Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore
Bang & Olufsen is an iconic, Scandinavian lifestyle brand that designs and manufactures a range of high-end audiovisual products. One of the company's more stylish products is the Beosound Explore – a small, portable Bluetooth speaker designed for outdoor, all-weather use.
As with just about everything else in Bang & Olufsen's lineup, the Beosound Explore features a minimalist design with clean, modern aesthetics. There's no gimmickry and certainly no RGB lighting. Aside from its appearance, build quality is what makes this speaker stand out: the unit is housed in a rugged, anti-scratch aluminium shell, and is IP67-rated for dust and water resistance.
It comes in 7 different colors: black anthracite, grey mist, chestnut, green, navy, bonfire orange and blossom pink. In my opinion, the black, grey and green models are the nicest.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore: Charging
Charging is via an included USB-C to USB-A cable. Bang & Olufsen claims the speaker takes 2 hours to charge, though in my experience it's usually a lot faster – often no more than an hour or so. When fully charged it can play for about 12 hours at 50% volume and several days at quieter levels.
There's no battery life indicator (like you'd find on a telephone, for example), but the LED next to the charging port will turn red when power dips to 15% and then start flashing when the battery level hits 10%.
Sound Quality
To get the most from this speaker it's essential to use the Bang & Olufsen app. This is because the default sound settings are far from optimal (they're actually configured for outdoor rather than indoor use) and have led quite a few reviewers to criticize the Beosound Explore for its blandness. But setting it up via the app is a breeze and only takes a couple of minutes or so.
Once configured for indoor use, the sound is excellent. It's near perfect across the entire spectrum, with a warm, resonant bass that's well defined and free of distortion. Overall the speaker makes a great companion for a phone, tablet or PC, and is ideal for listening to music and watching TV shows. Maximum output is 30W.
When used as an indoor speaker, the Beosound Explore can be placed pretty much anywhere and – unlike most other portable speakers – will deliver true omnidirectional sound. The volume control buttons have a nice tactile feel and are reasonably easy to distinguish in low-light conditions.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore: Build
Build quality is superb. The speaker's anti-scratch aluminium casing is every bit as rugged as Bang & Olufsen claims. The casings are actually made at B&O's aluminium factory in Denmark since this gives the company complete control over production and quality; the net result is the Beosound Explore enjoys a really premium feel that sets it apart from most other portable speakers. At 630 grams the speaker is surprisingly heavy for its size, but this merely reinforces the feeling of quality and robustness.
Attempting to clean the speaker with a cloth is a bad idea since it rapidly accumulates lint. I use a dampened nail brush instead. The speaker is IP67-rated for dust and water resistance, which is fine for the occasional splash and outdoor use in light rain. It can survive underwater though I doubt it would survive too long.
It's also worth considering the speaker's design. In my opinion, it's probably the best-looking portable Bluetooth speaker in its 250 USD price range. Combining outstanding build quality with stunning aesthetics, it's almost like a piece of art.
Competition / Collaboration
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore has positioned itself in a competitive market. With an average retail place of 250 USD, obvious competitors include JBL's Charge 5 and the Sonos Roam 2. But both of these speakers are plastic constructions and neither is particularly stylish. Sure, the Charge 5 has a battery life indicator (which admittedly is very useful) and the Sonos is supposedly a strong performer when it comes to bass.
Moving up a notch or two, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker is a quality product with great aesthetics. But it's pricier and a fair bit larger than the Beosound Explore, so I'm not sure it can be considered competition. It's also designed primarily for indoor rather than outdoor use.
As competitive as this segment of the market is, the Beosound Explore has no competition when it comes to special editions. In October 2024, for example, Bang & Olufsen unveiled its Ferrari Collection – a stunning collection that included the Beosound Explore and cemented a collaboration between two of the world's best-known luxury brands.
