Bang Olufsen

The Classicist: Celebrating the Season in Style with Range Rover at Wheatleigh

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

Click above for high-res image gallery. Photos exclusive to Luxist.

Winter can be a long, cold interlude verging on a test of endurance in the Northeast, and it's all too easy to get bogged down by the doldrums. Plenty of people either hibernate by their hearths or hit the beach until the mercury makes its ascent, but there are myriad ways to keep warm with style, verve and panache. We recently gathered some of our favorite accessories of the season at Wheatleigh, the majestic mansion-turned-luxury hotel in the heart of the Berkshires' winter wonderland. Getting us there in style and comfort through anything the weather cared to concoct was the 2011 Range Rover Sport, a luxurious way to see the landscape safe in the knowledge that the elements have met their match. The pedigreed SUV's smooth, refined, performance and rugged good looks mark it as a thoroughbred in all respects, a suitably stylish conveyance for arriving at a desirable destination like Wheatleigh. And we had the great new Olympus PEN E-PL1 compact, versatile digital camera on hand to record it all for your vicarious enjoyment.

Wheatleigh, located in Lenox, Mass. next door to Edith Wharton's famed country manor The Mount, is a grand estate based on a 16th century Florentine palazzo built in 1893 by New York financier Henry H. Cook for his daughter who married a Spanish count. Many of the materials and over 150 artisans were brought from Italy to produce intricate carvings and design flourishes for the grand interiors and facades. Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed Central Park in New York, was responsible for creating "Wheatleigh Park" on the land surrounding the palazzo. Following a four year multimillion dollar renovation it was transformed into one of the most unique luxurious small hotels in the world. The nineteen suites, guest rooms and baths artfully combine antiques and custom furnishings with original museum quality contemporary art. The baths are finished with English limestone, marble and hand-blown glass fixtures, and most rooms feature fireplaces and Bang & Olufsen TVs. Check out the gallery to see the perfect accoutrements for a stylish seasonal sojourn – from books to watches, champagne to cashmere sweaters, and boots to bags – no matter where your journey takes you.

Gallery: Range Rover at Wheatleigh Dec. 2010

Graf & Lantz wool felt Boat Bag, personalized Tumi Alpha wheeled case.

Tumi Alpha case; Dom Perignon Tribute to Andy Warhol edition; Private Stock jeans; Graf & Lantz Quiver wine carrier w/ Robert Mo

Tags: Bang Olufsen, Berkshires, Brooks Brothers, Central Park, champagne, Dom Perignon, Edith Wharton, estates, Frederick Law Olmsted, gardens, Holiday 2010, L.L. Bean, Lenox, luggage, luxury hote, mansion, Massachusetts, mens style, New England, Olympus, Olympus PEN E-PL1, palazzo, Persol, Ralph Lauren, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, spirits, stolichnaya, sunglasses, SUV, teNeues, The Mount, Tumi, vodka, Wheatleigh, winter

Bang & Olufsen Introduces Beosound 8 Dock

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Bang & Olufsen Introduces Beosound 8 Dock

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

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Tags: b and o, bang and olufsen, bang olufsen, beosound, beosound 8

Calling James Bond: Sunseeker Unveils New Superyacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

UK-based Sunseeker, whose sleek craft had a starring role in the last three James Bond films, has unveiled the stunning new 40-metre (131-ft.) superyacht it plans to debut at the upcoming Southampton Boat Show. Bristling with balconies, bars and sundecks, it's designed to accommodate all the Bond girls you can muster in extreme luxury. An integrated touch-screen-controlled lighting system and state-of-the-art audio visual system by Bang & Olufsen help set the mood. The yacht's three decks of interior space are designed to optimize available natural light, and the lower deck guest cabins feature large, panoramic portlights. Layouts can be customized to individual customers' specifications so you can choose between more space or more cabins. Exterior-wise, an increased rake makes for an impressive streamlined profile and a sharp, ocean-going bow. Stairs curving inwards on each side of the hydraulic central bathing platform make for a dramatic entrance when boarding the yacht.

Tags: bang and olufsen, Bang Olufsen, James Bond, Sunseeker, superyacht, UK, yacht

B&O Takes the Aston Martin DBS Cabron Black Edition on U.S. Tour

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Destined for exclusivity, many of us might not normally have the opportunity to behold the Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black edition. Based on the top-of-the-line GT that serves as James Bond's ride of choice, the Carbon Black edition features a unique black paint process designed to deflect the light at different angles, plus lightweight carbon-Kevlar seats draped in black leather with silver stitching, piano black trim, special wheels and more.

The Carbon Black edition also comes equipped with a 13-speaker, 1000-watt premium audio system from Bang & Olufsen. Now the Scandinavian audio firm is taking a pair of DBS Carbons on a coast-to-coast tour of the United States, hitting New York, LA, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington and Miami along the way. So if you want to check it out and live near one of these major metropolitan centers, call your local Aston dealer to find out when you can stop by.

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Tags: aston, aston martin, aston martin dbs, aston martin dbs carbon black edition, bang and olufsen, bang olufsen, carbon black, dbs

Bang & Olufsen Makes Sound Sound Better in the New Audi A8

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos

The recently unveiled Audi A8 contains so much wizardry that we hear Merlin has made it his official conveyance when duties necessitate leaving Camelot. The A8 is made of aluminum. It can tell whether cars ahead of you are signaling a turn. It can read speed limit signs (Merlin's not so happy about where that one is going, neither are we...). Its thermal imaging system can detect people 300 feet away. The adaptive lighting system knows when you're going to turn because it's paying attention to the same navigation system that you are. It has Google Earth.

It also has 19 speakers, part of the second generation Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System. That is five more speakers than in the first generation B&O system. That is probably 10 more than you have in your entire living room, the size of which -- unless you live in Manhattan -- most likely dwarfs the interior space of an A8. Four of those are in the rear, to create a "movie-theater-like" experience that makes up for lacking popcorn by substituting LED mood lighting.

Rated at 1,400 watts, and with the rear seat entertainment package and "Movie" mode, you might as well be in a theater. Although we probably wouldn't recommend you conduct date nights on the rear bench, in a pinch it can certainly make for some rewarding interludes. Unless, that is, you live in Manhattan, and in that case an evening in the back of an A8 could be just the kind of thrilling, and roomy, getaway you've been looking for...

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Tags: Audi A8, Audi A8 2011, AudiA8, AudiA82011, audio, bang and olufsen, bang olufsen, BangAndOlufsen, BangOlufsen, car audio, CarAudio

The BeoVision 4 From Bang & Olufsen: Rapture on the "Small" Screen for $112,000

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The New American Heritage dictionary defines the adjective "superlative" as: "Of the highest order, quality, or degree; superior to all others; 2. Excessive or exaggerated." The third entry should read "The BeoVision 4." The television from Bang & Olufsen presents these credentials: it spans 103 inches; the screen alone weighs 580 pounds, the floor-standing base adds another 600; when the BeoVision 4 isn't being viewed the screen lowers itself to the floor via dual gas shocks and actuators, hiding the center speaker; sixteen years of research have gone into it; oh, and it costs $112,000.

Luxist recently took a trip to Beverly Hills Aston Martin to get a good look at just how much TV you could get for the price of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The story is here.

Gallery: Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 4