Finally a speaker placed on a bookshelf that actually looks like a book I hear you say.
Well this one features side panels that wrap around the speaker like "the cover of a book", while the front of the speaker is embellished with the Bang & Olufsen logo, much like a book's spine is emblazoned with the author's name.
The user interface can be found at the top of the speaker, with touch-sensitive buttons allowing you to adjust your music playback, while volume can be controlled by making a circular gesture around the control panel.
That's thanks to a 37mm midrange driver that's mounted at an angle, which emits sounds from the front of the speaker alongside the 14mm soft dome tweeter. Meanwhile, a 100m side-firing woofer allows sound to be "guided" to the back of the device, which should help to deliver a wide, room-filling audio performance.
The speaker also comes with active room compensation technology that customises the sound profile of the Emerge based on how it's placed inside your home – a little like Sonos speakers use Trueplay technology to calibrate their sound. In other words, the Beosound Emerge should sound great whether it's sat at the top of your bookcase, on your kitchen counter, or on your bedside table .
If you want to bolster the sound even further, the Emerge can be paired wirelessly with other connected Bang & Olufsen speakers – or, you can pair two Emerge speakers for stereo sound.
As for connectivity, the new wireless speaker supports Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and will get support for Bang & Olufsen's Beolink multi room connectivity in late 2021. The speaker also has a built-in radio, as well as a microphone for hands-free voice control via Google Assistant.
No doubt it will come at a higher cost that SONOS and other smart speakers, but like everything B & O it's as attractive to look at as it is to listen to. Bravo!
