Bang & Olufsen Beosound balance

The beautiful sound is surpassed only by an astoundingly large soundscape. And looks you would almost kill for. Always nice with built-in Google Assistant!

The bass tends to get thin and the soundscape flat when playing (very) loudly. Sounds a little cold and clinical for rock music. Two speakers in stereo becomes way too expensive.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound Balance is a wireless and smart speaker that at first glance seems too expensive. We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of a beautiful exterior, but the suspicion lingers that one might have paid through the nose for this....

Distinctive looks ; Punchy and well-defined sound (in the right circumstances) ; Good app and lovely physical controls

More dependent on positioning than most alternatives ; Can be flaky with Chromecast ; Far from the most dynamic wireless speaker around

Good specification, typically up-market looks, and some areas of real sonic talent take the Balance a long way. But it’s let down a little by its neediness in terms of positioning - and its price brings it into competition with some brilliantly musical...