ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
So, at first I wanted to talk about very subtle scratches I have discovered on my new Beosound Balance Nordic Ice that I don't even know how they have surfaced in the first place. Then I started to feel like I wanted to bring it to an entirely different, and to me at least, unexpected direction.
You know what? I am kind of fond of those tiny scratches. Why? Because it makes the aluminium base more alive in a way that I almost feel affectionate towards them. Maybe it is the magic of that finish they have applied on the base of the Nordic Ice version, and the tricks the changing light plays over it, making the scratches disappear. Look closer elsewhere, and you see a sandy or linear texture. Isn't that just pure beauty?
At the same time it baffles me a little how on earth they have appeared. I have an explanation to one of them (plug touching - not scratching - it ever so slightly) but I have always handled it with such care that I have no idea about how they have appeared. I started thinking about what kind of surface treatment they have used in a limited edition product compared to regular aluminium.
In the end I felt like having a conversation on materials that are used in B&O products and to check around the community who has got what kind of experience with their own B&O-babies. My hope is that we can share a bit of love for B&O, with both imperfection and perfection in mind. Beosound, Beolab, whatever you feel like adding your story to.
To set the "tone", here is a newer video from the time the Beogram 4000c was launched. To me this is a gem of a commercial, and incredibly inspiring. I just love everything about every second of it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDZB_E39k2c&t=4s
Next, an old video from B&O themselves regarding how they treat aluminium:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXbPn8NsKM0
And one more on polishing aluminium:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcQ61VFmQ8s
I was not able to find the one about reliability test where they drop and heat up or freeze their products.
In any case, lots of exciting insight to get an idea of how they work with aluminium. You just wish you could go on that guided tour in Struer, right?
So while I understand they have the technique and the partners and the materials, I would like to nerd a bit about how that translates into what we experience as consumers.
How has wood aged on your precious B&O?
How does your aluminium look after years?
What is your perception of the real thing before any damage? How about after?
How do you appreciate it? I mean I feel like touching that thing all over :).
Do you have a good story to tell?
Everything goes! It's really the appreciation of B&O's craftsmanship and anything beyond. Does that make sense to anyone?
To me it is just incredibly fascinating how the texture of their aluminium can vary so much. B&O themselves even encouraged people to scratch their - then - Beoplay A1 in order to give it some character. Then there was the Contrast collection. I couldn't resist getting an Anthracite Beosound 1 and that matte finish is just out of this world, while - also from the Contrast collection - the zig-zaggy brushed finish of the Beosound 2 was also one-of-a-kind. Then we come to this kind of frosted aluminium look that the Balance Nordic Ice has got and the way the logo plays on top of it, with the polished edges around the disks.
I am also hugely impressed with how meticulously they (or their partner in Denmark) can carve out the BANG & OLUFSEN logo on wood, how they were daring to choose marble for the Balance Gold Tone as its base.
And then there is the Bespoke program where it all comes to a whole new personal level...
I think this can go both ways; Bit like some decent Swiss watches for instance?
on one hand, you can get B&O with some real cr@p finishing like the old Beosound 2500 and stick-on aluminium plates. On another level the precision of the Beocenter2 with proper Al machining.
However, like a good stainless steel Swiss watch, a lot of B&O products can be easily “dinged” and be almost impossible to correct a surface blemish back to original.
Personally, I am a huge fan of B&O design. I love the way they use aluminium. Probably my favorite brand after Apple when it comes to enjoying their products on a daily basis.
B&O in my life 😊: