one comes in three sizes to make it easier to match with your TV. Because if there’s one thing B&O can’t have, it’s your TV and soundbar being different lengths. Whether you go for the 55in, 65in, or 77in design, the actual soundbar remains mostly unchanged but the wings on either side will get longer to make up for the difference. Those go for R582,000, R592,000, and R612,000 respectively.
Read More: Bang & Olufsen launch new Beoplay H100 luxury headphones
But if you’re going to spend that much, you might as well invest in a place to put your soundbar that everyone who visits is going to see. To that end, B&O is coupling the Beosound Theatre with a fancy Ferrari-branded choice of a free-standing motorised floor stand or motorised wall bracket, along with a Beoremote One, and an aluminium cover.
Those start at R749,000 for the 55in floor standing or wall-mounted option and reach up to just shy of R800,000 for the 77in wall-mounted option. You’ll also still need to supply a TV on top of that.
