Thoughts on B&O’s direction over the past decade
With today’s news about the CEO’s departure, I felt it might be a good moment to reflect—constructively—on Bang & Olufsen’s direction over the past decade or so. I write this as a long-time admirer and owner, not as a casual critic.
Design direction – the loss of a defining edge
Arguably, design has always been B&O’s single most important differentiator. The company’s global recognition was built on exceptionally disciplined, elegant design - pioneered by Jacob Jensen and carried forward through the 80s, 90s and early 2000s by designers who respected that language: sharp, straight lines.
Over the past decade, however, that edge appears to have been diluted. While materials remain exclusive and build quality generally high, the design language itself has become increasingly organic, rounded, and - frankly - less elegant. Noticeable so. They're no longer headturners.
a) Soundbars: The Beosound Theatre and the Beosound Premiere are, in my view, simply too bulky. The Premiere in particular feels overly organic and visually dominant. Ironically, the most affordable model, the Beosound Stage, is - by far - the most elegant and the only one that truly aligns with traditional B&O design DNA.
b) Speakers: Much of the current portfolio - Beosound A9, Beosound 2, Beolab 8, Beolab 50, Beolab 90 - illustrates the same shift away from crisp, architectural lines toward rounded, organic forms. They are a long way from the sculptural elegance of Beolab Penta, Beolab 8000, or even Beolab 18 - with the Pentas having a very special "presence".
c) Televisions: Televisions are where B&O has arguably stayed closest to its heritage - clean, straight lines - with the notable exception of the Beovision Theatre’s rather clumsy “elephant foot”, which feels like an unfortunate departure from otherwise disciplined design thinking.
Connectivity – baffling missed opportunities
Some product decisions around connectivity are genuinely hard to understand.
- The Beosound Stage cannot connect to external speakers. The cross-selling potential alone should have made this a priority.
- The Beoconnect Core has no wireless speaker connectivity, limiting its usefulness in modern setups.
