Bang & Olufsen Introduces Beosound 8 Dock

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed)
Nov 26th 2010 at 11:01AM

The BeoSound 8 is the first Apple docking station Bang & Olufsen has ever made, and in customary B&O fashion it looks nothing like any docking station you've ever seen. Two aluminum-ringed orbs are actually conical speakers 'suspended' between the docking bridge. The entire unit can be set on a counter or hung from a wall, with clashing hues avoided by using one of the black, white, or six colored grills available for the speakers. Audio harmony is meant to be insured with a setting that lets you: wall-mounted, in a corner, or freestanding on a flat surface.

It works natively for the iPod, iPhone and iPad, the latter of which needs no special adapters or cable for compatibility. They can be plugged in atop the bridge between the speakers, or any player can be connected with the AUX line-in or USB port, and your DJ Shadow ministrations can be controlled by the docked device, by the BeoSound 8 remote control, or by one of the company's intelligent remotes if you're already a member of the B&O family. You can expand your source options to Mac and PC by plugging the BeoSound 8 into an Apple Airport Express and getting it onto your home wifi network.

If that still isn't enough, B&O is creating free and paid apps for the device. The free app will add an alarm clock function and access Net Radio, the $19.99 app will include 10,000 Internet stations, a music library browser, and an upgraded alarm clock feature. The BeoSound 8 is available now for $999 at B&O showrooms, the apps will be available in December.

Gallery: BeoSound 8 Dock from Bang & Olufsen