Are you the type of fellow who spares no expense when it comes to outfitting your high-end listening room with the best hardware money can buy? If yes, then chances are, you’re going to want to give the BeoLab 18 some serious consideration. Well, if the wife won’t kick you out for buying stuff you probably can’t afford, that is.
Designed by Torsten Valeur, it’s a wireless floor-standing speaker inspired by B&O’s iconic BeoLab 8000 from 1992, which has become the company’s biggest selling product of all time. The new column is a reinterpretation of the beloved design, incorporating elements that make it more suited to modern home theaters with your laser TVs and cinema seats and wireless gear.
Similar to the 8000, the BeoLab 18 has a tall, slender form with a backbone of brushed aluminum dressed up in a warm wood facade. Unlike it, though, the new hi-fi speaker brings a shapely, sculptural base that brings up the image of organ pipes, an acoustic lens sitting on top, and 21 fanning slats that elegantly obscure the internal hardware while distributing sound evenly in multiple directions. Features include a pair of 4-inch midrange/woofer drivers, 160-watt amplification, and three finishes (black, white, and solid oak). It’s also one of the first speakers to incorporate the new WISA standard, a multi-channel wireless protocol that delivers “peerless home acoustics without the restrictions (of cable).” Dimensions are 132.4 x 15.5 x 11.5 cm, with a weight of 8.5 kg.
Announced alongside two other speakers, BeoLab 17 and BeoLab 19, the BeoLab 18 Sound Column will hit stores towards the end of November, priced at $6,590.